English 157 - Fall, 2017

Detective Fiction

Class Information

Instructor: Dobbins, Gregory
CRN: 62660
Time: MWF 11:00-11:50
Location: 158 Olson

Description

The detective novel is one of the more enduring forms of popular fiction, and this course will present a survey of the genre through an examination of clusters of writers associated with some of its more prominent historical phases. Through the course of the quarter we will read representative writers associated with the origins of detective novel in the 19th Century (Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle), the 'Golden Age' of the British mystery novel (Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers), the American 'hard-boiled' detective novel and 'noir' fiction (Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler), and both American and British neo-noir (Derek Raymond, James Ellroy, Walter Mosley and Megan Abbott).

Grading

Two essays, a short writing assignment, occasional quizzes, and a final exam.

Texts

The Sign of the Four, Arthur Conan Doyle
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie
Strong Poison, Dorothy Sayers
The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett
The Big Sleep, Raymond Chandler
He Died With His Eyes Wide Open, Derek Raymond
L.A. Confidential, James Ellroy
Devil in a Blue Dress, Walter Mosley
Dare Me , Megan Abbott