Detective fiction is one of the most popular narrative genres. Especially in the early phases of the development of the genre, writers relied on or experimented with the short form of the tale, which was ideally suited for periodical publication. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short Sherlock Holmes- stories and Gilbert Keith Chesterton’s stories featuring Father Brown may come to mind. Perhaps less known is the fact that Agatha Christie’s celebrated private detectives Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot do not only occur in her detective novels but also in many of her shorter mysteries. Eric Ambler’s creation of yet another unconventional sleuth in the six mini cases of The Intrusion of Dr Czissar (1940) deserves to find wider attention.
Reading several such masterpieces in miniature, we will explore how these writers modify generic conventions and employ narrative techniques to entertain their readers, but also how the stories relate to contemporary social conditions and political issues.
The texts and additional material will be made available through Moodle.
Assessment/requirements: test at the end of term; thorough preparation of the primary texts set for discussion, active participation
- Kursleiter/in: Uwe Klawitter