Crime Fiction Notes:
- main features of genre: (construction of texts & authors writing style) Þ POV, style of language, types
of characters, setting, plot, authorial purpose (political, literary), defined by purpose & focus
- key element: mystery & its solution by rationality & careful accretion of evidence is primary focus of
text, invites responder‘s active involvement in deduction of solution to crime, mystery may be vehicle for
other focuses Þ conventions periodically picked up/discarded to suit readership (engagement & relation to
text)
- traditional structure of detective genre Þ seemingly perfect crime (unsolvable but later rationalized &
assured conservative Victorian readership that law & order could be maintained, éJack the Ripper‘ = upper
class not capable of committing crime = Doyle‘s stories), wrongly accused suspect at whom all
circumstantial evidence points (red herrings), bungling of dim-witted police (private det = independent,
idiosyncratic), greater powers of observation & superior mind of detective (hero, power to deceive, arrogant,
ratiocination = reasoning & logical conclusions & observational techniques, above newly appointed lower
class policemen), unexpected denouement in which detective reveals how culprits identity was ascertained
(ties ends together, revelation, resolution, ébackward writing‘ by placing/integrating clues through text,
reader compares answers to clues to own logic)
- criminal no longer hero (post industrial revolution not symbol of political resistance), criminal punished,
justice served & society‘s innocence assured
The Adventure Of The Speckled Band Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes could ”see deeply into the manifold wickedness of the human heart„
”The left arm of your jacket is spattered with mud in no less than seven places. There is no vehicle save a
dogcart which throws up mud in that way, and then only when you sit on the left hand side of the driver„
Country Manor House The Skull Beneath The Skin P.D James
- cf so well established can question own genre:
”Got tired of seeing its dramatic cover in every bookshop and supermarket„, with the writing style ”neither
good enough to jeopardise popular appeal nor bad enough to make people ashamed of being seen reading it
in public.„
”Those thirties murder mysteries„ with people ”popping in and out of French windows„ = hound
”He coughed– like a stock butler in a play„
- peaked in 1920‘s-30‘s but still popular, branches don‘t stop at particular era (essential elements still
engaging = structure, puzzle 4 reader to work out, psychology/motivations)
Investigation:(tangible physical evidence & interrogation)
”It was strange how little she new about a real police investigation„[The Professionals](consider diff types
of dets ç Cordelia fails to protect her client, gets involved in conspiratory cover -up & gets rescued by passing
fisherman = British portrayal of female PI (Cordelia Gray series = familiarity, involved in dets lives,
expectation of readers as fleshed out in minds & established)
-Buckley = fresh, ambitious, pragmatic, still learning & Grogan = withdrawn, predatory, clinical, obsessive,
experienced
”scraped a sample of blood from the marble limb– delicately picked up the note with tweezers = examine
timings, details, sniff towels for time of bath, quarantine suspects = clear process & methodology
”the room was overcrowded but the experts in death, investigating officers, photographers and scene -ofcrime
searchers, were adept at keeping out of each other‘s way„= working cohesively
”this is a story book killing: a close circle of suspects, isolated scene -of-crime conveniently cut of from the
mainland– possible to tie it up– within a week„- Ambrose
”what among all that female clutter was missing, something that we would have expected to see?„ç q for
reader as unanswered until couple of chapters later, involved thru convos between detectives
interrogation = intimidation, approaches (qs, body lang, formal/informal)vary for witnesses, establishes
role/fn & sequence of events
-Foreshadowing ”don‘t let anything terrible happen on Courcy Island„(similar at end of every chapter in part
1 where charas introduced & reln with Clarissa & motivations established, diff POVS)
-”There never was a time when I didn‘t see the skull beneath the skin„ç Clarissa (fear of death & also ironic
as is an actress, always puts on facade = references to drama ”Dress Rehearsal„, intertextuality with Duchess
Of Malfi, later ”no longer has a face„ = exposed)
-ambiguous ending, no solution = modern element, not ”A Case Concluded„
Film Noir The Big Sleep by Howard Hawks
- post WW2 disallusionment reflected in cynical tone (corrupt nature or individual & society), Marlowe
seeks only to survive in, not alter his world Þ pervasion of corruption, is alienated & brooding but still
immersed in world, stereotyped persona & look (trenchcoat, hat)
- violence (fight scene reaction from audience = every man for himself?), femme fatale (insecurity towards
female independence, hard-boiled det reflect historical period
- euphemisms & subtext (production code)
- disconcerting mood created with strategic use of lighting & shadow (eventually envelop set = accentuates
atmosphere of suspicion & sin thru sinister, lurking quality), bizarre camera angles question distribution of
power & show disorder/chaos (commentary, not order & resolution focus as crime becomes contagious
disease infiltrating city)
- little value of individual life = Harry Jones as innocent (reaction to war)
- serves to discredit establishment, skepticism = doubts value of unapproachable elitist group shown in
superiority of det
- moral deterioration of society, depths of depravity humanity can sink to, Taylor ‘s death unsolved =
unimportant, plot complexity (7 crimes) & contrived, web where no-one stands alone & can be separated=
mystery not focus but commentary is
”The same corrupt blood„, ”all the usual vices, besides those they‘ve invented for themselves„
”Jones If a guy's playing a hand, I let him play it„ Marlowe ”You got brains„
