Murder, Mystery, & Suspense

Catalog description

The genre of the murder-mystery novel is often viewed as being "escapist "or "diversionary," but in addition to it being strangely entertaining it often offers insights into cultural values and attitudes, such as racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia, of the era in which a work was produced. This course will trace the development of the genre from the nineteenth century to present-day, with a focus on exploring elements of the genre, the contexts and surrounding situations informing the emergence of works in the genre, as well as the elemental question of why stories of this genre are so interesting to so many people. 3 sem hrs. 3 credit hrs. Prerequisites: ENGL 112 or ENGL/HONR 192.