Il giudizio di molti critici e biografi nei confronti di Elmore Leonard è stato tanto positivo quanto un po’ superficiale: è uno dei più validi scrittori di crime fiction americani grazie alla sua particolare ‘prosa cinematografica’ e al suo orecchio per i dialoghi dei personaggi. Credo che invece nelle narrazioni di Leonard ci siano molti altri aspetti degni d’interesse che il mio lavoro cercherà di indagare. Prima di scrivere ‘romanzi del crimine’ (dal 1969, con la pubblicazione di The Big Bounce) Leonard si era specializzato in racconti e romanzi western con cui sperimentò la sua distintiva tecnica narrativa basta sul discorso indiretto libero e altre innovazioni tematiche. Questa tesi esamina principalmente tre caratteristiche fondamentali dell’opera di Leonard. Anzitutto, nei suoi libri non c’è mai una vera e propria indagine. I lettori sanno già dalle prime pagine chi è il colpevole del crimine e il detective stesso lo scopre poco dopo. Tuttavia, l’eroe non riesce ad arrestare il responsabile a causa di continui impedimenti burocratici. La ricerca delle prove necessarie a incastrare il delinquente si trasforma quindi in una sfida personale che metterà a dura prova l’eroe e la sua coscienza. La seconda caratteristica riguarda le scelte narratologiche dello scrittore, che ha sviluppato un uso singolare del punto di vista. Leonard racconta le sue storie attraverso un narratore onnisciente in terza persona, solo apparentemente neutrale. In realtà, il punto di vista della narrazione continua spostarsi durante la storia, per cui ogni capitolo può essere narrato dal punto di vista di ogni personaggio (anche di un morto, come avviene in Glitz). La scelta di usare un particolare punto di vista non è solo una mera faccenda tecnica ma è anche e soprattutto una questione morale, che rende i libri di Leonard piuttosto disturbanti per il lettore attento. Infine, Leonard, che ha avuto un’educazione cattolica, tende a nascondere dilemmi teologici nelle intercapedini delle sue storie grottesche. Ad esempio, nei suoi romanzi la violenza non è mai la soluzione più giusta – non si configura una violenza necessaria – per cui i suoi eroi preferiscono dialogare con i criminali, o abbandonare la scena, piuttosto che sparare. / Critics and biographers have summarized Elmore Leonard’s work too easily: he was one of the best crime novels writers in America because of his “cinematic” prose and his unerring ear for the voices of the characters. I think there are much more issues in Leonard’s narratives, so my thesis is focused on investigating other distinctive traits of his novels. Leonard actually wrote westerns for many years before first trying his hand at crime fiction (in The Big Bounce 1969), the genre that gave him great fame. My thesis basically examines three distinguishing features. First, in Leonard’s books there is almost never any process of detection. Readers generally know from the very beginning who the murderer is, and in many cases the detective finds out soon after, but he is always prevented from arresting or killing him at once. What prolongs his pursuit is generally not a process of investigation but rather a frustrating combination of legal procedural constraints that are often portrayed as arbitrary, and the killer’s own animal willingness and absurd good luck. Secondly, Leonard, in his narrative, develops a very distinctive point of view. The writer always tells his stories from the omniscient point of view in the third person, only apparently neutral. In Leonard’s novels any chapter can be narrated from the perspective of any character (even a murder victim as in Glitz). This issue is not only a technical problem, it is a moral one, who makes Leonard’s novels disturbing to the reader. Finally Leonard, who had a catholic education and a deep knowledge of the Bible, hides theological issues in his grotesque crime stories. For example, in his novels violence is never the right solution, never necessary, as his heroes prefer talking with the villain or leaving, instead of shooting him.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar as relações entre o gênero policial e os romances La pesquisa (1994), de Juan José Saer, e Plata quemada (1997), de Ricardo Piglia. Inseridos nas poéticas singulares e originais de seus autores, ambos os textos refletem, por um lado, as práxis narrativas que tanto Saer quanto Piglia já vinham desenvolvendo havia vários anos quando da publicação dos livros, nos anos noventa. Por outro lado, a leitura dos romances sob a perspectiva das narrativas policiais, frequentemente associadas a uma literatura popular ou de massas, leva à indagação de se e como é possível o desenvolvimento de uma escrita mais complexa e ambiciosa esteticamente em diálogo com as convenções que, em princípio, caracterizam o gênero literário. A partir desta questão, a hipótese de leitura se concentrará no conceito de transgressão dentro da