Detective Fiction and Western Civilization
I am a fan of procedurals. My husband has gotten me onto "Foyle's War" and I find it quite irresistible. It helps that it is on Netflix (our cable has been cut dramatically because the company found out we were getting lots of stations for free that we weren't supposed to have, and this is maybe for eight years).
Detective fiction started with Poe, or maybe Wilkie, in English speaking countries. I believe detective fiction is a particular Western phenomenon. First, it emphasizes that the death of one person is important. There is something about the value of an individual life and finding justice for that one person that permeates detective fiction. I am not saying that other cultures do not value these things, but Western culture does in a particular way. Second, it values logic, although as my husband says, sometimes it seems like the detectives pull the solutions out of their ___. Third, the detective is not always a good person per se; he/she is relentless, though, and no one is above suspicion. No one is too good to commit the murder; I definitely see Puritanism and Calvinism in that one!
Detective fiction started with Poe, or maybe Wilkie, in English speaking countries. I believe detective fiction is a particular Western phenomenon. First, it emphasizes that the death of one person is important. There is something about the value of an individual life and finding justice for that one person that permeates detective fiction. I am not saying that other cultures do not value these things, but Western culture does in a particular way. Second, it values logic, although as my husband says, sometimes it seems like the detectives pull the solutions out of their ___. Third, the detective is not always a good person per se; he/she is relentless, though, and no one is above suspicion. No one is too good to commit the murder; I definitely see Puritanism and Calvinism in that one!
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