God and the Great Detective : Ellery Queen's Struggle with the Divine, 1945-1965.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Booth, Nathanael T.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Detective and mystery stories, American--20th century--History and criticism.

Detective and mystery stories, American.

God in literature.

Masculinity in literature.

Queen, Ellery--Criticism and interpretation.

Queen, Ellery.

Queen, Ellery (Fictitious character).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (197 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Jefferson : McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2023.

Summary:

"The problem of human evil is never far beneath the surface of mystery fiction, and this was particularly true in the wake of the horrific events of World War II. One figure who set out to investigate this crisis was Ellery Queen. This book provides a much-needed intervention in the study of detective fiction by giving sustained attention to Ellery Queen as well as suggesting possible directions for broader discussions of the genre. After WWII, Ellery Queen mounted an inquiry into the state of masculinity and of the world in the wake of unimaginable horrors represented by the death camps and the atomic bomb. During his investigation, Ellery rummaged through the ruins of culture, invoking and evoking figures such as Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, and (naturally) Edgar Allan Poe. Ultimately, this quest brought him up against an unexpected foe: God himself. This book examines the ways Queen pushes against the boundaries of what was (and, in some circles, still is) considered possible or desirable in the genre"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

One. The Passion of Ellery Queen

Two. Love and Death and the American Detective

Three. Ellery Queen and Masculine Violence

Four. The Evil God Within

Epilogue

Chapter Notes

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Other Format:

Print version: Booth, Nathanael T. God and the Great Detective

ISBN:

1-4766-5125-6