crime

Crime Type

Genre classification of the crime narrative.

Setting

Time and place backdrop for criminal events.

Criminal Motives

Reasons behind a criminal's actions.

Violence

Inclusion of physical harm in crime narratives.

Detection

Process of identifying and capturing criminals.

Moral Purpose

Restoration of order through justice themes.

Guilt

Feelings of remorse experienced by characters.

Criminal-Nemesis Relationship

Dynamic between the criminal and detective.

Resolution

Outcome where criminals face punishment.

Victims

Individuals who suffer due to criminal acts.

Central Motifs

Recurring themes like love, money, danger, death.

Justice

Concept of fairness in punishment and legal outcomes.

Structural Patterning

Narrative organization through crises to resolution.

Language Use

Specific registers reflecting crime and law.

Societal Commentary

Crime writing reflecting historical societal issues.

Audience Impact

Emotional effects on readers, like suspense and relief.

post modern crime fiction

unconventional genre of crime fiction that employs the overlapping of various literary forms and sometimes attempts to challenge the existence of form. they are often littered with stylistic or contextual allusions to previous texts. there can also be a number of narrative time frames overlapping.

bildungsroman

focuses on the process of growing up, and the sensations and experiences that form an individual's character during this period.

feminist

developed in the late 20th century, when an interest in gender politics was developing. critiques of patriarchy. women are both independent and are as good as or better than their male counterparts.

scandi noir

similar to the novels in the golden age of fiction. scandinavian countries have been admired for their equanimity and institutionalisation of civility.

golden age of detective fiction

employs an intelligent character as their lead detective with a willing sidekick.

historical

in the 20th century, writers use the past, placing detectives and crimes in Edwardian, Renaissance and Victorian eras.

hard boiled detective fiction

unsentimental and tough style of American crime writing, bringing a tone of realism to detective fiction. uses graphic sex and violence, vivid but sordid urban settings, and fast paced dialogue.

features of postmodern crime

• irony

• mistrust and meta narratives

• mix high and low culture

features of bildungsroman

• loss

• journey

• personal growth through conflict

• maturity

features of feminist crime

• violence against money

• women are victims

features of scandi noir

• bleak naturalism

• disconsolate locations

• focus on sense of place where bad things can happen

features of golden age

• great wealth

• prosperity

• stability

• cultural and scientific achievement

features of hardboiled detective fiction

• urban landscape

• society driven by money, sex, power, violence

• street smart, wisecracking

• deeply flawed

• moral code

• reflects the society it intends to portray

'Porphyria'

Porphyria is a disease that affects the brain

Poem may be a metaphor of the disease

which can cause mental, nervous or skin problems. Her hair is rope and he is ridding himself of the disease (her) .

Dramatic Monologue

of the horrific death of Porphyria

Regular Rhyme

scheme contrasts the speakers state of mind. He adopts a logical, orderly state but he is masking his true emotions

Regular Rhythm with 4 stressed syllables in each line.

This is interrupted to draw readers attention

Enjambment

shows the speakers fragmented and disturbed thoughts

'rain set early in tonight'

Pathetic fallacy foreshadows the dark events to come. In past tense, what happened earlier. Setting the scene

'rain'

can mean imprisonment because you must stay indoors when it rains.

'tonight'

shows its evening.

'tore the elm

tops' - Using the personification of 'tore' it is foreshadowing Porphyria's death by the death of the tree

'heart fit to break'

He yearns for her arrival and he's anticipating her arrival. Also shows how much pain she is unknowingly causing him in her visits.

'glided in Porphyria'

The verb is powerful and shows she is in control of him

'glided'

is almost supernatural, like a ghost

'she shut the cold out'

Shows her arrival epitomises warmth and comfort and that she is the opposite of the storm outside

'made the cheerless grate blaze'

The role reversal is evident, she is dominant, and he is passive. shows her power over the cottage as well as him

'withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl'

Perhaps a seductive gesture

'soiled gloves'

Her gloves represent the scandalous nature of their meeting. They are dirty and unclean just like sex out of marriage.

'let the damp hair fall'

The word 'the' emphasises her hair and suggests this is her most attractive thing.

'my arm about her waist'

Their first physical touch. She is seducing him.

Her making the first move emphasises role reversal

'her smooth white shoulder bare' This is a very raunchy move and also shows that she is the stereotypical beautiful Victorian woman

'her yellow hair' This combined with her white skin makes her seem like a china doll. This is where it begins to turn around

'too weak' Suggests that because she is a woman she cannot cope with love. He sees her as weak

'for all her hearts endeavour' Suggests she has had many lovers

'set its struggling passion free' Insight into how he sees their relationship and his unhealthy obsession for her. Could be the moment he thinks about killing her

'give herself to me for ever' Turning point. He knows she won't be in love with him forever so he must kill her.

'Porphyria worshipped me' He sees love in terms of power. So now he knows she loves him he makes the next move as the now dominant one in the relationship

'surprise made my heart swell' He feels euphoric that she feels the same way.

This could show his mad state

'perfectly pure' Alliteration. He kills her when she is at her most perfect and beautiful

'in one yellow string I wound' Linked linguistically to lines 20

21 were he is so loving and tender which adds to the horror of the situation

Repetition of 'yellow', continues his obsession with her hair

'three times' Alliteration and Rule of three

'her little throat' Repetition of 'little' makes her seem vulnerable and fragile and easier to kill

'no pain felt she' She didn't resist or cry out whilst he was strangling her which is odd

'I am quite sure she felt no pain' He wanted to do it quickly and without her feeling pain

In a twisted way he cares for her a lot here

The repetition suggests he's reassuring himself and justifying what he has done

'As a shut bud that holds a bee' Simile shows he is scared she may still be alive

'warily open her lids' Emphasise he is scared she's still alive

Repeats the idea of Porphyria being like a china doll and her eyes can be opened and closed

'laughed the blue eyes without a stair' She is still beautiful with blue eyes

He describes her by her body parts separately and not as a whole. Shows he is objectifying her, like a china doll

'about her neck, about her cheek once more' To him, in death, she is even more beautiful because he has captured that perfect moment forever

'burning kiss' Symbolic of the 'kiss of death'

She is cold but his kiss is hot. Oxymoron?

'I propped her head up as before' Recreating their moment before he killed her only this time he is in control of her

'rosy little head' He likens her to a flower which continues the natural but passive imagery of Porphyria.

He has now made her the ultimate passive object; a corpse

'so glad it has its utmost will' To his distorted thinking he has given her what she wanted; to be with him forever.

Maybe she knew this was going to happen and explains why she didn't resist.

'and I, its love, is gained instead!' This is very endearing and he is shown to be excited by the exclamation mark

'thus, we sit together now' Out of context this is a natural thing to do with your partner but is very disturbing in this sense.

'yet God has not said a word!' Shows he could either be religious or an atheist

Expecting God to respond to his Sin