Finding the Female Detective: How Interwar Female Authors Created & Sustained the Golden Age of Detective Fiction (thesis)

Abstract

The novel, apart from telling a story, has many responsibilities. One of these responsibilities, and the one most relevant to this project, is that of conveying a particular worldview. Regardless of whether the worldview is relatable to the reader, it should tell some truth or serve some purpose outside of the story itself. When it comes to the genre of detective and crime fiction, however, one probably wouldn't expect these stories to do this -- that is, illustrate a perspective. Instead, the crime narrative is more often seen as a form of escapism from the most mundane parts of life, or perhaps as a solution to fictional -- and nonfictional -- evils. And while these accounts hold true for the genre, they forget that regardless, this genre tells more than a story; And it is this concept that this thesis explores. In tracing the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, and the stories of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers in particular, I identify and contextualize the ways their lives -- as interwar women -- shaped their novels and characters. The historical and biographical approach I employ in this project also helps find the female detective, and takes a closer look at how she reflects and challenges the constructs of femininity of interwar England and beyond.