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123042 PS Literary Studies / Proseminar Literature (2017W)

Introduction to Detective Fiction

5.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 25 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Thursday 12.10. 08:00 - 10:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 19.10. 08:00 - 10:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 09.11. 08:00 - 10:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 16.11. 08:00 - 10:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 23.11. 08:00 - 10:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 30.11. 08:00 - 10:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 07.12. 08:00 - 10:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 14.12. 08:00 - 10:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 11.01. 08:00 - 10:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 18.01. 08:00 - 10:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A
  • Thursday 25.01. 08:00 - 10:00 Seminarraum 6 Anglistik UniCampus Hof 8 3E-O1-22.A

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

Crime fiction is as popular as ever, dominating must-have reading lists, fandom and sales figures. This is also true for the specific subgenre of detective fiction: Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown and their numerous successors have been read, interpreted and adapted ever since they entered the literary scene. They have been interpreted as embodiments of Englishness, of rationality, of masculinity or of Empire, but they have equally been read as exotic, irrational or feminine. In a nutshell, most of the best-known detectives encompass the ambivalences, hopes, fears and ideologies of the modern world by promising to bring order and final explanations to this modern world’s chaotic mess by the power of deduction.

The course will trace the main genres, topics, interpretations and theories of detective fiction from their first publication till today. Central question will include:

1. How can detective fiction be defined and how has it evolved historically?
2. What is its appeal for the reader and why is it still one of the most successful genres in the book market?
3. What images of modernity, rationality and modern science does the detective genre present?
4. What is the role of gender and race in the material and how are women and racial others depicted?

The seminar uses a mix of methods, including close reading, work with secondary and theoretical sources, reader response (in written and oral form), peer-to-peer feedback and teacher input.

Assessment and permitted materials

• Regular attendance and preparation of session material
• General participation in class, including individual contributions as well as work in groups
• Expert work on assigned readings: each student will be assigned to one source material of the syllabus and provide expert input in the respective session
• A written reading journal documenting your weekly reading process and response
• A formal paper of 3.500 words

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Attendance: 5%
Active participation and contributions in class (including your expert input in your respective session): 10%
Reading Journal: 35%
Term paper: 50%
Students must attain at least 60% of each to pass this course.

Examination topics

• input phases combined with group work and classroom discussion
• student input from your expert session
• students' research projects (papers and reading journal)

Reading list

Primary Texts
Narrative Literature
Doyle, Arthur Conan (2001 [1887]). A Study in Scarlet (Penguin Classics). London: Penguin. (We will read this novella only in excerpts)
--- (2001 [1890]). The Sign of Four (Penguin Classics). London: Penguin. (We will discuss the full novella, so please buy this edition. It is available at Facultas am Campus bookstore.)
Chesterton, G.K. (2005 [1911]). "The Sins of Prince Saradine." Father Brown: The Essential Tales. New York: Random House, 2005. 111-130. (will be available on moodle)

Drama
Christie, Agatha (2014 [1952]). The Mousetrap. London: Samuel French. (We will discuss the full play, so please buy this edition - it is available at Facultas am Campus bookstore.)

Poetry
Auden, W.H. "Detective Story." (1936)
Rinehart, Mary Roberts. "The Detective Story." (1904)
Starrett, Vincent. "221b." (1942)
(All poetry will be made available to you on moodle)

Theory
Auden, W.H. (May 1938)."The Guilty Vicarage: Notes on the detective story, by an addict." Harper’s Magazin. New York: Harper & Brothers.
Jann, Rosemary (1995). The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Detecting Social Order. New York: Twayne.
Kayman, Martin A. (2003). "The short story from Poe to Chesterton." Cambridge Companion to Crime Fiction. Ed. Martin Priestman. Cambridge: UP. 41-58.
Mandel, Ernst (1984). Delightful Murder: A Social History of the Crime Story. London: Pluto Press.
Symons, Julian (1993). Bloody Murder: From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel. New York: The Mysterious Press.
The relevant excerpts from these texts will be available via moodle at the beginning of the semester.

Association in the course directory

Studium: UF 344, BA 612; BEd 046 / 407
Code/Modul: UF 3.3.3-304, BA10.1; BEd 08a.1, BEd 08b.2
Lehrinhalt: 12-3041

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:33