C LIT 252 B: Introduction To Comparative Literature: Genres

DETECTIVE FICTION: GLOBAL NOIR

SLN 11806        MW 1:30-3:20         MGH 231

Prof. Cynthia Steele     cynthias@uw.edu

Office: Padelford C-502     MW 3:30-4:20     206-616-4085

T.A. Norma Kaminsky     ninsky@uw.edu

Office: Padelford B-202     MW 12:00-1:00

A century and half after its invention in the U.S. and Europe, crime fiction continues to be among the most popular literary forms in the world; since the 1940s, film noir has held a similar appeal to major writers, filmmakers and audiences. What are the basic types of detective fiction and film, in their classical form (noir) and in their recent reinventions (as neo-noir and World or Global Noir)? In particular, how have these genres evolved in different new cultural contexts, including the Global South? We will address these questions through close readings of a number of both canonical and recent novels, together with some of their more successful film adaptations, beginning with the U.S. and Great Britain and moving on to France and Spain, Latin America and Africa. Students will keep a reading and viewing journal and write two short comparative essays.

Required Texts:

Peter Messent, The Crime Fiction Handbook. Wiley-Blackwell, 2013. Online Access through UW Libraries;

Edgar Allen Poe, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841), 42 pp; available on Canvas site under "Files";

Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sign of Four (Penguin Classics, 1890), 160 pp. and “The Empty House” (the latter is available on Canvas site under "Files";

Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, 1939/1988), 231 pp;

Walter Mosley, Devil in a Blue Dress (Washington Square Press, 1990/2002), 272 pp;

Thierry Jonquet, Mygale (France, 1984) (SF: City Lights, 2003), 120 pp;

Paco Ignacio Taibo II, Some Clouds (Mexico) (Poisoned Pen Press, 2002), 250 pp;

Leonardo Padura Fuentes, Adios Hemingway (Cuba) (Canongate Trade Edition, 2006), 240 pp;

Malla Nunn, Blessed are the Dead (Swaziland/Australia/South Africa) (Atria/Emily Bestler Books, 2012), 336 pp.

Films:

Thom Anderson, Los Angeles Plays Itself (2014)

Jeremy Lovering, Sherlock (2014);

Howard Hawks, The Big Sleep (1946);

Carl Franklin, Devil in a Blue Dress (1995);

Pedro Almodóvar, La piel que habito / The Skin I Live In (2011).

Canvas Site:

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/1038890

Determination of Grades:

Reading journal, Part One                                                                                        20%

Analytical Essay One, 3-5- pp                                                                                  20%

Analytical Essay Two, 3-5 pp                                                                                    20%

Reading Journal, Part Two                                                                                        20%

Class Participation                                                                                                     20%

Analytical Essay:

Students will write two 3-5-page analytical essays, including a list of works consulted, and incorporating discussion of the films and readings studied in class.

Please follow the guidelines of the MLA Handbook and of Linda Hutcheon and Nancy Kang’s “The English Critical Essay”:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/

http://www.library.utoronto.ca/utel/language/essay.htm

Please utilize the services of the writing tutors at the Odegaard Writing and Research Center and the resources that they provide. You can make appointments with them online:

https://depts.washington.edu/owrc/signup.php

https://depts.washington.edu/owrc/docs.php

Reserves:

All DVDs of films studied in this class are on 2-hour reserve in the Suzzallo Media Center. I have also asked Odegaard Library to place the textbooks for the course on 2-hour reserve in Odegaard. The Messent book is available online through the UW Libraries Catalog.

Academic Honesty:

You are responsible for understanding and observing the UW guidelines regarding academic honesty. Your written work will be submitted through Canvas, which utilizes Turnitin to detect and provide a detailed report on any instances of plagiarism. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

To request accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz, (206) 543-8924 ((V/TTY). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating that you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss such accommodations.

Calendar