ENGL 202 - Great Detectives and Plots of Detection

A great detective story is arguably one of the most interactive of genres, as it urges a reader to step into the world of the mystery and solve it alongside the investigators who people the pages. This course traces evolutions in the genre, from 19th-century icons like Sherlock Holmes through early-20th-century hardboiled detectives and into very contemporary fiction. We’ll consider professional and amateur detectives in short fiction and novels, watch several films, and read one story in serial installments. We will explore how detective stories are rooted in the cultural moments of their creation and read short pieces about the genre by some of its greatest writers. The course emphasizes the pleasures of reading (Cliffhangers! Clues! Misdirection!) and what we can learn from thinking hard about what is so satisfying about a great mystery, adeptly solved. Texts vary from one semester to the next; authors may include Dorothy Sayers, Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, Tana French, Wilkie Collins, Gladys Mitchell, Dashiell Hammett, Rudolph Fisher, Anthony Horowitz. Coursework will be wide-ranging and playful, and will include creative as well as critical assignments. Alternate years. (4 Credits)