Detecting fiction

Abstract

This thesis is an essayistic exploration of detective fiction, looking into why I like certain writers (or not) and trying to detect whether there is more artistic merit in their writing than simply proficient plotting and energetic action. The first essay is a general inquiry, looking at various authors and why I either like or dislike them; the second considers three classical noir-type mystery writers (Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Ross Macdonald); and the third examines a characteristic that many hard-boiled detectives display, namely, that each has been damaged in some way, either socially or psychologically. The thrust of these essays is not simply to display my taste but to discern as well whether and what kinds of literary merit is to be found in the detective writers I consider.