Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window and the Crime Fiction Genre
Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window continues and expands on traditional themes of the Detective Fiction Genre. In 1841, Murder in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe broke the traditional character constraints of the Crime Fiction Genre, by introducing a new type of lead detective figure. The ideal detective figure encompassed traits of superiority, intelligence, wit and a keen sense for observation. The lead detective figure is a sophisticated character that is not bound to the constrictions and limitations of the Law and the exploration of this figure through the use of visual aid and techniques, provides contrast and variation on the common themes within the genre. Hitchcock provides an alternative approach through a new medium carving way for varied interpretations of the Crime Fiction genre. The Detective Fiction genre is classified as a sub-genre within the Crime Fiction genre, along with the 'whodunnit' method. The 18th and 19th century saw a growth of interest in the Crime Fiction Genre due to the rise in city crime and the introduction of new prisons and growing police forces. The famous Detective Fiction writers of that era include: Agatha Christie who wrote extensive fiction novels for the audience to unravel clues; Charles Dickinson, who introduced the early method of 'whodunnit' in Bleak House (1853); John Dickson Carr who is seen to be a master of the 'Locked Room Method' and Sherlock Holmes who was popular mainstream figure within the detective fiction genre. Edgar Allen Poe was the first to introduce a fictional detective, C. Auguste Dupin and most of the common themes used by other detective fiction authors are derived from Poe himself. The common themes that are used throughout Poe’s approach to the lead detective figure, Dupin, possesses a psychological interest in the observation of human behavior. The characters Jeff and Dupin are both of an observant nature and the use of visual techniques by Hitchcock, allows the audience to observe the