Masters of narrative: The evolution of the detective in nineteenth-century British detective novels

• Main Author: Mayer, Amanda
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-2014
• Subjects: British & Irish literature; British and Irish literature; Collins, Wilkie (1824-1889); Dickens, Charles (1812-1870); Literature
• ISBN: 9781303917189; 1303917181

My argument explores the emergence of the detective novel in Britain and traces its development over the course of the nineteenth century. The scholarly discussion surrounding detective fiction is diverse in nature. However, a dominant topic within this scholarship is the connection between detection and storytelling. Critics such as D.A. Miller, Howard S. Babb, and Jerrold E. Hogle assert that the link between detection and narrative is central to the genre's regulatory function. Others scholars including Jan- Marissa Schramm and Jonathan H. Grossman, emphasize the extent to which detectives and criminals rely upon narrative manipulation and effective storytelling. Peter Thoms describes detection as an act of narrative control that detectives engage in to divert attention from their own real or imagined "crimes." Emily R. Anderson argues that the ease with which both criminals and detectives manipulate narrative destabilizes the concept of objective truth. My argument draws upon many aspects of these previous critical frameworks such as the regulatory and disciplinary functions of detective fiction as well as the connection between detection and storytelling. However, my analysis focuses primarily on the figure of the detective rather than criminals or the law courts. Specifically, I argue that the detective novels that begin to emerge at the end of the eighteenth century and develop over the course of the nineteenth century link detection and authorship. Late eighteenth-century, proto-detective novels such as Caleb Williams, suggest that successful detection is contingent upon the detective's ability to cultivate the trust and admiration of their audience as well as craft a compelling, believable, and socially accepted narrative of the crimes they investigate. While mid-Victorian detective novels maintain the importance of the detective's reputation and image, their primary focus is illustrating the impossibility of constructing a fully unified and complete account of crimes. Fin de siècle detective novels assert that there is a cyclical pattern to narratives of crime. The repetitive nature of criminal activity in these novels represents a larger genre shift that deemphasizes the importance of the crimes themselves in favor of a detailed examination of the psyche and investigative method of the detective.