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".
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