Atkinson’s detectives are never stereotypical or formulaic (25)
Atkinson’s detectives do not seem to fall into one camp of being
stereotypical or not. Whilst Jackson and Louise maintain some stereotypical
elements of the crime writing detectives, the introduction of Reggie as a
child detective completely subverts the stereotypes of crime writing
detectives. She is, despite her age, arguably the most successful detective in
the novel, showing Atkinson’s willingness to write detectives with both
stereotypical elements and not.
Arguably, the most successful detective in the novel is ‘Reggie Chase, Girl
Detective’. Despite her success that detectives do usually encounter, her
age is unusual in a detective character. She is only ‘sixteen’ but ‘looks
twelve’ as stereotypical detectives seem to be older, such as Mrs. Marple or
Sherlock Holmes. Atkinson emphasizes Reggie’s age and its surprising
nature in a detective by showing Reggie in conjunction with nursery rhymes,
saying ‘Lucy Locket lost her pocket’. Reggie’s age and Atkinsons emphasis
on it is not stereotypical of a criminal detective.
Despite her unusual age,, Atkinson demonstrates that Reggie does have
some stereotypical elements of a detective that lead to her success. The first
of these formulaic elements we encounter is her ‘old soul’, perhaps used by
Atkinson to compensate for her young age. Reggie is described as having the
‘body of a child, mind of an old woman’. This leans her into the stereotype of
detectives being older or more experienced. This allows Atkinson to lean into
this formula despite Reggie’s actual age.
Atkinson also shows Reggie to be committed and dedicated in her work as a
detective. We see her interrogating Mr Hunter after Joanna’s departure,
asking him ‘when did you speak to her? On her phone?’. This allows her to
take on the role of a more stereotypical detective, in her committed
questioning of Mr Hunter despite his short and unhelpful responses.
Atkinson also demonstrates Reggie to be committed through her
investigation of the train crash, as despite being ‘as small as a mouse’ when
the ‘apocalypse comes to town’ she ‘ran out into the rain’. This shows how
Reggie is so dedicated to her role as a detective that she almost seems to
disregard her own safety. This is commonly seen throughout the detectives
in this novel, such as Jackson saving people in the train crash, and in wider
crime writing.
Atkinson subverts our expectations of a formulaic detective when Reggie
arguably the best detective in the story. Reggie saves Jackson and pulls
Atkinson’s detectives do not seem to fall into one camp of being
stereotypical or not. Whilst Jackson and Louise maintain some stereotypical
elements of the crime writing detectives, the introduction of Reggie as a
child detective completely subverts the stereotypes of crime writing
detectives. She is, despite her age, arguably the most successful detective in
the novel, showing Atkinson’s willingness to write detectives with both
stereotypical elements and not.
Arguably, the most successful detective in the novel is ‘Reggie Chase, Girl
Detective’. Despite her success that detectives do usually encounter, her
age is unusual in a detective character. She is only ‘sixteen’ but ‘looks
twelve’ as stereotypical detectives seem to be older, such as Mrs. Marple or
Sherlock Holmes. Atkinson emphasizes Reggie’s age and its surprising
nature in a detective by showing Reggie in conjunction with nursery rhymes,
saying ‘Lucy Locket lost her pocket’. Reggie’s age and Atkinsons emphasis
on it is not stereotypical of a criminal detective.
Despite her unusual age,, Atkinson demonstrates that Reggie does have
some stereotypical elements of a detective that lead to her success. The first
of these formulaic elements we encounter is her ‘old soul’, perhaps used by
Atkinson to compensate for her young age. Reggie is described as having the
‘body of a child, mind of an old woman’. This leans her into the stereotype of
detectives being older or more experienced. This allows Atkinson to lean into
this formula despite Reggie’s actual age.
Atkinson also shows Reggie to be committed and dedicated in her work as a
detective. We see her interrogating Mr Hunter after Joanna’s departure,
asking him ‘when did you speak to her? On her phone?’. This allows her to
take on the role of a more stereotypical detective, in her committed
questioning of Mr Hunter despite his short and unhelpful responses.
Atkinson also demonstrates Reggie to be committed through her
investigation of the train crash, as despite being ‘as small as a mouse’ when
the ‘apocalypse comes to town’ she ‘ran out into the rain’. This shows how
Reggie is so dedicated to her role as a detective that she almost seems to
disregard her own safety. This is commonly seen throughout the detectives
in this novel, such as Jackson saving people in the train crash, and in wider
crime writing.
Atkinson subverts our expectations of a formulaic detective when Reggie
arguably the best detective in the story. Reggie saves Jackson and pulls
