Philosophies of Crime Fiction

193 Pages·2013·2.211 MB·English

by  Josef Hoffmann

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Firstpublishedin2013byNoExitPress,
animprintofOldcastleBooksLtd,
POBox394,
Harpenden,Herts,
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www.noexit.co.uk
EditedbyStevenMair
©JosefHoffmann2013
TherightofJosefHoffmanntobeidentifiedastheauthorofthisworkhasbeen
assertedinaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproduced,stored
inorintroducedintoaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyform
orbyanymeans(electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingor
otherwise)withoutthewrittenpermissionofthepublishers.
Anypersonwhodoesanyunauthorisedactinrelationtothispublication
maybeliabletocriminalprosecutionandcivilclaimsfordamages.
ACIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
ISBN
978–1–84344–139–7(print)
978–1–84344–140–3(epub)
978–1–84344–141–0(kindle)
978–1–84344–142–7(pdf)
2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
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FormoreinformationaboutCrimeFictiongoto@crimetimeuk
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There is no escape from philosophy. The question is only whether [a
philosophy]isgoodorbad,muddledorclear.
KarlJaspers,WaytoWisdom:AnIntroductiontoPhilosophy.
AndsinceIwantedyoutofeelaspleasurabletheonethingthatfrightens
us – namely, the metaphysical shudder – I had only to choose (from
among the model plots) the most metaphysical and philosophical: the
detectivenovel.
UmbertoEco,postscripttoTheNameoftheRose.
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Table of Contents
Preface 9
1. CrimeFictionandPhilosophy:IntroductionandOverview 11
a) Thephilosophicalthoughtsofcrimewritersandcrime
fiction 12
b) Thephilosophers’viewsoncrimefiction 20
c) Philosophicalthemesandmethodsincrimefiction 26
2. CrimeFiction’sEmergencefromtheSpiritofWestern
Philosophy 32
3. TheRationalWorldofSherlockHolmes 71
a) Onlogicincrimeinvestigation 71
b) OnrationalismintheSherlockHolmesstories 82
4. GilbertKeithChesterton’sChristianPhilosophy 91
5. Hammett’sPragmatism 100
6. Wittgenstein,PI,andtheMysteryoftheMissingLink 117
a) Wittgensteinasareaderofcrimefiction 117
b) TracesofandaffinitiestocrimefictioninWittgenstein’sway
ofthinkingandwriting 121
c) The‘fairplayrule’discourseamongcrimewritersand
Wittgenstein’sconceptofthelanguagegame 127
d) Detectivestoriesandthelanguagegame 128
e) Thefinalclue 130
7. AlbertCamusandthePhilosophyofCrime 135
7
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Contents
8. JorgeLuisBorges’LogicofStaging 149
9. DeathinCrimeFictionandPhilosophy 157
10. TheConsolationofCrimeFictionisStrongerthanthe
ConsolationofPhilosophy 175
a) Philosophicalconsolation 175
b) Theconsolationofcrimefiction 182
Index 193
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Preface
Thisbookdoesnotclaimtoanalysethetopicofthephilosophiesofcrime
fiction in an academic manner.Rather,it is a selection of related essays
thatrefertoaspectsofacademicresearchincrimefictionandphilosophy.
Thetextisaimedatreadersofcrimefictionwhowouldliketoknowmore
abouttheirfavouriteliteratureandIwouldbedelightediftherewereone
ortwophilosophersorreadersof philosophyamongthereadersof this
book.
Forcriticalreading,referencesandsuggestions,IamgratefultoPeter
Philipp, Hilde Ganßmüller, Jutta Wilkesmann and above all my wife
GabrieleKern.