The Conventions of Detective Fiction, or Why We Like Detective Novels: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
The Conventions of Detective Fiction, or Why We Like Detective Novels: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas
Author(s): Sanja MatkovićSubject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Theory of Literature
Published by: Filozofski fakultet, Sveučilište Josipa Jurja Strossmayera, Osijek
Keywords: Detective fiction; conventions; Agatha Christie; Hercule Poirot’s ;
Summary/Abstract: Detective fiction has been immensely popular among readers for decades. This paper answers the questions of who the readers of this genre are and what makes detective stories so attractive for them. The first part of the paper discusses why the so-called contemplatives are especially fond of detective fiction, which is often read as escapist literature, as well as why detective fiction is especially popular in Anglo-Saxon countries. In the second part of the paper, Agatha Christie’s novel Her- cule Poirot’s Christmas is used as an example of organized structure and established conventions of detective fiction that make the genre appealing, which includes the setting, characterization, crime, detective, and restored order, i.e. a happy ending.
Journal: Anafora - časopis za znanost o književnosti
- Issue Year: 5/2018
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 445-460
- Page Count: 16
- Language: English