The Supernatural and Fantastic in Short Detective Fiction - A Survey, 1841-2000

Although fantasy and supernatural literature have long and celebrated histories, many critics contend that the fantastic and the supernatural have no place in the logical, rational, world of the detective story. This book is the first extensive study of the fantastic in detective fiction and it explores the highly debated question of whether detective fiction and the fantastic can comfortably coexist.
The "locked room" mystery--which often uses the fantastic as a red herring to eventually be debunked by reason and logic--has long been among the most popular subgenres of detective fiction. This book also explores stories featuring almost supernaturally gifted detectives, stories where the supernatural is truly encountered, and stories with ambiguous endings.
Close to 500 detective stories from 1841 to 2000, in which the fantastic or supernatural plays a central role, are discussed and analyzed. Although not all the stories are judged to be successful as detective tales, in the great majority, the fantastic enlivens the tale and deepens the mystery without weakening the detective elements.

List of contents

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction: Bringing the Fantastic and the Detective Together

Part 1.¿The Apparently Fantastic Shown to Be Natural

One.¿­Locked-Room Murders and Other Impossible Crimes

Two.¿Other Fantastic Scenarios

Three.¿Superstitions, Prophecies and Curses

Four.¿The Charlatan Occult Detective

Part 2.¿A Touch of the Fantastic

Five.¿The ­Super-Sensitive Detective

Six.¿The Fanciful, the Fabled and the Psychological

Part 3.¿The Truly Supernatural

Seven.¿The Supernatural Experienced or Investigated

Eight.¿The Supernatural Combatted

Part 4.¿Supernatural or Natural?

Nine.¿The Intrigue of Unanswered Questions

Conclusion: The Detective, the Rational and the Fantastic

Bibliography

Index

About the author

Laird R. Blackwell is a humanities professor emeritus at Sierra Nevada College in the Lake Tahoe area of western Nevada, where he taught psychology and literature for 31 years. He is the author of four critical studies of detective fiction for McFarland and the recipient of nominations for an Edgar Award and an Agatha Award.

Product details

• Authors: Laird R. Blackwell, Blackwell Laird R.
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 18
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 23.11.2020
• EAN: 9781476681283
• ISBN: 978-1-4766-8128-3
• No. of pages: 214
• Dimensions: 152 mm x 229 mm x 11 mm
• Weight: 290 g
• Illustrations: Raster,schwarz-weiss
• Subjects: Fiction > Poetry, drama; LITERARY CRITICISM / Mystery & Detective, LITERARY CRITICISM / Science Fiction & Fantasy, LITERARY CRITICISM / Horror & Supernatural, Literary studies: from c 1900 -, Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers, Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers, Literary studies: c 1900 to c 2000, supernatural; television series