CRIME FICTION
Crime fiction is a newly
developed genre of novels which deals with a crime, followed by its
investigation by some professional detectives or amateur sleuth to solve the
mystery of the crime.
HISTORY OF CRIME FICTION:
· The stories dealing with
crimes and criminals have been around for centuries. Some of the oldest tales
of crime fiction include the Arabian anthology ‘One Thousand and One Nights’
(7th cen.) and folktales from Asia like ‘Ali Baba Chalis Chor’.
· ‘Things As They Are’
(1794) by William Godwin, is a crime fiction novel
· But it was only after the
French Revolution and urbanization in Europe that crimes increased in the
society during the Victorian age and this new form Crime Fiction became widely
popular in English literature.
FEATURES OF CRIME FICTION:
1. The plot revolves around a
serious crime like murder, bank robbery or kidnapping.
2. Crime fiction involves
much amount of mystery and suspense.
3. Characters are mostly
criminals, detectives, police officers and forensic science experts.
4. The story is narrated in a
serious, gloomy tone and mostly pathos dominates.
5. Poetic justice is
presented at the end by way of punishing the criminals.
MAJOR WRITERS AND WORKS OF
CRIME FICTION:
1. Edgar Allen Poe an America
author, known as the father of detective stories wrote a host of detective
crime stories during the Victorian age.
2. The stories of ‘Sherlock
Homes’ written by Arthur Cannon Doyle are also popular as detective crime
stories.
3. Patricia Highsmith is the other
crime fiction author who wrote ‘Strangers on a Train’ (1950) and ‘The Talented
Mr Ripley’ (1955).
4. James Cain’s two most
famous novels ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ (1934) and ‘Double Indemnity’
(1936) are also the best examples of Crime Fiction.
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