This book   provides an original and compelling analysis of the ways in which British women’s golden age crime narratives negotiate the conflicting social and cultural forces that influenced depictions of gender in popular culture in the 1920s until the late 1940s. The book explores a wide variety of texts produced both by writers who have been the focus of a relatively large amount of critical attention, such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Margery Allingham, but also those who have received comparatively little, such as Christianna Brand, Ngaio Marsh, Gladys Mitchell, Josephine Tey and Patricia Wentworth. Through its original readings, this book explores the ambivalent nature of modes of femininity depicted in golden age crime fiction, and shows that seemingly conservative resolutions are often attempts to provide a ‘modern-yet-safe’ solution to the conflicts raised in the texts.
**
Review “The 1920s-40s were a time of great change for woman, politically, socially and career wise, which Hoffman succinctly summarises at the start of her book. … I really enjoyed this book. Hoffman’s readings of texts were consistently detailed and engaging, helping me to look at familiar stories in a new light. I also liked her writing style (a crucial element in a literary criticism book), as she was enjoyable to read and informative … .” (crossexaminingcrime, crossexaminingcrime.wordpress.com, July, 2016)
Historical & Comparative
Language Arts & Disciplines
20th Century
English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh
European
Literary Criticism
General
Modern
Fiction
Linguistics
Dedication 6
Acknowledgements 8
Contents 10
Chapter 1: Introduction 12
Chapter 2: Change and Anxiety: Historical Context 26
Women’s Education 29
Careers and the Workplace 31
Marriage and Motherhood 36
Birth Control 38
The Cult of Domesticity 40
Spinsters 42
Homosexuality 43
Chapter 3: ‘Everybody Needs an Outlet’: Nonconforming Women 49
Nonconforming Women as Detectives: Miss Climpson 51
Nonconforming Women as Detectives: Miss Silver 58
Nonconforming Women as Detectives: Miss Marple 62
Nonconforming Women as Detectives: Mrs Bradley 66
Nonconforming Women as Victims and Villains: Overture to Death and Murder is Easy 68
Strong Poison: The Vilified Victim 75
Chapter 4: A Joint Venture?: Love, Partnership and Marriage 82
‘Treat'em rough?’: Courtship in Artists in Crime and Death in a White Tie 87
Partner, Interrupted: Representing Companionate Relationships in the Work of Margery Allingham and Dorothy L. Sayers 101
‘Happily Ever Afterwards’: Agatha Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence 110
Chapter 5: Ladies of a Modern World: Education and Work 121
‘In Her Own Place’: Successful Communities of Women in Gaudy Night and St Peter’s Finger 125
Quite Normal?: Stereotypes and Sexuality in Miss Pym Disposes and Laurels Are Poison 134
‘A Most “Natural” Reaction’: Personal and Professional Conflict in The Fashion in Shrouds and Death in High Heels 147
Chapter 6: Sensational Bodies: Villains and Victims 165
‘Not an Ordinary Murderess’: The Killer’s Body in Lord Edgware Dies, Unnatural Death, Dumb Witness and Peril at End House 167
‘Erased from the Page’: The Victim’s Body in Speedy Death, The Body in the Library and Evil Under the Sun 180
Chapter 7: Conclusion 198
Bibliography 201
Index 209

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The Executive Guide to Enterprise Risk Management Linking Strategy, Risk and Value Creation

Adobe InDesign CS6 (Windows)

Hoffman, Megan (author.)

Palgrave Macmillan Springer [distributor

imusti; Palgrave Macmillan

Macmillan Education UK

Springer Nature

Red Globe Press

Crime Files Ser, New York, Secaucus, June 2016

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

Crime files series, London, 2016

Springer Nature, London, 2016

1st ed. 2016, FR, 2016

Jun 18, 2016

2, 20160517

sm54689178

producers:
Adobe PDF Library 10.0.1

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Memory of the World Librarian: Calamitous Annunciation

Source title: Gender and Representation in British ‘Golden Age’ Crime Fiction (Crime Files)

Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction -- 2. Change and Anxiety: Historical Context -- Women's Education -- Careers and the Workplace -- Marriage and Motherhood -- Birth Control -- The Cult of Domesticity -- Spinsters -- Homosexuality -- 3. `Everybody Needs an Outlet': Nonconforming Women -- Nonconforming Women as Detectives: Miss Climpson -- Nonconforming Women as Detectives: Miss Silver -- Nonconforming Women as Detectives: Miss Marple -- Nonconforming Women as Detectives: Mrs Bradley -- Nonconforming Women as Victims and Villains: Overture to Death and Murder is Easy -- Strong Poison: The Vilified Victim -- 4. A Joint Venture?: Love, Partnership and Marriage -- `Treat `em rough?': Courtship in Artists in Crime and Death in a White Tie -- Partner, Interrupted: Representing Companionate Relationships in the Work of Margery Allingham and Dorothy L. Sayers -- `Happily Ever Afterwards': Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence -- 5. Ladies of a Modern World: Education and Work -- `In Her Own Place': Successful Communities of Women in Gaudy Night and St Peter's Finger -- Quite Normal?: Stereotypes and Sexuality in Miss Pym Disposes and Laurels Are Poison -- `A Most Natural Reaction': Personal and Professional Conflict in The Fashion in Shrouds and Death in High Heels -- 6. Sensational Bodies: Villains and Victims -- `Not an Ordinary Murderess': The Killer's Body in Lord Edgware Dies, Unnatural Death, Dumb Witness and Peril at End House -- `Erased from the Page': The Victim's Body in Speedy Death, The Body in the Library and Evil Under the Sun -- 7. Conclusion. Megan Hoffman. Includes bibliographical references (pages 195-202) and index.

This title provides an analysis of the ways in which British women's golden age crime narratives negotiate the conflicting social and cultural forces that influenced depictions of gender in popular culture in the 1920s until the late 1940s. The book explores a wide variety of texts produced both by writers who have been the focus of a relatively large amount of critical attention, such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Margery Allingham, but also those who have received comparatively little, such as Christianna Brand, Ngaio Marsh, Gladys Mitchell, Josephine Tey and Patricia Wentworth. Through its original readings, this book explores the ambivalent nature of modes of femininity depicted in golden age crime fiction, and shows that seemingly conservative resolutions are often attempts to provide a 'modern-yet-safe' solution to the conflicts raised in the texts

Front Matter....Pages i-x
Introduction....Pages 1-14
Change and Anxiety: Historical Context....Pages 15-37
‘Everybody Needs an Outlet’: Nonconforming Women....Pages 39-71
A Joint Venture?: Love, Partnership and Marriage....Pages 73-111
Ladies of a Modern World: Education and Work....Pages 113-156
Sensational Bodies: Villains and Victims....Pages 157-189
Conclusion....Pages 191-193
Back Matter....Pages 195-206

2016-07-20