Detective Fiction And Crime Fiction - 1511 Words

Detective fiction has often been perceived as a lesser form of literature. Many scholars believe that detective fiction is below average in quality and does not offer much more beyond entertainment. Time and time again detective fiction has been belittled for its quality of literature, being place below other genres. Some scholars have come to the defense of detective fiction. Scholar R. Austin Freeman stated, â€Å"The status of the whole class has been fixed by an estimate formed from inferior samples† (Freeman) and this is true. Detective fiction has been plagued with average works, however, it does offer more than just a story about crime. Detective fiction can be used as a medium to comment on social issues. Early in the 20th century, the United States was still battling an epidemic of racism and violence towards african-americans. Continual incidents of lynchings, beatings, and verbal abuse barraged the african-american community. During this time period, detective fict ion was used to comment on this racial inequality by pushing for equality through underlying themes in stories. Detective fiction offered works that were extremely progressive in regards to their comments on racial inequality. â€Å"Talma Gordon† written in 1900 by Pauline Hopkins is a testament to that. The story begins with a group of upper class men having a discussion in the Canterbury Club in Boston. The men are discussing their views on interracial marriage. Many in the club hypothesized that interracialShow MoreRelatedThe Mystery Of Detective Fiction1648 Words   |  7 PagesDetective Fiction exists as one of the most popular fiction genres of all-time. Detective fiction uses facts and other details to solve a mystery which surrounds a perplexing murder in a novel. Many people gain excitement over a challenge or a test of knowledge when solving a puzzle. A puzzle may baffle or confuse the puzzler; therefore, the puzzler likes to solve the puzzle before the ending . People enjoy the experience of sheer satisfaction of solving a mystery before ending the literaryRead MoreCompare The Speckled Band, The Red Headed League and Silver Blaze as Examples of Detective Fiction1421 Words   |  6 PagesThe birth of classic detective fiction was originated just in the mid nineteenth century, and was producing its own genre. Classical detective fiction follows a set of rules called the ‘Ten commandments of detective fiction’. The genre is so popular it can bee seen by the number of sales in any good book stores. Many of these books have been created a long time ago and there is still a demand for these types of books. The popularity is still ongoing because it provides constant entertainment, andRead More Detective Fiction Essay1159 Words   |  5 Pagesinteresting. This proves to be particularly important in detective fiction as well. What could be more interesting than having a crime committed in front of you, given all (or most) of the details and still not be able to figure it out? This is exactly how detective fiction authors draw people into these stories and books. By weaving an intricate and interesting plot full of fascinating characters, and all types of details about the crime, readers get drawn into the plot and cannot stop reading untilRead MoreThe History of the Hard-Boiled Detective Essay883 Words   |  4 Pagessub-genres of detective fiction and hard-boiled fiction is one of them. What exactly is hard-boiled detective fiction? Hard-Boiled detective fiction is fiction that features tough, cynical, urban private eyes who expose corruption and frequently get injured in the course of their investigations (Detective Fiction, Literary). Hard-Boiled fiction is considered one of the more popular sub-genres of detective fiction; there have been numerous films and novels about urban detectives exposing corruptionRead MoreThe Golden Age1566 Words   |  6 PagesGolden Age of detective fiction refers to both specific sub-genre and (the cozy) and the historical period (the interwar years)  (James, 2009). It is loosely defined as a soft-boiled detective fiction released between the two wars (World War 1 and World War 2). The Golden age of detective fiction was arguably caused by the interwar period  (James, 2009). This paper seeks to discuss, with references to the fictions of Agatha Christie and other canonical Golden Age texts, why the Detection fiction of the interwarRead MoreThe Postman Always Rings Twice By Dashiell Hammett And The Maltese Falcon As A Hard Boiled Story950 Words   |  4 PagesMajor Works The following list is a great start for those who want to read the classic hard-boiled stories that have defined what is meant by a hard boiled fiction. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M Cain. It caused a scandal with its explosive mix of violence and sex. The torrid story of Frank Chambers, the amoral drifter, Cora, the sullen and brooding wife, and Nick Papadakis, the amiable but inconvenient husband, has become a classic of its kindRead MoreThe Comic Stumptown By Greg Rucka And Matthew Southworth And The Retro Audio Podcast Nick Carter Essay1349 Words   |  6 PagesSouthworth and the retro audio podcast Nick Carter: Master Detective starring Lon Clack portray the different roles of women in detective fiction. Nick Carter was on the radio from 1943 to 1955, and represents more traditional roles for gender. Over the 125 episodes, the radio show followed detective Nick Carter and his female assistant, Patsy on different crime scene investigations. Carter was also able to solve seemingly impossible crimes by looking at unique angles. Stumptown was published in 2011Read MoreThe Purloined Letter Essay1021 Words   |  5 Pagesclassify the ‘Purloined Letter’ a detective fiction or mystery? --------------------------------------------------------------- To categorise texts, allows us to view the world from another perspective, and make sense of the world. This is the function of genre. This allows the responder to class texts even further into sub genres, which have conventions they follow to. Such as Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The Purloined Letter’ can be classified into the genre of crime, yet can also be interpreted to fitRead MoreIsolation in Detective Fiction Essay1308 Words   |  6 PagesIn detective fiction, authors create chaos, which they balance with a sense of structure and reason. They implement many elements to entice the reader to continue with the detective on his quest to solve the riddle and defeat the chaos, which can be divided into two sections: noticeable chaos and silent chaos. Noticeable chaos includes elements such as murder and thievery, obvious aspects of detective fiction that make the reader cringe. Silent chaos, on the other hand, includes locked rooms andRead MoreCritical Analysis of the S kull Beneath the Skin Essay1203 Words   |  5 Pagestypical of the crime genre, however P.D. James has somewhat subverted the genre. The novel incorporates a combination of Intuitionist, Realist and Hard Boiled styles of crime fiction. Usually crime novels fall into one of the three afore mentioned styles. Although obviously an Intuitionist or classically styled crime novel, Skull beneath the Skins as I have previously stated incorporates all three creating a unique novel while still following the traditions and conventions of the crime genre. This can