| • Science | • People | • Locations | • Timeline |
Cain was born into an Irish Catholic family in Annapolis, Maryland. The son of a prominent teacher and an opera singer , he had inherited his love for music from his mother, but his high hopes of starting a career as a singer himself were thwarted when she told him that his voice was not good enough. After graduating from college in 1917 Cain enlisted in the army and spent the final years of World War I in France writing for an army magazine. Back in the States he continued working as a journalist but later turned to screenplays and finally to fictionThree Graces, here in a painting by Sandro Botticelli, were the goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility in Greek mythology. Fiction is the term used to describe works of the imagination. This is in contrast to non-fiction, which.
He made use of his love of music and of the operaCharles Garnier's Opera, Paris, opened 1875 Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music. The drama is presented using the typical elements of theater such as scenery, costumes, and acting. However, the words of the opera, in particular in at least two of his novels, Serenade (about an American opera singer who loses his voice and who, after spending part of his life south of the border, re-enters the States illegally with a Mexican prostitute in tow) and Mildred Pierce (where, as part of the subplotA subplot is a series of connected actions within a work of narrative that function separately from the main plot. Plot--the connection of events in a temporal or metaphorical line--is distinct from action (events themselves), and when a work of fiction h, the only daughter of a successful businesswoman trains as a singer).
Critics have pointed out that there is a basic formula pervading most of Caine's fiction. Almost always, with the notable exception of Mildred Pierce, a man falls for a woman -- the femme fataleMata Hari, exotic dancer and convicted spy, made her name synonymous with femme fatale during WWI. When I'm good, I'm very good. But when I'm bad I'm better. Mae West A femme fatale is a stock character, a villainous woman who uses the malign power of sex (see also stock characterA stock character is a fictional character that relies heavily on cultural types or stereotypes for its personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. Stock characters are instantly recognizable to members of a given culture. Stock characters i) -- becomes involved in criminal activity with the woman, and is eventually betrayed by her. Invariably, Caine's novels are about sex, crime and violence.
Cain continued writing up to his death. However, the many novels he published from the late 1940sCenturies: 19th century 20th century 21st century Decades: 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s Years: 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Events and trends Technology First nuclear bomb First cruise missile, the onward never rivalled his earlier successes. He died an alcoholic, aged 85.