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 The Doorbell Rang (1965) 
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New post The Doorbell Rang (1965)
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You're invited to use this topic to discuss the quotations from The Doorbell Rang – a Nero Wolfe novel by Rex Stout.

You may also use this thread for general discussions about this literary work; you do not necessarily need to discuss specific quotations.

Or, if you'd like to talk about anything else related to Nero Wolfe, Archie Goodwin, or Rex Stout, feel free to create a new discussion topic.


As a preface to discussing this book, can I just ask - what does the image on the recent Bantam release have to do with the story?

The Doorbell Rang

It's got me foxed - isn't this about the FBI? Why the cake and a mask?

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Fri, 12 Oct 2007, 17:07
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Adonis, my first thought to your question was: "Absolutely nothing!"
Then I 'reached'.

Could it hint at the decoy-dinner for the Ten for Aristology at Hewitt's home? It would explain the cake and the table setting.

Why the mask?? The dinner was a ruse. The real purpose was hidden. The prevalent theme was subterfuge and false appearances.

any takers ? :)


Fri, 12 Oct 2007, 20:21
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starfish wrote:
Why the mask?? The dinner was a ruse. The real purpose was hidden. The prevalent theme was subterfuge and false appearances.

any takers ? :)


Ooh, abstract, but I like it! :wink: I've just had a look at some other Bantam editions I own, and none are quite as cryptic as this one: the golden spider earrings on a road marking for 'Golden Spiders'; a birthday cake oozing blood for 'Prisoner's Base'; a pink bed cover and a woman's hand for 'Doxy' (and that same white rosebud, for whatever reason!)

Hewitt's dinner was hardly a central thread of the story, it was just somewhere for Wolfe to pretend to leave the brownstone for (I did like Archie's crack to Fritz about preparing another meal for the ten, in the episode!) Shouldn't it have been a bullet, or Rachel Bruner's cheque, since that was the deciding factor? (I've seen that used on another cover illustration, actually.)

Random. But thanks for the suggestion!

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Fri, 12 Oct 2007, 21:37
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I'm with Starfish on the cake representing the Dinner for the Aristologists, but I think the mask goes beyond the dinner.

[SPOILER - Begging your pardons. I'm new on this board and I don't know whether or when one should indicate a possible spoiler.]

It might also represent the charade behind the charade - the actors portraying Wolfe and Archie at the dinner. And taking it one step further (I'm probably getting a bit out there now) it could also hint at Wolfe's master ruse of implying that he thought the FBI was responsible for the crime he was purportedly investigating.

Whew. Is that wordy. Sorry, but I don't want to put my foot in it.

One more TDR cover for you. I have a copy of the French version of The Doorbell Rang (On sonne a la porte) . The cover art is a bell and hammer mechanism with a splatter of blood on the bell and an orchid stuck between the bell and the hammer. I like it :)

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Fri, 12 Oct 2007, 22:57
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Adonis, I am inclined to believe that Hewitt's dinner was important. It made Wolfe's absence from the Brownstone believable and legitimate to the FBI. Absolutely essential to risk the break-in, which of course was designed by Wolfe to become the FBI's undoing.
Have to check the other covers you mentioned. 8)

Scooter, I meant the mask to be symbolic of the whole story.
In addition to your examples, there is also the deserted house, which was not.
The FBI looking guilty, but not being so.
The murder motive was not what everyone thought it was.
Orchid crates did not contain orchids.
The two men departing the Brownstone were not who one would assume them to be.

I too like the French cover interpretation. Very stylish!!


Sat, 13 Oct 2007, 0:05
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Quotes up! The Doorbell Rang :D As mine are mostly Archie-centric, I'm sure I've missed the odd gem from Wolfe about the FBI, however.

I liked the thread running through this book about Archie preferring middle-aged women - joking aside, I think his ideal match is probably an older woman! His rule about thirty being too old sounds like an unconscious defence, and if he is actually more susceptible to a matriarchal figure, then it all makes sense! :wink: Lily - who manages a snippet of witty telephone volleying in this book - is mature beyond her years, I have always felt - independent (but of course her wealth gives Archie another safety catch), unconventional, undemanding - and yet still decorative and pert ..! :lol:

And Wolfe ties Archie back into the investigation twice in this book, correcting his 'pronouns' when Archie distances himself from Wolfe's duties to the client - a subtle definition of their relationship. Archie, although he would like to test Wolfe's solo detecting skills, understands that Wolfe is the brains of the outfit and always defers to his boss; Wolfe, without saying as much, likes Archie to be involved, and feel indispensible, and seems to treat their cases as joint ventures. And yet Archie is still insecure! Could Wolfe work without Archie, as Archie showed in ItBF that he could carry on alone without Wolfe's celebrity and talent?

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Wed, 7 Nov 2007, 17:48
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AdonisGuilfoyle wrote:
Quotes up! The Doorbell Rang :D

Thank you so much, Adonis. :) I'm absolutely flooded by work right now so I'll only be working with these quotes (and restoring Goodwingrad's book covers that she's already sent me) later on, but even taking a cursory look at this newest collection is unmitigated joy. 8)


Wed, 7 Nov 2007, 19:19
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