In this course we will trace the development of detective fiction from the end of the 19th century to the present. We will specifically examine how detective fiction represents and constructs gender, class and ethnicity. For example, we will analyse how Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective Sherlock Holmes protects the empire against foreign influence, and how African-American writers (e.g. Pauline Hopkins, Barbara Neely, Walter Mosley) discuss race and crime in their fictions. Further, we will examine how the feminist movement has influenced the field of crime writing – how it introduced new themes into the genre, such as child abuse, sexism, and racism.

Assessment: essay and class contribution.