literatura, partindo da ideia de Michel Foucault desenvolvida no ensaio Prefacio a la transgresión. A transgressão pensada na escrita de La pesquisa e Plata quemada, então, pode consistir em um gesto que, ao franquear os limites genéricos, não só reconfigura as poéticas de Saer e Piglia, como também repensa o conceito de gênero policial, bem como a relação dos dois escritores com o contexto cultural em que desenvolvem suas obras. / This study aims to analyze the relations between crime fiction as a literary genre and the novels La pesquisa [The investigation] (1994), by Juan José Saer, and Plata quemada [Burnt money] (1997), by Ricardo Piglia. Inserted into their author´s unique and original poetics, both texts reflect, on the one hand, the narrative praxis that both Saer and Piglia had already been developing for several years when the books were published in the nineties. On the other hand, the reading of the novels from the perspective of crime fiction, a genre often associated with popular or mass literature, leads to the question of how is it possible to develop a more complex and ambitious writing, aesthetically speaking, in dialog with the conventions that, in principle, distinguish the literary genre. From this point on, the hypothesis of reading will focus on the concept of transgression in literature, as it is developed by Michel Foucault in his essay Prefacio a la transgresión [A Preface to Transgression]. Back to the way La pesquisa and Plata quemada are conceived, the transgression can be figured out as a gesture that, by crossing the genre limits, not only reconfigure the way the narrative of Saer and Piglia could be read, but also rethink the crime fiction as a genre and the relations of both authors with the cultural context in which they develop their works.

The thesis presented here with deals with an analysis and genre definition of the Nordic detective story, which is currently very popular in the Czech Republic. It is namely an interpretation of the works done by two contemporary Nordic authors in question, i.e. Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbø. With the first of the two authors I will be looking into the complete trilogy The Millenium containing volumes of Män som hatar kvinnor (2005), Flickan som lekte med elden (2006) and Luftslottet som sprängdes (2007). As regards in Nesbø's works, I have chosen a series of detective stories with detective Harry Hole as the main character, especially two of them Panserhjerte (2009) and Snømannen (2007) and which appear to be the most successful and the most typical. On the grounds of the analysis of the particular literary categories such as the character of a detective and their investigative techniques, the narrative pattern, the narrator, and the continuum which are compared with the similar categories within individual historical detective schools itemized in the theoretical part of the thesis, and compared as well with other genres, it is to be stated that the Nordic crime fiction might be located somewhere on the border line between the detective story, the critical social novel and the thriller, taking on at...

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This thesis discusses contemporary Scottish crime fiction in light of its transatlantic contexts. It argues that, despite participating in a globalized popular genre, examples of Scottish crime fiction nevertheless meaningfully intervene in notions of Scottishness. The first chapter examines Scottish appropriations of the hard-boiled mode in the work of William McIlvanney, Ian Rankin, and Irvine Welsh, using their representation of traditional masculinity as an index for wider concerns about community, class, and violence. The second chapter examines examples of Scottish crime fiction that exploit the baroque aesthetics of gothic and noir fiction as a means of dealing with the same socio-political contexts. It argues that the work of Iain Banks and Louise Welsh draws upon a tradition of distinctively Scottish gothic in order to articulate concerns about the re-incursion of barbarism within contemporary civilized societies. The third chapter examines the parodic, carnivalesque aspects of contemporary Scottish crime fiction in the work of Christopher Brookmyre and Allan Guthrie. It argues that the structure of parody replicates the structure of genre, meaning that the parodic examples dramatize the textual processes at work in more central examples of Scottish crime fiction. The fourth chapter focuses on examples of Scottish crime fiction that participate in the culturally English golden-age and soft-boiled traditions. Unpacking the darker, more ambivalent aspects of these apparently cosy and genteel traditions, this final chapter argues that the novels of M. C. Beaton and Kate Atkinson obliquely refract the particularly Scottish concerns about modernity that the more central examples more openly express.

