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The Gay Detective Novel: Lesbian and Gay Main Characters and Themes in Mystery Fiction

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Gertrude Stein called it "the only really modern novel form that has come into existence," yet the mystery genre was a century old before it featured its first gay main character in a novel. Since then, gay and lesbian detective fiction has been one of the fastest growing segments of the genre. It incorporates gay and lesbian cultural elements and offers crossover appeal. Its authors call upon a century of development in the mystery genre, while providing new, more accurate images of lesbians and gay men than generally found in mainstream literature and popular media.

This groundbreaking study of gay and lesbian detective fiction examines mystery series and historically significant stand-alone novels published since the early 1960s. Part I is an overview that describes how these novels make gay and lesbian life visible and forge new, powerful images. It also examines how they fit into the larger history of mystery fiction. The series analyses in Part II are grouped according to the type of main character (police officer, private investigator, amateur sleuth, etc.). Each section discusses main and secondary characters of that type, characteristic themes for the group, and more. The analyses of individual series cover main characters, themes, plot points and other elements. Comments from authors interviewed for this book play a central role in those analyses. Part III lists series-spanning themes (e.g., homophobia, the closet, gay marriage) and the novels and series that address each of those themes.

ISBN-13: 9780786419579

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: McFarland & Company - Incorporated Publishers

Publication Date: 11-09-2004

Pages: 312

Product Dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)

Age Range: 18 Years

Judith A. Markowitz has run a Chicago consulting firm for forty years. She has published well over one hundred articles and book chapters, numerous technical reports, and six books.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Foreword by Katherine V. Forrest     
Preface     

I. The Gay and Lesbian Crime-Fiction Scene     
II. The Authors and Their Characters
      Police     
      Private Investigators     
      Professional Sleuths     
      Amateur Sleuths     
      Partners     
III. Themes Across the Series     

Notes     
Bibliography     
Index