Broader Terms:

Scope Note:

Taken from the French word meaning "darkness" or "of the night", noir is a category of modern crime fiction. Use this term for fiction of crime and detection, often in a grim urban setting, featuring petty, amoral criminals and other down-and-out characters, and permeated by a feeling of disillusionment, pessimism, and despair. Examples include Jim Thompson's Hardcore and James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice.