Classics of Crime Fiction

This course will provide an overview of crime fiction from its beginnings in the 19th century to more recent postmodern manifestations of the genre. We will read classic examples of the detective story, golden age and hard-boiled crime fiction, the police procedural, the psychological thriller, the spy novel, and metaphysical crime fiction. In addition to the history of the genre, students will also be introduced to relevant theoretical concepts of reading crime fiction. Reading and Discussions of texts by Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, Patricia Highsmith, Eric Ambler, among others. Taught in English.