Topic 60: The North American black novel: D. Hammett, R. Chandler. The English detective novel: P. D. James
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What is the aim of this topic?
To give a detailed account of the detective genre in literature. In order to do so, a brief introduction to the origin of the detective genre will be provided, followed by an in-depth analysis both of the works of the American novelists D. Hammett and R. Chandler, and the English novel, represented by the iconic P.D James.
Finally, a brief conclusion and some pertinent didactic implications will be made.
Detective fiction is
a branch of crime fiction in which the detective either professional or amateur, investigate a crime, usually a murder.
Detective fiction flourished in
the early 20th century, although it is more often considered to have begun in 1841 with the publication of The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe who is known as the Father of Detective Fiction.
In The Murders in the Rue Morgue,
Poe introduced his brillian, eccentric detective, C. Auguste Dupin who also appeared in two other stories:
The Mystery of Marie Roget
The Purloined Letter
C. Auguste Dupin (Poe’s eccentric detective) appeared in
The Murder in the Rue Morgue
The Mystery of Marie Roget
The Purloined Letter
Poe is generally thought to have been influenced by
the Mémoires of Vidocq, who in 1817 founded the world’s first detective bureau in Paris.
What is detective fiction?
A branch of crime fiction where a detective, either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, usually a murder.
When did detective fiction flourish, and when is it considered to have begun?
Detective fiction flourished in the early 20th century, and is considered to have begun in 1841 with the publication of The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe.
Edgar Allan Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue YEAR
1841
Who is considered the Father of Detective Fiction?
Edgar Allan Poe
Who is the brilliant and eccentric detective introduced by Edgar Allan Poe?
C. Auguste Dupin.
Poe laid out the basics of the detective story:
the wrongly suspected man
The crime in the locked room
And the solution by unexpected means.
Later detectives, notably Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, became
even more eccentric.
Author of Sherlock Holmes
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes and his loyal companion Dr. Watson made their first appearance in Doyle’s novel
A Study in Scarlet (1887) and continued into the 20th century in such collections of stories as The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894).
Sherlock Holmes’ appeal endured beyond Conan Doyle’s death, inspiring writers to continue his legacy. The BBC series Sherlock, starring
Benedict Cumberbatch proved that Doyle’s popularity has not dwindled.
When did Sherlock Holmes first appear?
In Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel A Study in Scarlet (1887).
Conan Doyle’s novel A Study in Scarlet YEAR
1887
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue YEAR
1841
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes YEAR
1894
What is the name of the collection that continued Sherlock Holmes' stories into the 20th century?
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894).
How has Sherlock Holmes' appeal endured beyond Conan Doyle’s death?
Sherlock Holmes inspired writers to continue his legacy, and the BBC series Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, proves his popularity has not dwindled.
The early years of the 20th century produced a number of distinguished detective novels, among them
G.K. Chesterton’s The Innocence of Father Brown (1911) and other novels with the clerical detective
From 1920 on, many fictional detectives such as
Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, became widely recognised.
Hercule Poirot has been the subject of two recent Hollywood blockbusters,
Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022).
The Innocence of Father Brown AUTHOR
G.K. Chesterton
The Innocence of Father Brown YEAR
1911
Which detective novel by G.K. Chesterton was published in 1911?
The Innocence of Father Brown.
What type of detective did G.K. Chesterton’s novel feature?
A clerical detective
Which fictional detectives became widely recognized from 1920 onwards?
Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.
What are the titles of the recent Hollywood blockbusters featuring Hercule Poirot?
Murder on the Orient Express (2017) and Death on the Nile (2022).
"The appeal of the detective story is the appeal of a game. The reader is challenged to solve the puzzle before the detective does."
Agatha Christie
The 1930s was
the golden age of the detective story
The 1930s was the golden age of the detective story, with
the aforementioned detectives continuing their adventures in new novels.
During this time, authors like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers
further defined and enriched the genre.
The decade (1930s) was also marked by the books of Dashiell Hammett, who
drew upon his own experience as a private detective to produce both stories and novels, notably The Maltese Falcon (1930) featuring Sam Spade.
Among Hammett’s successors was
Raymond Chandler, whose works also featured the tough yet compassionate detective Philip Marlowe.
What decade is known as the golden age of the detective story?
The 1930s.
Who is the author of The Maltese Falcon?
Dashiell Hammett.
What is notable about Dashiell Hammett’s background in relation to his detective stories?
He drew upon his own experience as a private detective to write his stories and novels.
Who is the detective featured in The Maltese Falcon?
Sam Spade
Who was one of Dashiell Hammett’s successors in the detective genre?
Raymond Chandler
What is the name of Raymond Chandler's famous detective?
Philip Marlowe
Other writers who carried out the tradition of Holmes or broke new ground included
Nicholas Blake (pseudonym of C. Day-Lewis)
And the English novelist P.D. James.
The popularity of the genre continued throughout the twentieth century and is
now stronger than ever.
Subgenres in crime fiction have proliferated, exemplified by novels like
Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs, featuring cannibal killer Hannibal Lecter.
The popularity of crime fiction subgenres is evidenced by
the numerous film adaptations and police series such as Castle and CSI.