The abstract Introducing part of the work is focused on development of literary genre noir in Italian context, especially on ca. last twenty years, introduces its authors in the area of Emilia- Romagna and Bologna as a city of crime. In the analytic part, the two of Lucarelli's noir series with commissioner Coliandro and inspector Negro are comparatively analised from following chosen aspects: the character of protagonist, the character of criminal, the type of a crime, investigative methods, settings, and in the end language, expression means and role of the narrator. In conclusion, the specifics of literary genre noir in settings of Bologna are described, including the relation between fiction and reality in Lucarelli's writings and the constants of the author's poetic are outlined on the basis of comparative analysis of the series.

This essay aims to examinate how the dead woman is described in three swedish crime fiction- novels. The novels included in my study is Stieg Larsson ́s Män som hatar kvinnor, Mons Kallentoft ́s Den femte årstiden and Lars Kepler ́s Stalker. The purpose of this study is to examine these questions: how is the dead woman described, how does the woman relate to prevailing norms in a sex-normative context, who is the dead woman based on socio-cultural identity and how can the killer ́s identity be understood in relation to the victim? Inspired by Judith Butler ́s performativity theory I assume a gender constructivist perspective, that gender is a social construction. I am also inspired of Maria Nikolajeva ́s gender role schedule, which shows what characteristics women are most often attributed in literature. I also add my own properties to the schedule. Thus, the result shows that the dead woman fulfills all conventional female standards. The dead woman is, based on the material, either an unwanted woman or an desired woman. The unwanted woman is subjected to sexual violence, something that the desired woman avoids. When the women are dead, they still meet conventional standards even though their bodies are completely destroyed by their perpetrators. The identity of the murderers can be understood from socio-cultural status and their motives. / Denna uppsats undersöker hur den döda kvinnan beskrivs i tre svenska deckare: Stieg Larssons Män som hatar kvinnor, Mons Kallentofts Den femte årstiden och Lars Keplers Stalker. Syftet med uppsatsen är att besvara dessa frågor: hur beskrivs den kvinna som ska dödas och som sedan dör, hur relaterar kvinnorna som ska dödas och sedan dör till rådande kvinnliga normer i en könsnormativ kontext, vem är den döda kvinnan och hur kan mördarens identitet förstås i relation till offret? För att besvara dessa frågor utgår jag från att kön är en social konstruktion och Judith Butlers performativitetsteori. Dessutom används Maria Nikolajevas könsrollsschema för hur kvinnor oftast skildras i litteratur. Resultatet visar att den döda kvinnan går att dela upp i två kategorier; den önskade kvinnan och den oönskade kvinnan. Båda kategorier av kvinnor relaterar till rådande kvinnliga normer. Den oönskade kvinnan har ingen plats i samhället, lever ensam och utsätts för sexuellt våld innan hon mördas. Den önskade kvinnan fyller en funktion i samhället, saknas av någon när hon dör och utsätts inte för sexuellt våld innan hon mördas. Den döda kvinnan uppfyller alla kvinnliga normer utifrån Nikolajevas schema, oavsett vilken kategori hon tillhör. Mördarnas identiteter går att förstå utifrån socioekonomisk status samt val av offer.

