Characteristics of Crime Notes:
Villain
Physical Representation:
Physiognomy
Caricature form
Led to expect that … will play a reprehensible role in the text
Physiognomy reflects their villainous traits
Psychology:
Focus predominantly on psychological representation of criminals and their motives
Criminal acts in literature are often associated with madness
Ethereal quality = supernatural
Excessive Pride:
Hubristic quality
Leans towards a stream of consciousness
Power to lead an individual to vice
The Hero
Typical to face a nemesis, who they bring to justice
Traits and Characteristics:
Rapid perception
Natural curiosity
Sharp instincts
Cunning
Bravery
Confidence
Professional Detectives:
1st was Edgar Allen Poe – C. Auguste Dupin
Comic wit, brutal physical force than any bookish form of intelligence and bring
criminal to justice in a violent finale.
Unofficial Detectives:
The Victim:
Inevitably has to be one victim when a crime takes place. The repercussions of a crime can
actually be more significant than the act of the crime itself.
Peripheral Victims:
E.g. ‘Roger Ackroyd’ in ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ – a key feature of Golden Age
Crime Fiction. Resolves around the process of detection rather than the nature of
the crime and criminality itself.
Manipulation:
Villain
Physical Representation:
Physiognomy
Caricature form
Led to expect that … will play a reprehensible role in the text
Physiognomy reflects their villainous traits
Psychology:
Focus predominantly on psychological representation of criminals and their motives
Criminal acts in literature are often associated with madness
Ethereal quality = supernatural
Excessive Pride:
Hubristic quality
Leans towards a stream of consciousness
Power to lead an individual to vice
The Hero
Typical to face a nemesis, who they bring to justice
Traits and Characteristics:
Rapid perception
Natural curiosity
Sharp instincts
Cunning
Bravery
Confidence
Professional Detectives:
1st was Edgar Allen Poe – C. Auguste Dupin
Comic wit, brutal physical force than any bookish form of intelligence and bring
criminal to justice in a violent finale.
Unofficial Detectives:
The Victim:
Inevitably has to be one victim when a crime takes place. The repercussions of a crime can
actually be more significant than the act of the crime itself.
Peripheral Victims:
E.g. ‘Roger Ackroyd’ in ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’ – a key feature of Golden Age
Crime Fiction. Resolves around the process of detection rather than the nature of
the crime and criminality itself.
Manipulation:
