ENGLISH 272 (01) (W): Intro to Lit: Literature & Culture—Mystery Fiction
For this course, we will be reading, explicating, and analyzing prose fiction, focusing on the sub-genre of fiction known as mystery. We will give most of our attention to seminal hard-boiled detective stories, and to books that play off of this type of fiction, in the form of parody, or by integrating other sub-genres, such as the historical novel and science fiction. No matter what form of mystery story we read and discuss, we will focus on time-tested story elements such as PLOT, POINT OF VIEW, CHARACTER, and SETTING, VOICE, and THEME, as well as the various ways in which NARRATIVE is constructed. We will also explore the popularity and literary value of this sub-genre, which is known in some circles as roman noir, in response to its cinematic equivalent, film noir. We will also examine what these stories say about contemporary culture.
This is a writing-intensive course, designed to foster critical thinking via essay writing, peer interaction and class discussions.
Course Requirements
• Attendance and Participation
• Response papers for each major work
• Two formal essays (4-5 pages)
• A revision of one of the essays
• Midterm
• Final exam
Required Texts (available through Revolution Books, 2626 S. King Street)
• Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep
• James Ellroy, L.A. Confidential
• Patricia Highsmith, The Talented Mr. Ripley
• Natsuo Kirino, Out
• Dennis Lehane, Gone, Baby, Gone
There will also be a course reader (available from Professional Image, 2633 S. King Street), featuring short fiction by authors such as Dashiell Hammett, Agatha Christie, Louise Erdrich, Michael Chabon, Robert Coover, John Sayles, Scott Turow, Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly, and Joyce Carol Oates.