LITERATURE
Detective Fiction
SPRING LN263
Tuesdays
Lori Comerford
The current resurgence of the Victorian detective in film and television through Sherlock Holmes and in historical literature through Kate Summerscale’s best-selling “The Suspicions of Mr Whicher” highlights the enduring cultural resonance of detective fiction. This genre of literature which is generally regarded as ‘popular’ has had a colourful past, growing from the Victorian stories and novels of Poe, Dickens, Collins and Conan-Doyle to contain several sub-genres such as ‘classic detective’, ‘hard-boiled’, ‘police-procedural’, ‘forensic detection’ and ‘romance-mystery’. This course will examine the origin and development of this genre over the years and its particular position in culture and society. This popular genre of literature seems to reinvent itself in each generation, with each reinvention speaking directly to the social upheavals and uncertainties which surround the texts. This course will offer students a chance to place these texts in their social and historical contexts. It’s also an opportunity to gain an in-depth knowledge of a genre which, over the last few years, has gained an interesting place in academic research. We will investigate the various incarnations of the (sometimes) charismatic detective; the role of technological revolutions and the relationship of self with society in the creation of this genre; and examine why this particular genre has been so successful when translated to both the small and big screen.
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BELFIELD |
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8 Tuesdays |
Jan 29, Feb 5, 12, 26, Mar 5, 12, 19, 26 (No Class Feb 19) |
7.30pm - 9.30pm |
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FEE €155 |
Print Open Learning Application Form 2012.13 or ring (01) 716-7123 for Laser/credit card payment |
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Tutor Bio:
Lori Comerford is a PhD candidate in the UCD School of English, Film and Drama specialising in Victorian Visual Culture and Sensation Fiction. Prior to this she completed an M.Phil. in Popular Literature at Trinity. Lori has been working for the School of English since 2008. Courses she has previously co-ordinated include the Liberal Arts course in UCD on visual culture and identity in late 19th and early 20th century fiction.
Provisional list of key topics to be covered
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Detailed overview of the development of the Detective genre from its origins to its present incarnations
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Engagement with the academic and popular reactions to this school of fiction.
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Examination of the social and historical contexts of the text
Who is the course for?
This course is for people with an interest in literature, especially those who have a love of the genre and would like to gain a more critical appreciation of Detective Fiction. This course is also for those who wish to widen their knowledge of our literary landscape by moving away from traditional ideas of the ‘classics’ or the traditional idea of a literary canon and examine in depth this particular genre within Popular Literature.
Provisional Reading list:
Following is the proposed reading list for this course. We recommend that you only acquire the book for the first class but do not purchase all the books listed in advance, as your tutor will discuss this list and how the course will be organised.
Edgar Allan Poe “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (available online)
Wilkie Collins The Moonstone
Arthur Conan Doyle The Hound of the Baskervilles and “A Scandal in Bohemia” (both available online)
Agatha Christie Murder on the Orient Express
Dorothy Sayers Whose Body? (Available online)
Dashiell Hammett The Maltese Falcon
Patricia Highsmith The Talented Mr Ripley
Paul Auster City of Glass
Kate Summerscale The Suspicions of Mr Whicher
Kathy Reichs Deja Dead