The Postmodern Detective: Contemporary London Crime Fiction - Dr Jenny Bavidge

The urban detective has traditionally been a figure supremely able to penetrate the mysteries of the city, yet set apart from the populace he protects. Have recent London crime stories abandoned their confidence in the interpretative abilities of the detective? Can we still believe in omniscient figures such as Dickens' Inspector Bucket or Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes? Is London still a place where mysteries can be satisfactorily solved? This talk will explore the changing role and persona of the London detective, and look at novels where the detecting is done by some unlikely figures, including female pharmacists (Janet Stevenson's London Bridges) or children (Siobhan Dowd's The London Eye Adventure).

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and...

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website.
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