For my special topic paper I chose to explore the development of crime fiction, for two reasons:
1. It is my very favorite genre ever.
2. I am also taking History of Libraries this semester, so history is sort of on my brain.
People have been interested in crime and the fate of criminals for millenia. But it was with the advent of the detective in the 1800s that focus in novels that were about crime began to switch from the viewpoint and fate of the criminal to the person who solved the crimes and caught the criminal. Edgar Allan Poe wrote what is considered the first mystery story in 1841, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", and Wilkie Collins followed with the first mystery novel, The Moonstone, in 1868. The most famous detective of all time, Sherlock Holmes, was introduced in 1887 by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in A Study in Scarlet.
The Golden Age of crime fiction was considered to be the 1920s and 1930s. There were four authors considered to be the "Queen" of the Golden Age: Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers, and Margery Allingham. These ladies wrote elegant and "cozy" books featuring one central detective, a few repeat characters, settings in the British countryside, London, or exotic locales, and poison or small daggers of exquisite design as the murder weapon. There was little or no gore, and the mystery was considered a "locked room" puzzle, meaning it was seemingly impossible to commit and/or solve. Many authors of the times went out of print immediately after publication, but the Publishing Division of The British Library has recently begun reissuing many novels and stories from the time period from their archives. (Yippee!! Thank you British Library!)
Another subgenre of Mystery fiction which originated at about the same time as the Golden Age is the hard-boiled detective novel. Set between two world wars amid severe economic hardship, this type of story featured cynical detectives hardened by much exposure to violence, a gritty tone, and a pervading aura of hopelessness and meaninglessness. Authors such as Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, and Eric Stanley Gardner wrote some of the most important books of this type and created such iconic literary and film characters as Sam Spade, Phillip Marlowe and Nick and Nora Charles.
Today, there is a vast number of possibilities in the Mystery genre. They can be most simply grouped into "professional detective" and "amateur detective". Hard-boiled professional detective series include authors like:
Harlan Coben- Mickey Bolitar series
Sue Grafton- Kinsey Milhone series
Michael Connelly - Harry Bosch series
For a less violent approach there are:
Colin Dexter - Inspector Morse series
M.C Beaton - Hamish MacBeth series
On the amateur detective side the suggestions could be nearly endless:
Donna Andrews- Meg Langlow series
Veronica Heley- Ellie Quick series
Lilian Jackson Braun- The Cat Who series
Charles Finch- Charles Lenox series
Rhys Bowen- Royal Spyness series
Alan Bradley- Flavia de Luce series
Mystery is thought to be the most popular genre, especially with librarians. Good thing there are so many titles to explore! My personal reading list will take me til I'm approximately 273 to get through!
Paula thank you for sharing. I actually read nonfiction crime all the time and I have worked in law for the last 18 years as a paralegal. Also, I read a mystery as one of my genres for this class. It is interesting that I have never got into the fiction side of crime. Some parts of it were actually painful. I found it hard to get through all of the detail. I read The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson. I have been doing my internship at Angelo State University and Craig Johnson was featured at the Writers Conference there. I prepared the LibGuide and some other information for the conference. I actually watched the TV series Longmire which is the TV version of Craig Johnson's books. I have to say that his knowledge of weapons and other details of the investigation process were impressive. He was a former sheriff, so this part of the book was great for me. I actually would read another book by him even though his detail was a bit overwhelming for me.
ReplyDeleteI love your ideas here. Thank you for Sharing.
Jennie
Paula thank you for sharing. I actually read nonfiction crime all the time and I have worked in law for the last 18 years as a paralegal. Also, I read a mystery as one of my genres for this class. It is interesting that I have never got into the fiction side of crime. Some parts of it were actually painful. I found it hard to get through all of the detail. I read The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson. I have been doing my internship at Angelo State University and Craig Johnson was featured at the Writers Conference there. I prepared the LibGuide and some other information for the conference. I actually watched the TV series Longmire which is the TV version of Craig Johnson's books. I have to say that his knowledge of weapons and other details of the investigation process were impressive. He was a former sheriff, so this part of the book was great for me. I actually would read another book by him even though his detail was a bit overwhelming for me.
ReplyDeleteI love your ideas here. Thank you for Sharing.
Jennie
I have never thought about how specific genres developed until I read your paper, and I am unfamiliar with the sub genres of mystery. History does play an important role of literature as evident in the literature works themselves. I can see how the mystery genre has evolved through time.
ReplyDeleteI have never thought about how specific genres developed until I read your paper, and I am unfamiliar with the sub genres of mystery. History does play an important role of literature as evident in the literature works themselves. I can see how the mystery genre has evolved through time.
ReplyDelete