If they do so in the course of their official or unofficial job description
(policemen, for example, have the condoned ability to use lethal force when
appropriate), then no. A politician who kills his rivals in order to
further his career...then by my definition, I suppose he would be, but I
grant you he wouldn't be what we normally conceive as a serial killer, per
se. While I think there's a great deal of validity to my description,
perhaps it isn't hard and fast as I'd like to think. ;-)
Or maybe it's like porn...I know a serial killer novel when I see it.
Ron C.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com [mailto:rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com] On
> Behalf Of Sean Shapiro
> Sent: Friday, August 20, 2010 3:22 AM
> To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: RARA-AVIS: Re: Moratorium on serial murderer mysteries?
>
> Ron, by your definition would a politician/policeman/or any other figure
of
> authority who kills his rivals be a serial killer?
>
> Sean Shapiro
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Ron Clinton <clinton65@comcast.net>
> To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Fri, August 20, 2010 3:59:38 AM
> Subject: RE: RARA-AVIS: Re: Moratorium on serial murderer mysteries?
>
>
> ...except the hitman is killing as part of his occupation; it's his job.
> He's getting paid, yes, but that's payment for professional services
> rendered. THE AX's protagonist is doing this to protect his personal
> security...it has intimate meaning to him. He is not doing it because it's
> part of his job description (as it is / can be for a thief (Parker) or
spy),
> nor is he getting paid for the specific acts themselves, as a hitman does.
> Like a hitman (or thief), the end result of the AX's protagonist's actions
> may indeed be financial enrichment, but the contextual impetus for his
> killing has no direct relation to this potential reward. He's fighting to
> protect what he feels is rightfully his -- a job, stature, a lifestyle,
> financial security, etc -- and acting in a way that is perversely
> logical....this is quite different than killing because it's part of the
> job.
>
> Ron
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com [mailto:rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com]
On
> > Behalf Of davezeltserman
> > Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 7:39 PM
> > To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
> > Subject: RARA-AVIS: Re: Moratorium on serial murderer mysteries?
> >
> > In the Ax the murders are as financially motivated as a hitman's would
be.
> They're
> > done purely for the end result of being financially rewarded (ending up
> with a job).
> > No difference.
> >
> >
> > --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Ron Clinton" <clinton65@...> wrote:
> > >
> > > To me, the difference is relatively clear. If the fictious perpetrator
> does
> > > the killing in the performance of his professional duties -- thief,
> hitman,
> > > spy, et al -- then I do not consider it a serial killer novel. If
> instead
> > > the perpetrator does his/her killing for reasons that are instead more
> > > personal and intimate -- psychotic/sociopathic deviancy (Thomas
Harris'
> > > books, Joyce Carol Oates' ZOMBIE, etc.), methodical elimination of
> > > obstructionist rivals (THE AX), self-righteous delusions (BLACKBURN),
> and so
> > > on -- then it is a serial killer novel. Obviously, this is a
subjective
> > > differentiation on my part, but that seems like an appropriate
> distinction.
> > > Since Westlake's protagonist was committing his acts for intimate,
> personal
> > > gain and not because the acts were part and parcel of his occupation,
in
> my
> > > mind that makes THE AX a serial killer novel.
> > >
> > > Ron C.
> > >
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > --- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "davezeltserman"
> <Dave.Zeltserman@>
> > > > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > How about a Parker novel, like The Hunter, where Parker has to
kill
> a
> > > bunch of
> > > > > people to get what he wants? Or really any hit man novel? I think
of
> a
> > > serial killer
> > > > >novel as something where the killer is killing some other purpose
> than to
> > > do a job,
> > > > >and really the protagonist in The Axe is killing for the same sort
of
> > > purpose as a hit
> > > > >man, except in the Ax the killer has more remorse than they typical
> hit
> > > man,,
> > > > >especially since he finds himself liking the people he needs to
kill.
> > > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > From: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com]
> On
> > > > Behalf Of jacquesdebierue
> > > > Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 6:55 PM
> > > > To: rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com
> > > > Subject: RARA-AVIS: Re: Moratorium on serial murderer mysteries?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Good point. I wonder how many people Parker kills in the entire
> series. It
> > > has got to
> > > > be a very high number. Somehow the presentation of Parker as a
> > > professional
> > > > doing a job makes him look more like some type of soldier than a
> > > psychopath.
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > RARA-AVIS home page: http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
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