Key themes
- Corruption beneath surface respectability
- The private detective as moral agent
- Los Angeles and the California dream
About this book
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by an elderly General to handle a blackmailer — and finds himself in a Los Angeles of corruption, murder and double-crossing that extends far beyond the original case. Chandler's first novel introduced one of fiction's iconic protagonists and established the hardboiled detective as an American archetype.
Published in 1939, The Big Sleep was Raymond Chandler's first novel, assembled from two of his earlier magazine stories. It introduced Philip Marlowe, one of fiction's most imitated characters.
Discussion questions
- Philip Marlowe is both a professional and a man with a personal moral code that sometimes conflicts with his work. How does Chandler use this tension to explore what justice means in a corrupt world?
- The plot of The Big Sleep is famously convoluted — even Chandler couldn't remember who killed one of the characters. Does the plot confusion matter, or is that beside the point?
- Marlowe's first-person narration is full of wit, simile and observation. What does this style tell us about Marlowe's character — and what does it do to involve the reader?
- The Sternwood family is rotten — the father dying, the daughters corrupt and dangerous. What is Chandler saying about wealth, family and the Los Angeles establishment?
- Hard-boiled detective fiction is a distinctly American genre. What does it say about America's self-image — and does Chandler celebrate or critique that image?
Get the book
Links open an Amazon search. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
Read together or read next
Books that make a good pairing or natural follow-up.
This is a set text
The Big Sleep appears on the following curriculum reading lists.
Reading it with your group?
Get The Big Sleep
As an Amazon Associate and Bookshop.org affiliate we earn from qualifying purchases.