Annotated Bibliography: The Theme of Politics in Detective Fiction - Assignment Example

Annotated Bibliography The Theme of Politics in Detective Fiction Dey, Anindita1, aninditad07@gmail.com. "The Politics of Watching in the Narratives of Detection and Crime: A Study of the Murder of Roger Ackroyd and the Erasers." IUP Journal of English Studies 8.4 (2013): 7-20. Humanities Source. Web. 11 June 2015. In this article, Dey coherently investigates the power and authority of watching solely to the investigator or a detector in detective fiction. The narratives contained in the article mediate moral, political, and epistemological queries through the rationalistic and surveillance interpretations of detectives. It exclusively addresses the issue of politics where it explains that a new pattern of power derives a very divergent ideological perspective. Therefore, watching in the detective fiction novels is not centralized on the ideological and aesthetic mediation of discipline and the social surveillance, but rather presented as a hermeneutics of power. The article takes an unusual path in portraying the aspect of politics in this genre of narratives. In this paper, political affairs also represented as a subject that brings a distinction between the criminal and detective world, emerges through dissolving the knowledge of the person that pursues or watches over them. That helps the reader to derive the narrative pleasure dispersed through the reversal of the customary order. The article is interesting to read since it explicitly discusses the detective action of maintaining an omnipresent watch over those individuals that are guilty to preserve the harmony and the innocence of community life. Besides, it emphasizes on the influence of political authority on the lives of various people such as Robbe-Grillet, and Agatha Christie murdered through the use of political power. The unwinding political event that feature in the detective narrative makes the article more fascinating not only to a neutral leader but a researcher too. Therefore, the research article is a must-read for students interested in discovering how politics meddles in the issues of crime detection. Harpham, John Samuel. "Detective Fiction and the Aesthetic of Crime." Raritan 34.1 (2014): 121-141. Humanities Source. Web. 11 June 2015. In his article, the renowned writer, Harpham, discusses exhaustively detective fiction and the aesthetics of crime in the contemporary social setting. According to Harpham, the role of aesthetics crime of the late 18th century and the initial epoch of the 19th century had a great influence on the progress of fiction. The article stresses on the dynamics of detective fiction in the mid and the end of the 19th century. The essay outlines an overview of the philosophy in aesthetics giving explicit details of Emmanuel Kant, who was a German philosopher. The matter of assassination in Sherlock Holmes fiction received comprehensive coverage in the article with the investigation of whether the political forces had a hand in influencing the outcome of the crime research process. Specifically, the theme of politics features in the essay where Harpham warns most of the political leaders particularly those from the West. He gives a scenario where a famous political leader uses his money power to get a political seat. According to the author, this action is immoral thus people should not engage in it. Indeed, as Harpham argues, the people must lawfully elect a leader if he is to serve the society adequately. A candidate must attain a majority vote in each situation. Additionally, his reasoning is valid as an illegitimate government is most likely to intervene in the issues of crime detection. Besides, he explained that although detectives investigate most of these crimes, most of the political leaders are not punished since they use their influence on people to manipulate the investigators. Though the facts contained in the article may appear as simple logic or mere speculation from a civilian, the described scenarios are real and deserve incorporation in a 21st-century detective fiction. The ideas in the article are coherently outlined to ensure that a reader understands them. Further, all the arguments are rational, and the authors use credible sources to support all his arguments. Tchumkam, Hervé1, htchumkam@smu.edu. "Of Murder and Love: Peregrinations of the African Detective Writer." Research in African Literatures 43.4 (2012): 38-49. Humanities Source. Web. 11 June 2015. Tchumkam expounds on the status of most of the African detective writers particularly those in Francophone Africa. The article employs examples by Mongo Beti and Driss Chraibi, who are the key figures of African detective writers. The article goes further to scrutinise other novels metafictional comments that deals with conventions and potentialities of most detective fiction particularly those from French-speaking Africa. With the central theme emphasized in the article being murder and politics, crime detection takes an unusual path as the victims, in this case, are politicians in a different political divide. The executed people are either in politics and are assassinated by political figures, major rivals. Therefore, the report depicts that the political policies significantly influence the detective fiction since people with too much power are the primary targets for murder and are also those that take part in killing of innocent individuals. In the examination of the assassination of the victims, the detective fiction writer only seems to enjoy a postmortem popularity that visibly rests on profanation. However, it is apparent from the article that the theme of politics and murder does not guarantee a celebrity the final lesson regarding the status of most French-speaking African detective authors. The article is very objective and detailed, and it bases all its arguments on analytical data that helps a person to understand better the theme of politics in detective fiction. However, the article shows that the practice of detective fiction helps in exposing major issues but it does not lead to the ultimate popularity of the writer. Tchumkam’s argument could be correct. However, a real detective fiction artists need to focus on the impact of his production on the society as opposed to gaining of personal credit or fame. Though critical and individualistic in nature, the article is a superficial piece that enlightens a literature student and other researchers on the place of politics in crime detection in the modern society. Sargent, Neil C. "Mys-Reading the Past in Detective Fiction and Law." Law & Literature 22.2 (2010): 288-306. Humanities Source. Web. 11 June 2015 The article investigates the philosophies of history in law detective stories and fiction. In the essay, Sargent explains that the investigative detective story believes that all the past actions have a fixed relation to most existing situations that can be useful in the clarification of the casual ideologies of the mystery. True to his foundation in an enlightened philosophy of science manner, the detective employs an analytical approach to confirm all his doubts about the relationship between murder and politics in detective fiction. The arguments of the author are valid and based on substantial premises. An example of this validity emerges where the author explains that the cynical investigation does not adopt a teleological approach in the past since he believes that the validation of details must rely on rational proof and evidence. The essay shows how a detective becomes a protagonist as he tries to work backwards and trace some of the political issues that have affected people from the past to present. The issue has made him espouse a less teleological attitude thus placing him at odds with the objectivity philosophy of history that is the basis of the adversarial criminal trial procedure. The essay is very helpful in explaining the theme of politics in detective fiction since all its arguments are analytical and bases on valuable proofs. Besides, the author of the article uses examples extensively to show how political power and political figures influence people particularly the detective and their works. However, the issue of focusing on teleological attitude is not clear since it is apparent that it makes individuals skeptical although the essay shows that its implementation results in heroic deeds. It is a must-read for literature students who need valuable illustrations of the entwinement of politics and crime investigation. Read More