Crime Fiction in the Age of #MeToo
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Anthem Press
Published:12th Nov '24
Should be back in stock very soon
Informed by fourth-wave feminism, Crime Fiction in the Age of #MeToo presents a compelling and timely reading of crime fiction in the age of #MeToo. The book explores five major fourth-wave feminist topics, #MeToo, rape culture, toxic masculinity, LBGTQ+ perspectives, and transgender. These topics have been the subject of intense feminist scrutiny and campaigning, and the book demonstrates how this attention is reflected in contemporary crime fiction and its generic and thematic preoccupations. The book opens with a chapter presenting an overview of existing critical perspectives and feminist debates, demonstrating how fourth-wave feminist ideas and debates are inspiring innovations in the genre, as well as generating fresh ways of reading past and present crime fictions. Providing an overview and context for both fourth-wave feminism and the #MeToo movement, the chapter establishes the critical and cultural framework for its analysis. The chapter also outlines the book’s methodology and approach, detailing the contents of the chapters. Each of the five subsequent chapters uses critical vocabulary and concepts from feminism and the #MeToo movement to reassess canonical works and present new readings of contemporary crime fiction, producing compelling analyses of gender and genre. Canonical authors whose works are discussed include Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, Josephine Tey, Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, and Val McDermid. Examining selected contemporary novels and short stories, the chapters in Crime Fiction in the Age of #MeToo provide fresh readings of both well-known and lesser-known crime authors. The contemporary authors whose work is examined are Lauren Henderson, Susan White, Jennifer Haigh, Allison Leotta, Y.A. Erskine, Heather Fitt, John Harvey, Dorothy Koomson, Pekka Hiltunen, Nekesa Afia, Michael Nava, Stella Duffy, Alex Reeve, V.T. Davy, and Dharma Kelleher.
Through its critical examination of crime fiction, Crime Fiction in the Age of #MeToo offers a powerful feminist analysis of the genre which draws links between literature and ongoing urgent social and cultural debates such as the #Metoo movement and fourth-wave feminism.
“Comprehensive and smart, a welcomed gem in crime fiction and feminist cultural studies! Interrogating the genre through the double lens of fourth-wave feminism and the #MeToo movement, this book is indispensable for scholars and anybody interested in contemporary crime fiction as it offers original perspectives, indeed opening up new directions for scholarship on crime writing.” —Carolina Miranda, Adjunct Research Fellow, Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand .
“Beyer’s structurally innovative book is driven by the convergence of contemporary crime writing, fourth-wave feminism, and the #MeToo movement. This investigative framework places contemporary texts in productive tension with canonical works, advancing our insights into the dynamism of genre writing while offering fresh critiques of earlier texts. Persuasively argued, clearly written, and placed firmly in the context of key texts of criticism, this book demonstrates the power of genre writing to directly address timely concerns and to advocate actively for change.” —Dr. Rebecca Martin, Professor (Emerita) of English, Pace University, New York, USA .
“Covering a wide range of authors from Agatha Christie to Val McDermid and extremely pertinent themes such as #MeToo, rape culture, toxic masculinity, and representations of LGBTQ+ and transgender, Beyer offers a timely, pithy and cutting-edge reappraisal of crime fiction. Fourth-wave feminism informs this essential read for crime fiction scholars.” —Sam Naidu, Professor of Literary Studies in English, Rhodes University, South Africa.
“This short, persuasive book productively brings together fourth-wave feminism, the #MeToo movement, and crime fiction to make the case that the genre now offers the powerful possibility of advocating for specifically feminist social change. Especially insightful is Beyer’s use of older texts against contemporary examples that represent fourth-wave themes, including progressive understanding of transgender.” —Maureen T. Reddy, Professor Emerita, English, Rhode Island College, USA .
“In Crime Fiction in the Age of #MeToo, Beyer utilizes the framework of fourth-wave feminism to address crime fiction in the age of #MeToo and, in doing so, contributes to an important and ongoing conversation. Her study calls much-needed attention to the diverse ways that contemporary crime fiction engages with cultural concerns that have been brought to the forefront by the kinds of conversations and political engagement that the #MeToo Movement has ushered in.” —Heather Duerre Humann, Florida University, USA.
ISBN: 9781785278556
Dimensions: 229mm x 153mm x 15mm
Weight: 454g
192 pages