American Detective Fiction

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

David C. Dougherty (Loyola University Maryland)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.2: American (US) Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth Century, 1783-1900.
Vol. editors: J. Michael Duvall (College of Charleston), Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Tony Papanikolas (San Jose State University)

Dates

Date of occurrence 1800-

Places

United States (Location)

Genres and Modes

Crime and Detective
Prose Fiction Narrative

Resources

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The Origins of Modern Detective Fiction: The British Sleuth

Although the formula for modern detective fiction was invented by the eccentric American genius Edgar Allan Poe, the sub-genre came to its perfection in the work of English writers Wilkie Collins, A. Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton, Dorothy Sayers, and Agatha Christie. As several literary historians have observed, these stories had their roots in the development of science during the nineteenth century, with its elevation of observation and reason as defining, ideal human characteristics. Small wonder that Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet (1887) features Dr. Watson’s being introduced to an eccentric chemist named Sherlock Holmes; their decision to share quarters led to arguably the most successful bromance in literary history.

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6548 words

Citation: Dougherty, David C.. "American Detective Fiction". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 April 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19511, accessed 19 April 2024.]

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