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A review by deeclancy
Talking About Detective Fiction by P.D. James
5.0
In this fairly small but extremely enjoyable volume, P.D. James takes readers through the history of the detective novel, from the Golden Age of detective mysteries up to the present day. She addresses the origins of detective fiction, crediting Arthur Conan Doyle, Wilkie Collins, and Edgar Allen Poe, among others, with its creation. The Golden Age of detective fiction, which is often taken to mean, roughly, the period between World War I and World War II, is when the classic English mystery novel appeared. It often consists of a confined setting, such as a manor house or a small village, and a cast of characters, often archetypes of those found in English villages at the time, who make up the suspects. Famous writers in this genre include Agatha Christie, G.K. Chesterton, and Dorothy L. Sayers.
There is an informative chapter devoted to the 'Four Formidable Women' of the Golden Age of detective fiction: Christie, Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. These are all writers whose books were in the house as I was growing up, though I read some more than others and had a tendency to prefer other types of fiction until later in life, when suddenly my mother's fondness for the genre emerged within me. For this reason, it is interesting to read about the social forces that fuelled the popularity of these writers.
There are also some fascinating thoughts on the best literary devices for writing detective fiction in a chapter about the craft, which also touches on how the genre has evolved throughout the 20th century and into the 21st. James also provides some brief thoughts on how she sees the future of the genre evolving.
Though this is a fairly slim book with eight chapters, it's clear that P.D. James was something of a scholar of detective fiction, as well as one of its most successful creators. The book is written with a lightness and wry humour, which makes it a really entertaining and informative read.
There is an informative chapter devoted to the 'Four Formidable Women' of the Golden Age of detective fiction: Christie, Sayers, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh. These are all writers whose books were in the house as I was growing up, though I read some more than others and had a tendency to prefer other types of fiction until later in life, when suddenly my mother's fondness for the genre emerged within me. For this reason, it is interesting to read about the social forces that fuelled the popularity of these writers.
There are also some fascinating thoughts on the best literary devices for writing detective fiction in a chapter about the craft, which also touches on how the genre has evolved throughout the 20th century and into the 21st. James also provides some brief thoughts on how she sees the future of the genre evolving.
Though this is a fairly slim book with eight chapters, it's clear that P.D. James was something of a scholar of detective fiction, as well as one of its most successful creators. The book is written with a lightness and wry humour, which makes it a really entertaining and informative read.