Which writer carried on the tradition of Sherlock Holmes under the pseudonym Nicholas Blake?
C. Day-Lewis
Which famous English novelist continued the tradition of detective fiction in the 20th century?
P. D. James
Which character is a cannibal killer in Thomas Harris's novels?
Hannibal Lecter
What type of popular media has contributed to the continued popularity of detective fiction subgenres?
Numerous film adaptations and police series such as Castle and CSI.
At the end of the 1920s a new sub-type of the detective novel appeared, known as
the American Black Novel, or hard-boiled fiction.
Hard-boiled fiction was characteriseed by
a tough, unsentimental tone and it brought realism to the field of detective fiction
Popular themes in hard-boiled fiction were
crime, violence, racism and classism
Hardboiled fiction stories are often set in urban environments,
where the tough realities of city life influence the case as the plot unfolds.
Dashiel Hammett popularised the hard-boiled fiction genre
throughout the 1920s.
What new sub-type of the detective novel appeared at the end of the 1920s?
The American Black Novel, or hard-boiled fiction.
Where are hard-boiled fiction stories typically set?
Urban environments, where the tough realities of city life influence the case.
Who popularized the American Black Novel (hard-boiled fiction) throughout the 1920s?
Dashiell Hammett.
Dashiell Hammett grew up in
Philadelphia and Baltimore.
Dashiell Hammett left school at the age of thirteen and worked for
the Pinkerton National Detective Agency as an operative for seven years.
In 1918, Dashiell Hammett joined the army but unfortunately contracted
the Spanish flu and Tuberculosis.
While recovering at Cushman Hospital in Washington, Dashiell Hammett met his future wife, a nurse named
Josephine Dolan.
Where did Dashiell Hammett grow up?
Philadelphia and Baltimore.
At what age did Dashiell Hammett leave school?
At the age of thirteen.
Where did Dashiell Hammett meet his future wife?
At Cushman Hospital in Washington while recovering.
What was the name of Dashiell Hammett's future wife?
Josephine Dolan.
Hammett became known as
the master of detective fiction
Hammett became known as the master of detective fiction, drawing
inspiration from his time at the Pinkerton Agency.
All of Hammett’s characters were derived from
people he met or knew personally.
Hammett distinctive writing style, along with his characters and plots became
immensely popular, influencing movies and television
In the late 1940’s Hammett was appointed
the Vice Chairman of the Civil Rights Congress.
In the late 1940s, Hammett
started writing but could not continue because of his severe health conditions.
Hammett political beliefs made him
a target of McCarthy’s anti-Communist movement and had to go to prison for 5 months.
Furthermore, Hammett was accused of
owing taxes and was deprived of his income from any new work.
Why did Dashiell Hammett stop writing in the late 1940s?
Due to his severe health conditions.
What political movement targeted Dashiell Hammett in the 1950s?
McCarthy’s anti-Communist movement.
How long was Dashiell Hammett imprisoned?
For 5 months
Hammett, facing poor health and financial difficulties,
withdrew from the public eye for nearly a decade till he passed way in 1961.
Hammet wrote
more than eighty short stories and five novels
Hammett is celebrated as
one of America’s most influential authors of the 20th century.
Dashiell Hammett YEARS
1894-1961
When did Hammett die?
1961
How long did Dashiell Hammett withdraw from the public eye?
For nearly a decade.
How is Dashiell Hammett remembered in American literature?
As one of America’s most influential authors of the 20th century.
Red Harvest YEAR
1929
Red Harvest Author
Dashiell Hammett
Where was Red Harvest originally published?
In Black Mask (1927-8).
Red Harvest follows
a character called The Continental Op, a detective summoned to the town of Personville by a newspaper publisher who is murdered before revealing his reason for calling.
Investigating the crime, he discovers a town controlled by rival gangs and poisoned by corruption. He strategically manipulates the gangs into destroying each other, ultimately freeing the town.
The plot of Red Harvest (1929) has become
an archetype of storytelling seen in many films and videogames such as Red Dead Redemption.
Who is the main character in Red Harvest?
The Continental Op.
Why does the Continental Op travel to the town of Personville in Red Harvest?
He is summoned by a newspaper publisher who is murdered before revealing his reason for callling
What does the Continental Op discover while investigating the crime in Red Harvest?
A town controlled by rival gangs and poisoned by corruption.
How does the Continental Op solve the problem in Red Harvest?
He manipulates the rival gangs into destroying each other, ultimately freeing the town (of Personville).
What impact has Red Harvest had on popular culture?
Its plot has become an archetype of storytelling seen in many films and video games, such as Red Dead Redemption.
Red Harvest exemplifies
the hard-boiled tradition with:
its gritty realism
Cynical tone
and themes of power, corruption and moral ambiguity.
Red Harvest also reflects
a skepticism towards authority since both the police and the wealthy elite are portrayed as complicit in the town’s decay.
The Maltese Falcon YEAR
1930
The Maltese Falcon (1930) is often considered
Dashiell Hammett finest work
The Maltese Falcon was originally published in
Black Mask (1929-30).