Nineteenth Century Detective Fiction: An Analytical History

by LeRoy Lad Panek

Overview

In English and American cultures, detective fiction has a long and illustrious history. Its origins can be traced back to major developments in Anglo-American law, like the concept of circumstantial evidence and the rise of lawyers as heroic figures. Edgar Allen Poe's writings further fueled this cultural phenomenon, with the use of enigmas and conundrums in his detective stories, as well as the hunt-and-chase action of early police detective novels. Poe was only one staple of the genre, with detective fiction contributing to a thriving literary market that later influenced Arthur Conan Doyle's work.

This text examines the emergence of short detective fiction in the nineteenth century, as well as the appearance of detectives in Victorian novels. It explores how the genre has captivated readers for centuries, with the chapters providing a framework for a more complete understanding of nineteenth-century detective fiction.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476645285
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	09/22/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	197
File size:	4 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

The late LeRoy Lad Panek, professor emeritus of English at McDaniel College (and “One of the most readable, prolific, and perceptive academic scholars of mystery fiction”—Mystery Scene and Edgar Award winner), was the author of a number of books about detective fiction. He lived in Westminster, Maryland.
The late LeRoy Lad Panek, professor emeritus of English at McDaniel College (and "One of the most readable, prolific, and perceptive academic scholars of mystery fiction"--Mystery Scene and Edgar Award winner), was the author of a number of books about detective fiction. He lived in Westminster, Maryland.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Detectives and New Media
2. Circumstantial Evidence
3. Edgar Allan Poe
4. Enter the Detective
5. Serial Heroes and Detective Stories
6. Detectives in Novels
7. Arthur Conan Doyle: The Early Novels
8. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Afterword
Works Cited
Index