Crime fiction, 1800-2000 : detection, death, diversity
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Crime fiction, 1800-2000 : detection, death, diversity
Palgrave Macmillan, 2004
- : pbk
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. 215-258) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
From its first appearance nearly two hundred years ago, the genre of crime fiction has had a compulsive hold on the imagination of audiences all around the world. Many different detectives have appeared: from the plodding policemen (and a few -women) of the nineteenth century, to the heroic detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Philip Marlowe; and on to the innovative investigators who, in recent years, have embodied the concerns of newly-heard social forces - detectives who are feminist, Afro-American, lesbian, gay, and even postmodern. Stephen Knight's fascinating book is a full analytic survey of crime fiction from its origins in the nineteenth century to the most recent developments. Knight explains how and why the various forms of the genre have evolved, explores major authors and movements, and examines the work of many little-known writers of significance. Drawing on the insights of the best scholarship and criticism, both traditional and up-to-date, Knight argues that the genre as a whole has three parts - the early development of Detection, the growing emphasis on Death, and the modern celebration of Diversity.
With full references, and written in a highly readable style, this is the essential guide to a popular and enduring genre - a must-have for readers of crime fiction everywhere!
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements Introduction PART 1: DETECTION Before Detection Enter the Detective Realistic Police Edgar Allen Poe's Initiative Plain English Detection Sensation Gaboriau and the 1870s-1880s Detective Apotheosis: Sherlock Holmes PART 2: DEATH After Sherlock Holmes The Clue-Puzzle Forms The American Version PART 3: DIVERSITY Continuities with Change Police Procedures Diversifying the Viewpoint: Gender Diversifying the Viewpoint: Race Postmodern Crime Fiction Generic Violence Chronology of Crime Fiction References Index
by "Nielsen BookData"
