British Crime Fiction - Detailseite

Since the publication of the first crime stories in the 19^th century this unique literary form has lost nothing of its original popularity. Even though many critics regard crime fiction as trivial literature or best sellers, some of its detectives, such as Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot, are part of the English and international cultural landscape like Shakespeare or the Queen. The seminar will trace the history of British crime fiction from the 19^th century to the present.  We shall begin by studying short stories by Edgar Allan Poe, who influcenced in a major way British crime fiction; we will move on to texts by Arthur Conan Doyle, C.K. Chesterton, Agatha Christie and others, and finally investigate how Julian Barnes reshapes the crime novel from a postmodern perspective.  On the basis of a close reading of their stories and novels we will explore, on the one hand, why these texts have remained so popular, and, on the other hand, the subtility of constructing a specific English national identity.