Christiana Gregoriou's book explores three aspects of deviance manipulated by contemporary crime fiction: linguistic, social, and generic. In detailed case studies of the work of James Patterson, Michael Connolly and Patricia Cornwell, Gregoriou investigates the ways in which crime fiction challenges linguistic norms, the boundaries of acceptable social behaviour, and generic conventions. Through the examination of recurrent criminal archetypes such as the monster, the vampire and the spoilt child, and also through analysis of the ways in which crime fiction can be seen as a version of 'carnival', this study attempts to redefine the boundaries of an endlessly fascinating genre.
Shortlisted for Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards 2008 (Category: Critical/Biographical)
Shortlisted for the Anthony Award for Best Critical Work of 2007
'Connecting the threads of textuality, context, theme and significance, this is a masterful account of crime fiction, and it stands as a model for the expansive, smart, multidisciplined and integrated literary scholarship that the future demands.' - Peter Stockwell, Professor of Literary Linguistics, University of Nottingham, UK
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Narratology and Deviance
Contemporary Crime Fiction: Constraints and Development
Linguistic Deviance: The Stylistics of Criminal Justification
Social Deviance in Contemporary Crime Fiction
Generic Deviance in Contemporary Crime Fiction
Conclusion
References
Index
CHRISTIANA GREGORIOU is a Lecturer in English Language at the University of Leeds, UK. She has published several articles on deviance in crime fiction.
Description
Christiana Gregoriou's book explores three aspects of deviance manipulated by contemporary crime fiction: linguistic, social, and generic. In detailed case studies of the work of James Patterson, Michael Connolly and Patricia Cornwell, Gregoriou investigates the ways in which crime fiction challenges linguistic norms, the boundaries of acceptable social behaviour, and generic conventions. Through the examination of recurrent criminal archetypes such as the monster, the vampire and the spoilt child, and also through analysis of the ways in which crime fiction can be seen as a version of 'carnival', this study attempts to redefine the boundaries of an endlessly fascinating genre.
Reviews
Shortlisted for Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards 2008 (Category: Critical/Biographical)
Shortlisted for the Anthony Award for Best Critical Work of 2007
'Connecting the threads of textuality, context, theme and significance, this is a masterful account of crime fiction, and it stands as a model for the expansive, smart, multidisciplined and integrated literary scholarship that the future demands.' - Peter Stockwell, Professor of Literary Linguistics, University of Nottingham, UK
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgements
Introduction: Narratology and Deviance
Contemporary Crime Fiction: Constraints and Development
Linguistic Deviance: The Stylistics of Criminal Justification
Social Deviance in Contemporary Crime Fiction
Generic Deviance in Contemporary Crime Fiction
Conclusion
References
Index
Authors
CHRISTIANA GREGORIOU is a Lecturer in English Language at the University of Leeds, UK. She has published several articles on deviance in crime fiction.
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