Wilby, Helen Elizabeth (2024). An exploration of the role of the detective figure in 20th century African American crime fiction. University of Birmingham. M.A.
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Wilby2024MAbyRes.pdf
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Abstract
This thesis examines the role of the detective figure in African American crime fiction, and how this changed throughout the 20th Century. The role of this character changed as the genre became politicized and used by African American writers as a space for social critique. The detective took on a new responsibility, as a representation of the African American community, and mouthpiece for real-world concerns and issues. Crime writers achieved this using a range of methods - from the subversive anti-detective novel tradition, to the discussion of W.E.B DuBois’ theory of ‘double consciousness’, to utilizing elements of the popular pulp fiction trend, to choosing historically black settings such as Harlem as backdrops for their stories. This thesis ends with the assertion that the detective figure within African American crime fiction was assigned a new role as they became inspiring symbols for a frustrated community of people.
| Type of Work: | Thesis (Masters by Research > M.A.) | |||||||||
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| Award Type: | Masters by Research > M.A. | |||||||||
| Supervisor(s): |
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| Licence: | All rights reserved | |||||||||
| College/Faculty: | Colleges > College of Arts & Law | |||||||||
| School or Department: | School of English, Drama and Creative Studies, Department of English Literature | |||||||||
| Funders: | None/not applicable | |||||||||
| Subjects: | P Language and Literature > PS American literature | |||||||||
| URI: | http://etheses.bham.ac.uk/id/eprint/15521 |
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