Towards Sherlock Holmes: A Thematic History of Crime Fiction in the 19th Century World

by Stephen Knight

Overview

Crime fiction--a product of the burgeoning metropolis of the 19th century--features specialists who identify criminals to protect an anxious citizenry. Before detectives came to play the central role, the protagonists tended to be lawyers or other professionals. Major English writers like Gaskell, Dickens and Collins contributed to the genre--Fergus Hume's The Mystery of a Hansom Cab was a best-seller in 1887--and American and French authors created new forms. This book explores thematic aspects of 19th century crime fiction's complex history, including various social and gender roles between different time periods and settings, and the imperial elements that made Sherlock Holmes seem dynamically contemporary.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476666167
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	12/30/2016
Pages:	236
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Stephen Knight is a well-known authority on crime fiction and literature through the ages. He has worked at universities in Australia, England and Wales and is a research professor in literature at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
1. Before the Tough Guys: The Traditions of 19th-Century American Crime Fiction
2. Sherlock Holmes’ Grandmother: French Contributions to the Formation of Crime Fiction
3. Ferret at Work: Class and Detection in Early English Crime Fiction
4. “Jonathan Wild in Petticoats”: Women Detectives in Victorian England
5. Major Authors, No Major Detectives: The Response of Mainstream Novelists to Emergent Crime Fiction
6. Why Did Hume’s The Mystery of a Hansom Cab Move So Fast?
7. Watson’s Wound and the Speckled Band: Imperial Threats and English Crimes in Conan Doyle’s Fiction
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

an inherently fascinating literary study, impressively informative and a seminal work of outstanding scholarship...recommended”—Midwest Book Review.

From the Publisher