The following term paper will use novels of the genre crime fiction to illustrate the evolution of female protagonists – in this specific case – female detectives. This genre is especially interesting because it was associated very male characteristics for most parts of its existence. The development of this genre, which lead us to today’s variety in gender amongst detectives, is an accurate representation for the evolution of the feminist movement. In other words, female crime writers had to enter a domain dominated by men just as much as their female protagonists had to enter a profession that was formerly exclusively occupied by their male counterparts.
We will start by briefly defining the terms used throughout this term paper. The main part will be structured chronologically, with the beginnings of the female detectives during the 18th century up until today’s representatives of the genre. In order to prove that the image of the female detective has changed simultaneously with the development of the feminist movement, we will take a closer look at three distinct crime fiction novels. The literature we chose will focus on female detectives in novels written by women authors from the United States. Moreover, these female detectives are to some extend archetypes of their respective fields. Lastly, we will conclude our findings by giving a concise summary and analyzing whether full equality among female and male detectives in crime fiction has been established.
At a glance
- Grade: 1.7 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Examines Anna Katharine Green’s Amelia Butterworth in The Affair Next Door
- Analyzes Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone in A is for Alibi
- Examines Kay Scarpetta with particular attention to Patricia Cornwell’s Postmortem
- 28 sources in the bibliography
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Defining Terminology
3. The Evolution of the Female Detective – a Journey of Feminism
3.1 Amelia Butterworth: The First Female Detective
3.2 Kinsey Millhone: The Breakthrough
3.3 Kay Scarpetta: The Modern Female Detective
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This work examines how representations of female detectives in American crime fiction written by women have evolved alongside feminism. Through a chronological reading of three representative detectives, it asks how their changing roles relate to women’s emancipation and whether equality between female and male detectives has been achieved.
- Definitions of crime fiction, female detectives and feminism
- Amelia Butterworth and the amateur woman detective
- Kinsey Millhone and the professional private investigator
- Kay Scarpetta, forensic expertise and professional authority
- Gender stereotypes, workplace sexism and women’s independence
- Connections between literary characters and feminist movements
Excerpt from the Book
3.2 Kinsey Millhone: The Breakthrough
The turning point for the recognition and success for female detectives arrived during the 1980s. So far the female detective had undergone a great transformation from its beginning in 1897. The female detective genre, also referred to as private eye genre, which has developed in the 1980s has been powered by “a nostalgia for the idealistic social action of the 1960s and early 1970s, when the women’s movement (and activism more generally) seemed to hold so much promise for changing both society as a whole and individual lives” (Walton/ Jones, 1999, p. 34).
The most noticeable changes of the female detective are her character and her demeanour. The heroines are illustrated as more well-rounded, complex and realistic characters. Additionally, the new generation of female detectives are more engaged in political and social issues, which has as a result that the themes addressed in the novels are more reflective of the issues and problems American society was facing at that time (see DellaCava, 1993, p. 3). The protagonists of crime fiction were now confronted with topics that were of actual relevance for US citizens such as drug abuse, gay rights or A.I.D.S. With time, the female detective reflected society even more realistically, which in turn made it easier for American women to identify with her.
Although the topics of feminism, emancipation and the women’s rights movement had already been important for writers before, it was only during the 1980s that those topics became a crucial issue. The best examples for this era of female detectives are Sharon McCone, Kinsey Millhone and V.I. Warshawski by Marcia Muller, Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky, respectively. They can be seen as “pioneering constructions of the modern female detective figure” (Ross, 2010, p. 148). Authors such as Sara Paretsky, Marcia Muller and Sue Grafton have strategically rewritten the patriarchal history of the American hard-boiled detective novel of the 1930s and 40s (see Walton, Jones, 1999, p. 4). Furthermore, these authors started to feature strong central women characters with which women of the time and ever since could easily identify.
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The introduction presents the relationship between feminism and literary representations of female detectives and outlines the work’s chronological approach.
2. Defining Terminology: This chapter explains how the work uses the terms crime fiction, female detective, feminism and women’s rights movement.
3. The Evolution of the Female Detective – a Journey of Feminism: The main chapter traces developments through Amelia Butterworth, Kinsey Millhone and Kay Scarpetta. It considers their occupations, relationships and encounters with gender stereotypes alongside changes in American feminism.
4. Conclusion: The conclusion brings the literary analysis together with a discussion of gender equality in society and crime fiction.
Keywords
American crime fiction, feminism, female detectives, women writers, Amelia Butterworth, Kinsey Millhone, Kay Scarpetta, detective fiction, gender stereotypes, workplace sexism, women’s rights, hard-boiled fiction, feminist literary analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this work about?
It explores the development of female detectives in American crime fiction alongside the history of feminism.
What are its central themes?
The work addresses women’s independence, gender stereotypes, professional authority, workplace sexism and the relationship between literature and social change.
What is the primary research question?
The work asks how the image of the female detective has changed alongside feminism and whether equality between female and male detectives has been established.
What method does the author use?
The author uses a chronological literary analysis of crime fiction by American women, examining representative characters and their social and historical contexts.
What does the main part examine?
It follows the development from Amelia Butterworth’s amateur investigations through Kinsey Millhone’s private practice to Kay Scarpetta’s work as a medical examiner.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include American crime fiction, feminism, female detectives, women writers, gender stereotypes and workplace sexism.
Which fictional detectives are central to the analysis?
The principal examples are Anna Katharine Green’s Amelia Butterworth, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone and Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta.
How does the work approach the hard-boiled tradition?
It considers how women writers adapted conventions associated with male hard-boiled detectives while creating female protagonists with distinct professional and personal lives.
What role does Kay Scarpetta’s profession play in the discussion?
Her position as chief medical examiner provides a basis for examining women’s professional expertise, leadership and treatment in traditionally male-dominated workplaces.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2014, The Evolution of the Female Detective in Crime Fiction. A Journey of Feminism, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1307355
