What do you think?
Rate this book
The Reader and the Detective Story
The Reader and the Detective Story is unique—it treats the detective story as a special case of reading, governed by special rules and shaped by a highly specialized formula. The method of interpretation is the application of the principles of response theory (especially those developed by Hans-Georg Gadamer, Wolfgang Iser, and Hans Robert Jauss) to the reading of a tale of detection.
George Dove demonstrates how the English soft-boiled mystery and the American private-eye story, although they have different settings and develop different plots, belong in the same subgenre and follow the same formula, inherited directly from Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”
George Dove demonstrates how the English soft-boiled mystery and the American private-eye story, although they have different settings and develop different plots, belong in the same subgenre and follow the same formula, inherited directly from Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”
216 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
6 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 17, 2012
Reading it for class. Interesting insight into mystery and detective stories. Who knew there was so much behind the solving of a crime? I'm intrigued by the different types of crime solver - police, PI, amateur....I may start reading detective stories now, too.
Well worth the time devoted to getting through this informational text. I find myself looking for the conventions discussed here as I read more detective novels, both in the PI section and the British constable section.
Well worth the time devoted to getting through this informational text. I find myself looking for the conventions discussed here as I read more detective novels, both in the PI section and the British constable section.
Displaying 1 of 1 review