Two dominating lines of criticism regarding the detective novel have perpetuated the misconception that detective fiction before the 1960s was a static and monolithic form unworthy of critical study. First, critics of the traditional detective story have argued that the formulaic nature of the genre is antithetical to innovation and leaves no room for creative exploration. Second, critics of the postmodern detective novel have argued that the first literary experiments with the genre began only with post-World War II authors such as Umberto Eco, Italo Calvino, and Paul Auster. What both sets of critics fail to acknowledge is that the detective fiction genre always has been the locus of a dialectic between formulaic plotting and literary experimentation. In this dissertation, I will examine how each generation of detective story authors has engaged in literary innovation to refresh and renew what has been mistakenly labeled as a sterile and static popular genre. / English

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Florida, 1975. / Typescript. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 274-277). Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1979. / Typescript. Includes abstract. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [136]-144).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Florida, 1975. / Typescript. Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 274-277).

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / Thesis not signed by author. Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

The aim of this study is to compare and contrast isiZulu and Sepedi detective narratives, a genre which has not been fully embraced by literary scholars and authors in the African languages. The intention is to compare and contrast isiZulu and Sepedi detective narratives for the development of criteria and evaluating methods, which can be used in all the African languages. Detective narratives form part of a genre that has a rigid plot and follows a pattern similar to a puzzle. In the detective narrative, a crime is committed, which usually involves a murder taking place. The person who has committed this murder is unknown to the readers or the detective, who might be a professional detective or an amateur. The main duty of the detective is to investigate the case so that he/she can find the culprit. In this study, various literary theories are applied to analyse detective narratives, namely narratology, structuralism, the comparative method, intertextuality and intratextuality theories. The isiZulu detective narratives that are analysed, are M.M. Masondo’s Isigcawu Senkantolo (1990) and C.T. Msimang’s Walivuma Icala (1996). The Sepedi detective narratives that are analysed, are H.D.N. Bopape’s Lenong la Gauta (1984) and M.A. Kekana’s Nnete Fela (1989). The content, topic, plot, characterisation, setting/milieu, theme, style and atmosphere are explained in relation to the general structure of a detective narrative, indicating the differences between their structures and that of the mainstream narrative. The characteristic features of a general detective narrative are discussed and are used to determine how successfully the authors of isiZulu and Sepedi detective narratives have managed to apply them. Mystery as the main feature of detective narratives is discussed in detail. It is also explained in relation to how it is used by authors to mislead readers or to hide certain information from them in order to create mystery. Tension and suspense are also exemplified in these detective narratives as the main creators of mystery. The five elements of mystery, as the main characteristic features of detective narratives, are also discussed and each element is exemplified in the isiZulu and Sepedi detective narratives. The two isiZulu detective narratives and the two Sepedi detective narratives are compared and contrasted to see their similarities and differences. The next step in the study is to deduce the commonalities and dissimilarities, which can be observed between the detective narratives. The end product is the results of the comparison and contrast between the detective narratives in the different language groups. The results of this method indicated the characteristic features of detective narratives in the isiZulu and Sepedi detective narratives, which can be applicable to other African languages. The findings arrived at through the use of intertextual and intratextual approaches suggest that scholars and authors of African languages could adopt the same methods in studying and writing detective narratives. In this way, the number of detective narratives in African languages has the potential of increasing. / Thesis (DLitt)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / African Languages / DLitt / Unrestricted

Television is a universally popular medium that offers a myriad of choices to viewers around the world. American programs both reflect and influence the culture of the times. Two dramatic series, The Closer and Saving Grace, were presented on the same cable network and shared genre and design. Both featured female police detectives and demonstrated an acute awareness of postmodern feminism. The Closer was very successful, yet Saving Grace, was cancelled midway through the third season. A close study of plot lines and character development in the shows will elucidate their fundamental differences that serve to explain their widely disparate reception by the viewing public.

"Eight years ago, Sheila Buckworth's ten-year-old son, Michael, disappeared with another young boy. The authorities classified them as runaways--no ransom note, no reason to believe they were abducted. Now, Sheila thinks she knows what happened to Michael and wants Donald Youngblood to prove it. The case soon intersects with an FBI terrorist investigation when Youngblood and sheriff's deputy Bill Two-Feathers find themselves in the desert of southwest Arizona on the Tohono O'Odham Indian Reservation uncovering a sinister plot to inflict damage on the U.S. government. Racing against time to discover the lair of the terrorist group known as the Midnight Riders, Youngblood and the FBI must thwart the plan before the group can execute its "big event." Meanwhile, Youngblood's adopted daughter, Lacy, asks him to investigate the death of a classmate. Clay Carr, a local all-state football player, has crashed his car and killed his girlfriend. As Clay remains in a coma, Youngblood learns the crash was no accident. Working with his police-detective wife, Mary, he travels through a maze of dead ends trying to find the person responsible. Juggling two cases at the same time is nothing new for Donald Youngblood, who once again proves he is up to the tast."--BOOK JACKET. / https://dc.etsu.edu/alumni_books/1006/thumbnail.jpg

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Thesis (M.A.) in English--University of Maine, 2007. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-118).