Thissucks
The Detective Novel
English 857-005, Spring 2013
Tue, Thu 2:00 pm - 3:20 pm
The Course
The detective novel is probably the most popular of all literary forms, and it has spread to virtually every part of the world. This course analyzes the global travels of this genre, considering the different permutations of the form in the different societies where it has prospered. Over the course of the semester, students will make connections between novels and nations, will develop different ways of “reading” a text, and will consider where their own personal reading of detective novels fits in. Particular topics we will analyze may include: the changing definition of crime; the evolving representation of the criminal; the changing methods for “solving” the crime; the ideology of justice; the conflicts between community and individuality; and the varying social and national anxieties that the form reveals.
This course fulfills GenEd Global requirement.
Required texts (available in the University bookstore): * Deane Mansfield-Kelley and Lois Marchino, eds. The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction (2005) * Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of Four, ed. Peter Ackroyd (Penguin) * Vikram Chandra, Love and Longing in Bombay (Back Bay) * Miyuki Miyabe, All She was Worth (Houghton Mifflin) * Boris Akunin, The Winter Queen (Random House)
Note: Other editions (print and eBook) are acceptable provided that you’re able to access everything you need when you need it in a form you can comfortably read, mark up, and bring to class. Check Blackboard for the full list of readings required.
Assignments and Grading
Grading
Weekly Writings (10 at 5 points each)……………………..………..…....50 points (25%)
Paper 1…………………………………………………………………….25 points (12.5%)
Paper 2…………………………………………………………………….25 points (12.5%)
Presentation……………………………………………………………….25 points (12.5%)
Paper
English 857-005, Spring 2013
Tue, Thu 2:00 pm - 3:20 pm
The Course
The detective novel is probably the most popular of all literary forms, and it has spread to virtually every part of the world. This course analyzes the global travels of this genre, considering the different permutations of the form in the different societies where it has prospered. Over the course of the semester, students will make connections between novels and nations, will develop different ways of “reading” a text, and will consider where their own personal reading of detective novels fits in. Particular topics we will analyze may include: the changing definition of crime; the evolving representation of the criminal; the changing methods for “solving” the crime; the ideology of justice; the conflicts between community and individuality; and the varying social and national anxieties that the form reveals.
This course fulfills GenEd Global requirement.
Required texts (available in the University bookstore): * Deane Mansfield-Kelley and Lois Marchino, eds. The Longman Anthology of Detective Fiction (2005) * Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of Four, ed. Peter Ackroyd (Penguin) * Vikram Chandra, Love and Longing in Bombay (Back Bay) * Miyuki Miyabe, All She was Worth (Houghton Mifflin) * Boris Akunin, The Winter Queen (Random House)
Note: Other editions (print and eBook) are acceptable provided that you’re able to access everything you need when you need it in a form you can comfortably read, mark up, and bring to class. Check Blackboard for the full list of readings required.
Assignments and Grading
Grading
Weekly Writings (10 at 5 points each)……………………..………..…....50 points (25%)
Paper 1…………………………………………………………………….25 points (12.5%)
Paper 2…………………………………………………………………….25 points (12.5%)
Presentation……………………………………………………………….25 points (12.5%)
Paper