MARC Record from Library of Congress

LEADER: 03062cam a2200361 i 4500
001 2013035861
003 DLC
005 20140930081146.0
008 130925s2013 nyu b 001 0 eng
010 $a 2013035861
020 $a9781137288646 (hardback)
040 $aDLC$beng$cDLC$erda$dDLC
042 $apcc
043 $an-us---
050 00 $aPS374.D4$bB466 2013
082 00 $a813/.087209$223
084 $aHIS038000$aLIT004020$aLIT004230$2bisacsh
100 1 $aBedore, Pamela,$d1972-$eauthor.
245 10 $aDime Novels and the Roots of American Detective Fiction /$cPamela Bedore, Department of English, University of Connecticut, USA.
264 1 $aNew York :$bPalgrave Macmillan,$c[2013]
300 $axi, 204 pages ;$c23 cm.
336 $atext$2rdacontent
337 $aunmediated$2rdamedia
338 $avolume$2rdacarrier
490 0 $aCrime Files
504 $aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 189-196) and index.
520 $a"Why is detective fiction so popular? What connects such diverse characters as the armchair sleuth, the hardboiled dick, and the police detective? Dime Novels and the Roots of American Detective Fiction uncovers the significance of often-neglected dime novels in revealing early examples of the subgenres of detective fiction--drawing-room mysteries, hardboiled 'tough guy' fiction, police procedurals, and postmodern detective fiction--in the genre's first mass instantiation in the dime novels (1860-1915). A study of over 100 dime novel endings shows the prevalence of subversive representations of gender, race and class, while new readings of iconic detectives like Nick Carter and Allan Pinkerton reveal the enormous influence of these figures on future developments in the detective genre. The book argues that inherent tensions between subversive and conservative impulses--theorized as contamination and containment--explain detective fiction's ongoing popular appeal to readers and to writers such as Twain and Faulkner, whose detective writings are clearly informed by dime novels. "--$cProvided by publisher.
505 8 $aMachine generated contents note: -- List of Tables -- Acknowledgements -- 1. The Case of the Missing Detectives; or, Reassessing the American Contribution to Detective Fiction -- 2. The Happy-Ending Deception; or, Uncovering the Subversive Potential of Detective Dime Novels -- 3. The Case of the Contaminated Icon; or, Allan Pinkerton's Dangerous Detective Doubles -- 4. Playing with the Ace of Hearts; or, Mentorship, Sportsmanship, and Nick Carter's Epistemological Dilemmas -- 5. Faulkner, Twain and the Legacy of Dime Novel Detectives -- 6. Conclusions and Directions for Future Research -- Bibliography -- Index.
650 0 $aDetective and mystery stories, American$xHistory and criticism.
650 0 $aPulp literature, American$xHistory and criticism.
650 7 $aHISTORY / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies).$2bisacsh
650 7 $aLITERARY CRITICISM / American / General.$2bisacsh
650 7 $aLITERARY CRITICISM / Mystery & Detective.$2bisacsh