Having written a little about how the term "noir" is overused and over- extended I was pleased to find that Ed Gorman's excellent blog included links to an essay by Otto Penzler which nails that particular butterfly neatly to the wall. It articulates my thoughts so much better than my own attempt that even the title encapsulates a pretty good definition of the subject genre : "Noir fiction isn't about private eyes, it's about losers".
The bottom line is that "Noir" stories should carry a sense that the venal characters are always doomed."Falling Angel" by William Hjortsberg is probably the most brilliantly grim example of the ultimate in the genre. It climaxes not only in doom but literal damnation. Alan Parker filmed it as "Angel Heart" but didn't quite manage to capture the grimness and absolute isolation of the book's ending.
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