<p>Den här studien har sitt fokus inom krimnalromangenren. Det finns två huvudlinjer. Först koncentrerar studien sig på vilka strategier två kvinnliga protagonister är tvungna att anta för att nå yrkesmässig framgång i en mansdominerad miljö. För att var mer specifik så undersöks Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta från serien om Scarpetta av Patricia Cornwell och D.S Annie Cabbot från serien om Inspector Banks av Peter Robinson och deras förhållande till auktoritet, makt, äktenskap och moderskap. Fin-de-Siècle ger den underliggande definitionen av kön genom sin skeva syn på vad som anses vara normen för kvinnlighet. Kvinnan förväntades då att centrera sin existens inom hemmets sfär som den perfekta hustrun och modern. Hon ansågs dessutom vara olämpliga för en yrkeskarriär då hennes hälsa var alltför vacklande och tänkandet dominerat av känslor snarare än förnuft.</p><p>I denna uppsats argumenteras för att spår av detta sätt att tänka om kvinnan fortfarande står att finna i de aktuella romanerna. Protagonisterna tvingas därför att öppet utmana dessa normer för att nå framgång.</p><p>I överesnstämmelse med argument presenterade av Judith Halberstam i <em>Female Masculinity</em>, ger studien dessutom exempel på hur de valda protagonisterna blir bestraffade på grund av sin ovilja att följa den etablerade normen av kvinnlighet. Bestraffningen tar sig tre uttryck: psykologiskt genom att protagonisterna kritiseras, ignoreras och undervärderas; yrkesmässigt, genom att ifrågasättas rättsligt och genom anklagelser om allvarlig inkompetens, samt fysiskt genom att bli offer för sexuella övergrepp. Eftersom protagonisterna agerar enligt de traditionella normerna finns en indikation på att dessa normer fortfarande lever.</p><p>Som slutsats anges att även om hundra år har passerat sedan fin-de-siècle och etablerandet av de könsnormer som här nämns agerar protagnisterna enligt dessa. Karakteriseringen av Scarpetta och Cabbot är dessutom beroende av den tradition som finns etablerad inom kriminalgenrenvilket begränsar uttrycket av kön. Studien föreslår att kategoriseringen av kön i två kategorier enbart: män och kvinnor, är alltför snäv och att könsdefinitionen behöver utökas. I studien framkommer att de kvinnliga protagonisterna anses vara icke-typiska kvinnor eller homosexuella genom sitt sätt att utmana den traditionella synen på kvinnlighet.</p> / <p>This study maintains a focus within the genre: crime fiction.  There are two main strands. First, there is an exploration of what strategies are adopted by two female protagonists to achieve professional success in a male dominated setting. More specifically, it investigates Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta from the Scarpetta-series by Patricia Cornwell and D.S Annie Cabbot from the Inspector Banks series by Peter Robinson and their relationship to authority, power, marriage and children. The Fin-de-Siècle provides the basis for the under-lying definition of gender through its skewed formulation of female norms. Women were to centre their existence within the domestic domain of life as perfect wives and mothers. Furthermore, they were considered unsuitable for professional commitments due to fragile health and domination of emotions over reason. In this essay it is argued that, in these novels, traces of these expectations regarding the nature of womanhood are still current and that the protagonists have to challenge these openly to reach success.</p><p>Secondly, in agreement with claims by Judith Halberstam in her work <em>Female Masculinity, </em>the study exemplifies how the selected protagonists are portrayed as punished because of their disobedience to the pre-established norm of womanhood. This punishment takes three forms: psychologically, by being devalued, criticised and ignored; professionally, by being legally questioned and accused of severe incompetence and physically by being victims of sexual assault.</p><p>The conclusion states that, in spite of a century having past since the establish-ment of the norms of womanhood referred to here, the female protagonists act accordingly which indicates that these norms are still current. Furthermore, the portrayal of Scarpetta and Cabbot is dependent on the genre in which they belong which limits the possible expression of gender. It is suggested that the gender categories: men and women are too narrow and that the definition of woman needs to be extended.Within the characterisation of the two prota-gonists in the study there is evidence that they are considered atypical women or homosexuals because of their opposing the traditional views of womanhood.</p>

