In his new study, The Legendary Detective: The Private Eye in Fact and Fiction, John Walton, a professor of sociology at the University of California, Davis, both narrows that focus - to private investigators, as the subtitle explains - and broadens it, examining not just the development of detective fiction but also the history of real-life detective agencies, both in the U.S. Or maybe you could craft a categorical listing instead of a chronological one: amateur sleuths, detectives for hire, a police force sanctioned by the government.Įither approach might reveal how traditions evolve and expand and how writers work within conventions or against them in equal measure comparisons and contrasts might help deepen a reader’s understanding of the entire genre. You could chart an evolution over time: eras when the genius detective predominated, or when the street-smart hardboiled hero took over, or the rise of police procedurals and the emergence of the collective detective. To understand the evolution of the detective figure in crime stories and novels, you might take any number of approaches.
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