Studies in Fiction (313-0-22)

Topic

Murder, Detection, and Desire

Instructors

Liz McCabe

Meeting Info

Parkes Hall 214: Mon, Wed 3:30PM - 4:50PM

Overview of class

Stories of murder are all around us, but literature and popular culture often revel in the interplay between killers and detectives—between those who commit crimes and those who are trying to solve them. What makes this dynamic so captivating, even tantalizing? How do feelings like attraction, desire, and the compulsion to know the truth raise complex questions both about the characters we encounter, and about us as readers and consumers of their stories? How might narratives of crime and detection toy with simple assumptions of criminality and innocence? And what can the study of such narratives teach us about the workings of characterization, plot, and genre? As we consider these questions, we will think about how valences of class, race, gender, and other identity categories shape conceptions of criminality, detection, and the "thrill of the hunt." Course texts will include a couple of novels, several short stories, and select films, television shows, and radio shows/podcasts. Titles may include The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (select short stories and TV adaptation episodes), The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock, Serial Season 1 by Sarah Koenig, Killing Eve by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke, and The Residence by Shonda Rhimes.

Class Attributes

Advanced Expression
Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area