Crime fiction has been one of the most popular genres since the 19th century, but has roots in works as varied as Sophocles, Herodotus, and Shakespeare. In this Very Short Introduction Richard Bradford explores the history of the genre, by considering the various definitions of "crime fiction"
and looking at how it has developed over time. Discussing the popularity of crime fiction worldwide and its various styles; the role that gender plays within the genre; spy fiction, and legal dramas and thrillers; he explores how the crime novel was shaped by the work of British and American authors
in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Highlighting the works of notorious authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Raymond Chandler - to name but a few - he considers the role of the crime novel in modern popular culture and asks whether we can, and whether we should,
consider crime fiction serious "literature".
ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors
combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
1. Origins
2. The two ages: Golden and Hard Boiled
3. Transitions
4. International crime fiction
5. Gender
6. Cousins of crime: spy ficiton, the thriller, and legal drama
7. Epilogue: Can crime fiction be taken seriously?
Further reading
Index
There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.
Richard Bradford is Research Professor of English at the University of Ulster and has taught previously in Oxford, the University of Wales and Trinity College, Dublin. He has published twenty-one books on a variety of topics, including Russian Formalism, Stylistics, 18th Century Criticism and
the History of English Poetry. He has written several books including a biography of Philip Larkin (Peter Owen Ltd, 2001).
