Defective inspectors : crime fiction pastiche in late-twentieth-century French literature / Simon Kemp.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kemp, Simon, 1973-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Detective and mystery stories, French--History and criticism.

Detective and mystery stories, French.

French fiction--20th century--History and criticism.

French fiction.

Parody in literature.

Physical Description:

x, 165 pages ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

London : LEGENDA, 2006.

Summary:

Crime fiction is a popular target for literary pastiche in France. From the nouveau roman and the OULIPO group to the current avant-garde, writers have seized on the genre to exploit it for their own ends, toying with its traditional plots and characters, and exploring its preoccupations with perception, reason and truth. In the first full-length study of the phenomenon, Simon Kemp's investigation centres on four major writers of the twentieth century, Alain Robbe-Grillet (b. 1922), Michel Butor (b. 1926), Georges Perec (1936-82) and Jean Echenoz (b. 1947). Out of their varied encounters with the genre, from deconstruction of the classic detective story to homage to the roman noir, Kemp elucidates the complex relationship between the pasticheur and his target, which demands an entirely new assessment of pastiche as a literary form.

Contents:

1 Reflecting 6

2 Connecting 41

3 Completing 64

4 Evidence 83

5 Reason 105

6 Truth 127.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1904350518

OCLC:

72867889

Publisher Number:

9781904350514