AJ24056 English Queens of Crime

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2007
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 3 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Lidia Kyzlinková, CSc., M.Litt. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Timetable
Tue 15:00–16:35 G32
Prerequisites
You should have read 3-5 detective stories in any language/ culture.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 15 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/15, only registered: 0/15
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 10 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The detective novel has produced many great writers. In this course you will explore seven major English female writers of the genre in the 20th century: Dorothy L. Sayers, Ngaio Marsh, P. D. James, Ruth Rendell/ Barbara Vine, Francis Fyfield and Minette Walters, with a focus on Agatha Christie, whose works span six decades and who has become an institution. Apart from surveying, analyzing, criticizing, and otherwise commenting on the individual sleuths, plots, characters and settings, we will discuss the portrayals of English society and the writers' understanding of human relationships.
Syllabus
  • Wk 1. Detective Story/ Crime Novel. Great Detective. From the history of the genre. Wk 2. Symons: Bloody Murder, The Golden Age, Rules. P.D.James: Introduction. Wk 3 Williams, M. ‘Dorothy L. Sayers‘. Morris, V.B. ‘Arsenic and Blue Lace‘. Extracts. (The Haunted Policeman, Clouds of Witness) Wk 4. Trodd, A ‘Crime Fiction‘, Marsh, Allingham. Extracts from novels. Wk 5. Christie: The Tape-measure Murder, Rowland. On Christie (extracts). Wk 6. Light, A. ‘Femininity and Conservatism‘. Extracts from novels (Christie). Wk 7. Wroe, M.‘The Baroness in the Crime Lab‘. Extracts from novels (P.D.James) Wk.8. Hubly, E. ‘The formula Challenged…‘.. Extracts from novels (P.D. James) Wk 9. Rendell/ Vine. Rowland, S. ’Lands of Hope and Glory’, Extracts.from novels Wk 10. Rendell/ Vine. Rowland, S.’Feminism is Criminal’, Extracts from novels/ stories. Wk 11. Frances Fyfield, Minette Walters. Extracts. Wk 12. Munt, Sally R. Murder by the Book (C 1), Miscellaneous.
Literature
  • ROWLAND, Susan. From Agatha Christie to Ruth Rendell : British women writers in detective and crime fiction. 1st publ. Houndmills: Palgrave, 2001, x, 222 s. ISBN 0-333-67450-2. info
  • FYFIELD, Frances. A clear conscience. London: Corgi Books, 1995, 283 s. ISBN 0-552-14295-6. info
  • CHRISTIE, Agatha. Five little pigs. Pbk. ed. London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1994, 233 s. ISBN 0-00-616372-6. info
  • CHRISTIE, Agatha. Nemesis. London: HarperCollins, 1994, 222 s. ISBN 0-00-617005-6. info
  • FYFIELD, Frances. Perfectly pure and good. London: Corgi Books, 1994, 284 s. ISBN 0-552-14174-7. info
  • CHRISTIE, Agatha. The moving finger. Pbk. ed. London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1994, 217 s. ISBN 0-00-617269-5. info
  • CHRISTIE, Agatha. Murder is easy. Pbk. ed. London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993, 223 s. ISBN 0-00-616813-2. info
  • CHRISTIE, Agatha. Murder of Roger Ackroyd. Pbk. ed. London: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993, 235 s. ISBN 0-00-616792-6. info
  • JAMES, P. D. Devices and desires. 1st ed. London: Faber and Faber, 1989, 408 s. ISBN 0571141781. info
  • VINE, Barbara. A fatal inversion. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1987, 316 s. ISBN 0-14-008637-4. info
  • JAMES, P. D. A taste for death. London: Faber and Faber, 1986, 454 s. ISBN 0571145701. info
  • MARSH, Ngaio. Last ditch. Glasgow: Fontana Books, 1978, 221 s. ISBN 0-00-615175-2. info
  • MARSH, Ngaio. Black as he's painted. London: Collins, 1974, 254 p. ;. ISBN 0-00-231069-4. info
  • JAMES, Phyllis Dorothy. Shroud for a nightingale. London: Sphere Books, 1973, 300 s. ISBN 0-7221-5033-4. info
  • SAYERS, Dorothy L. In the teeth of the evidence. NEL ed. London: New English Library, 1969, 220 s. info
  • SAYERS, Dorothy L. Five red herrings. NEL ed. London: New English Library, 1968, 283 s. info
  • MARSH, Ngaio. Hand in glove. London: Fontana Books, 1964, 256 s. info
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Course requirements and assessment: class contribution: critical material summary, extract comment 10%, book analysis in class 20%, written comments on 4 novels 20%, essay (2, 500 words, comparison of two novels, two different authors 50%)
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
http://www.phil.muni.cz/elf/course/category.php?id=4
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2000, Spring 2001, Autumn 2001, Spring 2002, Autumn 2002, Autumn 2003, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2008, Autumn 2009, Autumn 2010, Autumn 2011, Autumn 2012, Autumn 2013, Autumn 2014, Autumn 2015, Autumn 2016.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2007, recent)
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