Stichomythia of Marlowe and Vivian‘s convos (quick pace, play on words, pick up on each other lines = he
trips her up ”that is if I were looking for him„
”I don‘t like it, but what can I do, I‘m on a case„ç cant reveal details to boss, loyalty
Parody The Real Inspector Hound Tom Stoppard (new approach to form)
- uses conventions as vehicle (familiar, accessible, identifiable)Þ country manor house setting, isolation
from mainland/civilization, fog/mystery (Mrs. Drudge ”topographical quirk in the local strata whereby there
are no roads leading fro the manor, though there are ways of getting to it„, servants know all & every1 has
motivations (blackmail/revenge/jealousy) Þ Mrs. D present at precise moments to hear ”I will kill you
Simon Gascoyne„ etc, love triangle links Simon, Cynthia, Felicity (”Simon is an old friend, though not as old
as you Cynthia„
- structure of c.f. easily recognizable & easy to parody (Stoppard qs static & stagnant nature of theatre, lack
of experimentation/innovation
Þ qs dramatic conventions ”you cant start with a pause„, opening the audience ”see themselves in a huge
mirror„- blurs the boundaries of stage and audience, supporting the play‘s theme of the fusion of reality and
illusion
Þ coincidence & predictability,(Magnus appears ”out of the blue from Canada„, Birdboot ”this is where
Simon gets the chop„ & he is shot, card game repetition in Act 2, Simon & Birdboot swap & charas go on as
normal = just role to be filled, no depth)
Þlack of realism & upper class setting (pertinent = Christie‘s audiences) = playing tennis in cocktail
dresses, hyperbole= parody in body is Higgs, Magnus is Albert & Inspector Hound & Puckeridge, ébody in
the library‘ technique (”quite fortuitously her view of the body is always blocked„ & then slides couch over
it)
- formulaic, audience wants satisfaction & seemingly get it but ending (denouement, all mysteries solved
”Puckeridge you cunning bastard„ but raises qs éwho is the real inspector hound?‘ the audience? Moon
replaces Hound so can the story unfold without a det?
Þ also qs what would happen if detective arrived b4 crime committed (natural order) Þ detective role
instantly assumed, starts questioning & every1 a suspect = dramatic irony as cant answer without realizing
crime occurred, det portrayal = prepared ”where shall I put my foghorn & swamp boots„, jumps to
conclusions ”even with a murderer in our midst– whom has he murdered Inspector?– no-one yet„,
- qs use of lang & exaggeration of role of c.f Þ sensationalism (”Kafka„, ”underneath?– it‘s a whodunit„,
”ubiquitous obliquity„
Modern:(moving away from conventions) The Life & Crimes of Harry Lavender by Marele Day
ÞValentine = independent, single mother, karate, live above pub = unconventional, ”She could never
understand how Phillip Marlowe and those guys– got shot, beaten up, and sometimes laid– without ever
going to bed„ç realism, subverts hard-boiled det, humanised & fallible = audience relates better
- but popular c.f. writer Sarah Paretsky claims, ”Whether we write in imitation or reaction to Sam Spade‘s
world, we are all in one way standing in his shadow.„
Þcorruption permeates city”There is more hidden from view, the labyrinth underbelly, the city of the
night„, white collar crime, youth culture (arcade, video games)
Þpsychology
ç complexity of charas, realism, Lavander‘s POV (already know crime & criminal, want to know y!, insight
onto mower, motivation) = Freud‘s concept of analyzing childhood triggers & influences (”refugee„), more
than just motive but psyche of criminal ”I dream of funerals– my own– I am famous, a legend in my time.
All of Sydney has turned out to pay homage„ç insight into Lavender, power-hungry, excerpts from bio
- avenue 4 creativity, shift POV to bystander, criminal, witness or lawyer/scientist/psychologist Þ while
type of det/method changes mystery remains whether crime, psychological or social
- needs of readership = escapism, desensitized to media (violence), shifts in boundaries ÞCSI ”The use of
flashbacks gives the viewer an insight into the investigator‘s mind & thought processes„ = link btwn
deduction & psychology, viewer participation & interest
Þtechnology = Bannister is killed via a PC, computers seen as next stage in evolution, love-hate reln of
society & technology (solved crime, expert help) ”While we live and die the manufactured parts go on and
on– computers are the new life form, the latest stage in evolution„ç insignificance of individual life
Forensics (c.f. constantly evolves to incorporate changes in society & technology, need 100% proof)
ÞLaurie King (SMH 8/10/00) comments on autopsies”we are at the autopsy, watching livers being
weighed and faces reconstructed„
Þ evidence importance: CSI creator Anthony Zuiker explains, ”The hero of the show is the evidence ç a
toenail, a hair follicle, a teardrop.„
Dead As A Doornail by Grant Michaels
His protagonist is a homosexual ”Newbury Street Hairdresser and amateur detective„ who is ”gossipy and
flamboyant, with a schoolboy crush on handsome Lieutenant Branco„Þ acceptance, tolerance, diversity
Originality/Diversity of genre
- what differentiates texts & engages reader Þpsychology, reln btwn criminal & suspects & det, social
commentary (earlier= good vs evil, now more complex), focus can be motive or criminal or éthe system‘
- media (print, film)/writing styles/tones for diff audiences
- diverse protagonists:
Dupin & Holmes Þ vehicles 4 development of plot
Phillip Marlowe & pulp fiction mags Þ individual immersed in underworld = social & political
Females = passive victims, vamps, femme fatales
Stan Kraychik
- mutates due to broad base/foundation/scaffolding of conventions on which to shape own meaning &
purpose, genre doesn‘t conjure censorship/boundaries/limits, represents wide view of political/social(women,
corruption, humanity, technology, science)/psychological (criminal psyche, readership) concepts
- genre discusses/parodies itself = freedom
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