Crime Fiction Essay
While the genre of crime writing covers a wide diversity of texts, these texts all engage with investigating a crime and associated social and moral issues. Evaluate this statement.
Although the crime-writing genre consists of a wide array of subgenres and hybrids, these texts all focus on a criminal investigation using this as a platform/vehicle to explore and comment on the values and the social context in which it was composed. In doing so, crime fiction texts do not just tell a crime story; they make insightful social comments to inform responders. This is evident in P.D. James’ “The Skull Beneath The Skin” (Skull) which not only follows an investigation but also comments on the justice and the emerging role of women in 1980’s Britain while Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film “Rear Window” (RW) is a hybrid of the crime and romance genres, exploring not only American crime and punishment but also urbanisation and gender roles. Marele Day’s 1998 novel “The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender” (Lavender) describes an investigation while also exploring its associated issues of justice and gender roles while Matt Groening’s 1995 Simpsons Episode “Who Shot Mr Burns?” (Burns) parodies the classic crime conventions, focusing on the ethics of capitalism and the modern justice system.
James’ 1982 novel Skull not only engages with the investigation of the murder of Clarissa Lisle, but also comments on gender roles and justice, appealing to its audience. In this text, Cordelia Gray reflects the increasing role of women in the workforce of the time, by being actively involved in the solving of a mystery. However Cordelia did not succeed in her task, which was to protect Clarissa Lisle, and even failed to prevent several deaths, including that of Simon’s. This shows that James believes Gray is incapable of dealing with such tasks, and by an extension, that detecting is “an unsuitable job for a woman.” James is warning her audience that despite the emerging role of women, they are
Although the crime-writing genre consists of a wide array of subgenres and hybrids, these texts all focus on a criminal investigation using this as a platform/vehicle to explore and comment on the values and the social context in which it was composed. In doing so, crime fiction texts do not just tell a crime story; they make insightful social comments to inform responders. This is evident in P.D. James’ “The Skull Beneath The Skin” (Skull) which not only follows an investigation but also comments on the justice and the emerging role of women in 1980’s Britain while Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film “Rear Window” (RW) is a hybrid of the crime and romance genres, exploring not only American crime and punishment but also urbanisation and gender roles. Marele Day’s 1998 novel “The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender” (Lavender) describes an investigation while also exploring its associated issues of justice and gender roles while Matt Groening’s 1995 Simpsons Episode “Who Shot Mr Burns?” (Burns) parodies the classic crime conventions, focusing on the ethics of capitalism and the modern justice system.
James’ 1982 novel Skull not only engages with the investigation of the murder of Clarissa Lisle, but also comments on gender roles and justice, appealing to its audience. In this text, Cordelia Gray reflects the increasing role of women in the workforce of the time, by being actively involved in the solving of a mystery. However Cordelia did not succeed in her task, which was to protect Clarissa Lisle, and even failed to prevent several deaths, including that of Simon’s. This shows that James believes Gray is incapable of dealing with such tasks, and by an extension, that detecting is “an unsuitable job for a woman.” James is warning her audience that despite the emerging role of women, they are