LIT-150 The Politics of Social (IN)Justice in the Detective Novel
This course examines the politics of social (in)justice in both “popular” and “serious” works of literary suspense from England to Russia, to India and beyond. Using critical analysis, we will investigate how authors go beyond unearthing secrets, finding bodies, and attempting to right specific wrongs, and how detective fiction can sneakily address pressing political and social concerns of the day—race, class, gender, sexuality, ability etc.— in works that appeal to a broad popular audience. Texts include the canonical Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, Fyodor M. Dostoevsky, as well as the more contemporary Boris Akunin, Yuri Herrera, Sheena Kamal, Kishwar Desai, Julia Phillips.
Writing-Intensive (18)
Credits
1