The Gay Detective Novel
Lesbian and Gay Main Characters and Themes in Mystery Fiction
McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers · Print & ebook · November 9, 2004
Gertrude Stein called it "the only really modern novel form that has come into existence," yet the mystery genre was a century old before it featured its first gay main character in a novel.
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- Who it’s for
- Judith A. Markowitz traces how gay and lesbian detectives reshape mystery fiction and its images.
- Genres
- Mystery & Crime Crit, Queer Literary Criticism
- Published
- McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, November 9, 2004
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Gertrude Stein called it "the only really modern novel form that has come into existence," yet the mystery genre was a century old before it featured its first gay main character in a novel. Since then, gay and lesbian detective fiction has been one of the fastest growing segments of the genre. It incorporates gay and lesbian cultural elements and offers crossover appeal.
Continue reading
Its authors call upon a century of development in the mystery genre, while providing new, more accurate images of lesbians and gay men than generally found in mainstream literature and popular media. This groundbreaking study of gay and lesbian detective fiction examines mystery series and historically significant stand-alone novels published since the early 1960s. Part I is an overview that describes how these novels make gay and lesbian life visible and forge new, powerful images. It also examines how they fit into the larger history of mystery fiction. The series analyses in Part II are grouped according to the type of main character (police officer, private investigator, amateur sleuth, etc.). Each section discusses main and secondary characters of that type, characteristic themes for the group, and more. The analyses of individual series cover main characters, themes, plot points and other elements. Comments from authors interviewed for this book play a central role in those analyses. Part III lists series-spanning themes (e.g., homophobia, the closet, gay marriage) and the novels and series that address each of those themes.
Queer Detectives
Judith A. Markowitz traces how gay and lesbian detectives reshape mystery fiction and its images.
Come here for
- Series analyses organized by detective type, from police officers to amateur sleuths
- A guide to novels addressing homophobia, the closet, and gay marriage
Expect
- An overview linking these novels to mystery fiction’s history
- Series analyses featuring author interviews and recurring themes
Where it sits
| Queer Literary Criticism | 83% |
|---|---|
| Mystery & Crime Crit | 52% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
- Authors
- Judith A. Markowitz
- Publisher
- McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
- Published
- November 9, 2004
- Format
- Print & ebook