About this item
Highlights
- In 1972, in an attempt to elevate the stature of the "crime novel," influential crime writer and critic Julian Symons cast numerous Golden Age detective fiction writers into literary perdition as "Humdrums," condemning their focus on puzzle plots over stylish writing and explorations of character, setting and theme.
- About the Author: Curtis Evans, an independent scholar and book dealer, has published numerous articles and essays on detective fiction as well as an award-winning book on industry and labor in the American South.
- 309 Pages
- Literary Criticism, Mystery & Detective
Description
About the Book
"This volume explores the works of three prominent British "Humdrums" revealing their work to be more complex, as puzzles and as social documents, than Symons allowed. By championing the merit of these mystery writers, the study demonstrates that reintegrating the "Humdrums" into mystery genre studies provides a understanding of the Golden Age of detective fiction and its aftermath"--Provided by publisher.Book Synopsis
In 1972, in an attempt to elevate the stature of the "crime novel," influential crime writer and critic Julian Symons cast numerous Golden Age detective fiction writers into literary perdition as "Humdrums," condemning their focus on puzzle plots over stylish writing and explorations of character, setting and theme. This volume explores the works of three prominent British "Humdrums"--Cecil John Charles Street, Freeman Wills Crofts, and Alfred Walter Stewart--revealing their work to be more complex, as puzzles and as social documents, than Symons allowed. By championing the intrinsic merit of these mystery writers, the study demonstrates that reintegrating the "Humdrums" into mystery genre studies provides a fuller understanding of the Golden Age of detective fiction and its aftermath.
Review Quotes
"this is an important book of detective fiction history and criticism, with all the scholarly care and rigor of a first-rate academic study combined with an enjoyable literary style, an ideal combination for exploding a particularly pernicious piece of revisionist history. This should be a certain Edgar nominee."-Mystery Scene; "magisterial...deserves to be read"-Michael Dirda, The Barnes & Noble Review; "this book restores their reputations and their place in the canon of Golden Age detective fiction...provides us with a picture of the sociocultural views of the generations of detective fiction writers (and readers) that matured between the two World Wars"-Reference & Research Book News.
About the Author
Curtis Evans, an independent scholar and book dealer, has published numerous articles and essays on detective fiction as well as an award-winning book on industry and labor in the American South. He lives in Memphis, Tennessee.