The Figure of the Detective: A Literary History and Analysis
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.94 (634 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B00HUXAESS |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 320 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-11-26 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
The theory of the genre is laid out along with its central theme of the getting and deployment of knowledge. This book begins with a history of the detective genre, coextensive with the novel itself, identifying the attitudes and institutions needed for the genre to emerge in its mature form around 1880. These changes explain the decay of the English Classic and its replacement by noir, hardboiled and spy stories, to end in the cul-de-sac of the thriller and the nostalgic Neo-Classic. Possible new forms of the detective story are suggested.. Sherlock Holmes, the English Classic stories and their inheritors are examined in light of this theme and the balance of two forms of knowledge used in fictional detection--cool or rational, and warm or emotional. The evolution of the genre formula is driven by changes in the social climate in which it is embedded
A book artist who produces unique handmade books and has written several detective stories, he lives in Tempe, Arizona. . About the Author Charles Brownson is a professor emeritus of Arizona State University
"Great Analysis, Poorly Executed" according to Andrew Bowles. This book is a must-read for any student of the genre(s). The analysis is insightful and well incorporated into historical context. The one caveat is that Brownson is a terrible writer, prone to the sorts of unintelligible, circuitous sentences that only a tenured professor would be self-absorbed enough to produce. This book requires an excessive amount of patience, not because the subject matter is difficult, but simply due to a lack of proper editing.
. A book artist who produces unique handmade books and has written several detective stories, he lives in Tempe, Arizona. Charles Brownson is a professor emeritus of Arizona State University