Jolly Good Detecting

Humor in English Crime Fiction of the Golden Age

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Mystery & Detective Fiction
Cover of the book Jolly Good Detecting by Bruce Shaw, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bruce Shaw ISBN: 9781476613963
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Publication: December 19, 2013
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Bruce Shaw
ISBN: 9781476613963
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication: December 19, 2013
Imprint:
Language: English

This book is an appreciation of selected authors who make extensive use of humor in English detective/crime fiction. Works using humor as an amelioration of the serious have their heyday in the Golden Age of crime writing but they belong also to a long tradition. There is an identifiable lineage of humorous writing in crime fiction that ranges from mild wit to outright farce, burlesque, even slapstick. A mix of entertainment with instruction is a tradition in English letters. English crime fiction writers of the era circa 1913 to 1940 were raised in the mainstream literary tradition but turned their skills to detective fiction. And they are the humorists of the genre. This book is not an exhaustive study but an introduction into the best produced by the most capable and enjoyable authors. What the humorists seek is to surprise the reader by overturning their expectations using a repertoire of stylistic conceits and motifs (recurring incidents, devices, references). Humor has a liberating effect but is concerned too with “comic contrast” through ugliness and caricature. In crime fiction one effect is intellectual pleasure at solving (or attempting to solve) a puzzle. Another is entertainment but with serious undertones.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book is an appreciation of selected authors who make extensive use of humor in English detective/crime fiction. Works using humor as an amelioration of the serious have their heyday in the Golden Age of crime writing but they belong also to a long tradition. There is an identifiable lineage of humorous writing in crime fiction that ranges from mild wit to outright farce, burlesque, even slapstick. A mix of entertainment with instruction is a tradition in English letters. English crime fiction writers of the era circa 1913 to 1940 were raised in the mainstream literary tradition but turned their skills to detective fiction. And they are the humorists of the genre. This book is not an exhaustive study but an introduction into the best produced by the most capable and enjoyable authors. What the humorists seek is to surprise the reader by overturning their expectations using a repertoire of stylistic conceits and motifs (recurring incidents, devices, references). Humor has a liberating effect but is concerned too with “comic contrast” through ugliness and caricature. In crime fiction one effect is intellectual pleasure at solving (or attempting to solve) a puzzle. Another is entertainment but with serious undertones.

More books from McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers

Cover of the book The Namibian War of Independence, 1966-1989 by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book Stagecoach Robberies in California by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book Sexual Abuse, Shonda and Concealment in Orthodox Jewish Communities by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book Growing Up in the Middle Ages by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book Sir Gawain and the Classical Tradition by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book The Mythology of the Superhero by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book Bachata and Dominican Identity / La bachata y la identidad dominicana by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book Cuban Americans and the Miami Media by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book Cancer, Autism and Their Epigenetic Roots by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book I Am Legend as American Myth by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book Runway Visions by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book Monstrous Children and Childish Monsters by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book The Tragedy of the Vietnam War by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book "Death does seem to have all he can attend to" by Bruce Shaw
Cover of the book The Monomyth in American Science Fiction Films by Bruce Shaw
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy