Crime Flashcards
‘Transgression’
An act of transgression is an action that goes against a rule or law. Transgressions could also be more trivial - such as not following expected social conduct.
‘Violence’
The use of physical force to harm, injure, abuse, damage or destroy.
‘Guilt’
The emotion often experienced after having committed wrong or failing to complete an obligation.
‘Justice’
The administration of the law or authority in maintaining just behaviour or treatment.
‘Morality’
The key principles which outline the distinctions between right and wrong, good and bad.
‘Atonement’
Trying to make amends for having committed a wrong.
‘Punishment’
A penalty or restriction imposed or inflicted on someone after committing a wrong- eg in law, being arrested for a crime.
‘Motive’
Your reason for doing a particular act or behaving in a particular way.
‘Investigation’
Where something or someone is investigated- examined in detail, usually for the purpose of discovering something.
‘Crime settings’
These vary from urban settings like ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ to countryside villages like in Agatha Christie’s novels.
‘Social Deviance’
Actions or behaviours which defy or oppose societal norms.
Crime writing in Ancient Greece and Rome
Many classical texts deal with humans vs fate. This conflict links clearly with crime eg:
- Individual vs society
- Right and wrong
- Motives for actions, and consequences
Examples of classical writings of Ancient Greece and Rome with crime elements
- Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
- The plays of Seneca
- Lysistrata by Aristophanes
- Homer’s Iliad
- Virgil’s Aeneid
Old English and medieval quest narratives
Many medieval texts deal w/crime, misdoing. Tend to focus on typical crime ideas:
- Transgression
- Honour
- Restitution
- Sometimes religious-focused
What was a morality play?
Morality play- medieval play that dramatised moral values e.g. good and evil
What was a mystery play?
Medieval play performed by Medieval trade guilds- from French métier
What did medieval morality and mystery plays explore?
Criminal desire and moral ambiguity:
- Good vs Evil
- Abstract social ideas/values of crime in society e.g vice, justice, equity
- Were medieval morality and mystery plays character-driven?
- How did medieval morality and mystery plays end?
- Characters were archetypes rather than developed
- Main character faces variety of ethical trials and temptations
- Characters were archetypes rather than developed
- Evil is defeated, sin is renounced, goodness is restored on Earth.
What was the importance of Renaissance tragedy in terms of the crime genre?
- Turning point: previous eras dealt w/ideas about crime, authors of Renaissance tragedies (esp.revenge ones) dealt w/psychology + impact of crime + different perspectives.
- Characters are more developed than archetypes of classical detective novels and previous eras.
What are some features of Renaissance tragedies in terms of crime?
- Investigation
- Subterfuge- deceit in order to achieve one’s goal
- Murder
- Transgression
- Guilt
- Revenge
How popular was narrative poetry after the Puritans closed theatres?
Continued to be popular and continued to deal w/crime.
What did the Romantics emphasise in their poetry?
Romantic emphasis on individual liberty:
- Impact of elevating importance of individual experience, personal ethics, + moral choices on others + society.
- Criminal psyche
- Social justice/exposure of ‘criminal’ social ills (eg conditions of working poor, child labour, racial inequality).
- Personal and social consequences of crime
When did stage crime re-emerge?
Victorian era. Often, this was poor quality melodrama. But many adaptations of sensation fiction- dealing with sensational crimes and their detection- were popular.
What concepts did Victorian stage drama present?
e.g an obsessive and oppressive insight into the dark corners of the human psyche (‘Miss Julie’ by August Strindberg, ‘A Doll’s House’ by Ibsen)
In the 20th and 21st century, what concepts have been popular in stage crime?
- Issues of social ‘crime’ (eg J.B. Priestley_
- Idea of crime against the political background of 20th century Ireland( eg ‘Juno and the Paycock’ and ‘The Shadow of a Gunman’ by Sean O’Casey
In the 20th and 21st century, screen adaptations became increasingly popular. What popular subgenres of crime have emerged as a result of technology?
- Political crime thrillers
- Police dramas
- Gangster narratives
- Real-life crime
What was the Newgate Calendar?
Popular source of early crime narrative:
- Semi-fictionalised accounts of crime
- Focus on punishment rather than detection
- Later crime narratives steer clear of punishment
What were features of early crime narratives?
- Concealment
- Guilt
- Judgement
- Criminal acts and behaviour
- Justice
- Investigation
- Mercy
- Punishment
What was the focus of the rise of crime writing?
- Demonstrated fascination w/crime
- A named character
- Continued w/development of novel + Bildungsroman
What is a Bildungsroman?
- novel dealing with a character’s development from childhood to adulthood
What did the rise of crime writing coincide with?
Social formulation of crime + criminal detection in the establishment of police and detective forces worldwide.
- 1812 (Paris)
- 1849 Detective Division (London)
- 1850 Pinkertons Detective Agency US)
What pre-police force was set up in 1749?
Bow Street Runners (London)- developed by crime writer and High Court Justice Henry Fielding
What police force was established in London in 1829?
1829 The Metropolitan Police (a.k.a ‘Peelers’ or ‘Bobbies’). Other areas also set up their own forces after this.
What police force was established in Paris in 1812?
Sûreté
What sect of police was established in London in 1849?
Detective Division (London)
What police force was established in the USA in 1850?
Pinkertons Detective Agency
How do Gothic novels relate to crime?
Significant subgenre of crime. Deal w/uncomfortable edges- incl criminal edges- of human experience.
What crime aspects do Gothic novels deal with that is different from conventional crime novels?
- Discomfort
- Pain
- Abuse
- Brutality
- Forbidden behaviours
- Guilt
- Fear
What was ‘Detective Fever’?
After formation of the Met and its detective branch public fascination w/crime + ‘science’ of detection proliferated. Also saw the further rise of the detective story.
When was the ‘Golden Age’ of crime novels?
1920s-1930s
After WW1 perhaps this offered sense of control- world where guilt and horror were containable and the brilliant detective could restore peace and balance
According to ‘The Guilty Vicarage’ by W.H. Auden, what is the dialectic of innocence and guilt (Golden Age)?
- Peaceful state before murder (false innocence)
- Murder (revelation of presence of guilt)
- False clues, secondary murders, etc (false location of guilt)
- Solution (location of real guilt)
- Arrest of murderer (catharsis)
- Peaceful state after arrest (true innocence)
Who were some Golden Age authors?
Agatha Christie
Dorothy L. Sayers
What developed as part of the 20th century novel?
- Development of unconventional/indirect crime novels
- Conventional role of detective is to cast light, make sense of confusion, and re-establish order. Postmodern interpretations subvert this.
What constitutes a crime?
Diffs between what is legally criminal and what may be considered socially or morally criminal. Legally- breaks law of the land. Socially/Morally- based on unwritten social, cultural codes, assume shared understanding + mutual respect, crime breaks mutual trust within society, assume body of ‘normal’, ‘acceptable’ acts
