Simenon is a traditionalist in that his plot structure is chronological, starting at the moment of crisis, with the past presented in a series of flashbacks, and moving directly to the conclusion.

Transitions are clearly indicated and characters easily distinguished from one another. Many of his dramatic situations are traditional, ranging in mood from melodrama to tragedy.

None is a comedy; for Simenon, life is difficult.

Overall, Simenon's work is unique in twentieth-century literature. He has recreated an entire period so completely that his work can be compared to Honore de Balzac's Comedie humaine (1829-1848). At the same time, his characters have a universality that transcends time and geography. His novels are a transition between the traditional novel, the primary purpose of which was to tell a story, and the modern one, which has broad goals. Simenon's works are very much of the twentieth century. Like the majority...