In noir fiction, the protag is screwed from the first decision, and things never get better although there are little twinkles of hope here and there, but in the end, he or she is screwed.
If there is a happy ending, it's not noir.
I've always believed that and now Otto Penzler said it. Maybe that doesn't satisfy everyone, but it satisfies me.
Others may be satisfied with other opinions.
Jack
http://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JackBludis
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