Den här studien har sitt fokus inom krimnalromangenren. Det finns två huvudlinjer. Först koncentrerar studien sig på vilka strategier två kvinnliga protagonister är tvungna att anta för att nå yrkesmässig framgång i en mansdominerad miljö. För att var mer specifik så undersöks Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta från serien om Scarpetta av Patricia Cornwell och D.S Annie Cabbot från serien om Inspector Banks av Peter Robinson och deras förhållande till auktoritet, makt, äktenskap och moderskap. Fin-de-Siècle ger den underliggande definitionen av kön genom sin skeva syn på vad som anses vara normen för kvinnlighet. Kvinnan förväntades då att centrera sin existens inom hemmets sfär som den perfekta hustrun och modern. Hon ansågs dessutom vara olämpliga för en yrkeskarriär då hennes hälsa var alltför vacklande och tänkandet dominerat av känslor snarare än förnuft. I denna uppsats argumenteras för att spår av detta sätt att tänka om kvinnan fortfarande står att finna i de aktuella romanerna. Protagonisterna tvingas därför att öppet utmana dessa normer för att nå framgång. I överesnstämmelse med argument presenterade av Judith Halberstam i Female Masculinity, ger studien dessutom exempel på hur de valda protagonisterna blir bestraffade på grund av sin ovilja att följa den etablerade normen av kvinnlighet. Bestraffningen tar sig tre uttryck: psykologiskt genom att protagonisterna kritiseras, ignoreras och undervärderas; yrkesmässigt, genom att ifrågasättas rättsligt och genom anklagelser om allvarlig inkompetens, samt fysiskt genom att bli offer för sexuella övergrepp. Eftersom protagonisterna agerar enligt de traditionella normerna finns en indikation på att dessa normer fortfarande lever. Som slutsats anges att även om hundra år har passerat sedan fin-de-siècle och etablerandet av de könsnormer som här nämns agerar protagnisterna enligt dessa. Karakteriseringen av Scarpetta och Cabbot är dessutom beroende av den tradition som finns etablerad inom kriminalgenrenvilket begränsar uttrycket av kön. Studien föreslår att kategoriseringen av kön i två kategorier enbart: män och kvinnor, är alltför snäv och att könsdefinitionen behöver utökas. I studien framkommer att de kvinnliga protagonisterna anses vara icke-typiska kvinnor eller homosexuella genom sitt sätt att utmana den traditionella synen på kvinnlighet. / This study maintains a focus within the genre: crime fiction.  There are two main strands. First, there is an exploration of what strategies are adopted by two female protagonists to achieve professional success in a male dominated setting. More specifically, it investigates Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta from the Scarpetta-series by Patricia Cornwell and D.S Annie Cabbot from the Inspector Banks series by Peter Robinson and their relationship to authority, power, marriage and children. The Fin-de-Siècle provides the basis for the under-lying definition of gender through its skewed formulation of female norms. Women were to centre their existence within the domestic domain of life as perfect wives and mothers. Furthermore, they were considered unsuitable for professional commitments due to fragile health and domination of emotions over reason. In this essay it is argued that, in these novels, traces of these expectations regarding the nature of womanhood are still current and that the protagonists have to challenge these openly to reach success. Secondly, in agreement with claims by Judith Halberstam in her work Female Masculinity, the study exemplifies how the selected protagonists are portrayed as punished because of their disobedience to the pre-established norm of womanhood. This punishment takes three forms: psychologically, by being devalued, criticised and ignored; professionally, by being legally questioned and accused of severe incompetence and physically by being victims of sexual assault. The conclusion states that, in spite of a century having past since the establish-ment of the norms of womanhood referred to here, the female protagonists act accordingly which indicates that these norms are still current. Furthermore, the portrayal of Scarpetta and Cabbot is dependent on the genre in which they belong which limits the possible expression of gender. It is suggested that the gender categories: men and women are too narrow and that the definition of woman needs to be extended.Within the characterisation of the two prota-gonists in the study there is evidence that they are considered atypical women or homosexuals because of their opposing the traditional views of womanhood.