Editorial Reviews
Review
“Gillis and Gates provide a timely revisitation of the nature of villainy in popular literature and cinema. As values and mores evolve, so too do the role and efficacy of evil as a driving force in a culture's fictional artifacts. As Gillis argues in the introduction, "Although they may be punished, the villains remain much more provocative than the detectival agents who attempt to contain them." Although this premise may be arguable, it sets the stage for 15 substantive essays exploring the style and function of criminality in the detective genre. The writings span the works of two centuries, from Dickens, White, Doyle, and other late Victorian writers, through golden age authors such as Rohmer, Christie, and Allingham to such contemporaries as P.D. James and Patricia Cornwell. The essays are uniformly intelligent and informative....Collections supporting the study of detective fiction at the lower-division undergraduate level and above.”–
Book Description
This study of the villain in detective fiction and film examines such questions as what the villains reflect about the heroes, what they reflect about society, and what defines villainous activity. The texts discussed span the end of the 18th through the 20th century and range from Charles Brockden Brown's Weiland (1798) to the film Se7en (1995). As the villains reflect the changing ethics of society, the shift in such nebulous moral boundaries can be traced through the changing depictions of these dark characters. Correspondingly, essays address issues of gender, genre, race, and class. In addition to Weiland and Se7en, books and films discussed include Dickens's Bleak House, Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White, the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the films of Alfred Hitchcock, the James Bond novels and films, the novels of P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, and Dorothy Sayers, A. S. Byatt's Possession, Patricia Cornwall's Scarpetta mysteries, Margaret Atwood's Robber Bride, and the movie The Usual Suspects.
The Devil Himself : Villainy in Detective Fiction and Film (Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture)
The Devil Himself : Villainy in Detective Fiction and Film (Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture),Stacy Gillis,Philippa Gates,Greenwood Press,0313316554,Detective and mystery films,Detective and mystery stories,,Detective and mystery stories, American,Detective and mystery stories, English,English-speaking countries,Film & Video - General,Film - General,History and criticism,Pop Arts / Pop Culture,Popular Culture - General,Popular literature,Social Science,Sociology,Social Science / Popular Culture
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