15 Aug Essay
Question:
In the fiction module this semester, we have considered crime fiction as an example of literary genre and the ways that different crime fiction authors both adopt and transform the expectations of that genre. Drawing on examples from The Old School and I’ll be waiting Raymond Chandler, evaluate how crime fiction authors compare in their use of genre.
Requirements
In your answer, you are expected to compare and evaluate the way two works of fiction adopt and/or adapt features of crime: how are they the same; what do contemporary crime authors do different to their genre predecessors; how successful are contemporary authors in reimagining crime narratives?
You must refer to TWO or THREE features of crime in your answer and where relevant to the fiction chosen for discussion [e.g., disordered world, the figure of the detective, jeopardy, narrative (episodic) structure, method of detection, use of language, use of realism/authenticity, police corruption, and avenging angel.]
You might also find it helpful to consider how issues of race, gender, ethnicity and class studied in the module inform your argument, as well as the genre differences between a novel and a short story.
This assessment is an exercise in close comparative reading using only the primary texts. You must demonstrate you can integrate quotes and provide examples from the primary texts to support your claims. You are not required to use any critical secondary
Failure to express yourself clearly, logically, and in your own words will mean an automatic fail for the assessment. (See marking criteria)
700 WORDS (quotes included/references excluded)
