Detective fiction is a universally popular genre; stories about the investigation of a crime by a detective are published all over the world and in hundreds of languages. Detective fiction provides more than entertainment, however; it often has a great deal to say about crime and punishment, justice and injustice, testimony and judgment. The Novel as Investigation examines a group of detective novels by three important Italian writers - Leonardo Sciascia, Dacia Maraini, and Antonio Tabucchi - whose conviction about the ethical responsibility of the writer manifests itself in their investigative fiction.
Jo-Ann Cannon explores each writer's denunciation of societal ills in two complementary texts. These investigative novels shed light on pressing social ills, which are not particular to Italian society of the late twentieth century but are universal in scope: Sciascia focuses on abuses of power and the death penalty, Maraini on violence against women, Tabucchi on torture and police brutality. In addition, each of these texts self-reflexively explore the role of writing in society. Sciascia, Maraini, and Tabucchi all use their fiction to defend the power of the pen to address "il male del mondo."
The Novel as Investigation will be of interest to a broad audience of readers, including those interested in Italian and comparative literature, Italian social history, and cultural studies.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (p. [123]-130) and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 853/.0872090914
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- ISBN
- 9780802091147 9781442681910
- LCCN
- PQ4181.D4
- LCCN Item number
- C36 2006eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaOONL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (134 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)thg00601112 (OCoLC)244767919 (CaOOCEL)418849
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaOONL
Table of Contents
- Contents 8
- Acknowledgments 10
- Introduction 14
- 1 The Power of the Pen in Leonardo Sciascia's Porte aperte 28
- 2 The Death of the Detective in II cavaliere e la morte 42
- 3 In Search of Isolina 56
- 4 Voci and the Conventions of the Giallo 70
- 5 Ethics and Literature in Sostiene Pereira: Una testimonianza 84
- 6 Detection, Activism, and Writing in La testa perduta di Damasceno Monteiro 98
- Conclusion 112
- Notes 118
- Bibliography 134
- Index 142
- A 142
- B 142
- C 142
- D 142
- E 143
- F 143
- G 143
- H 143
- I 143
- J 143
- K 143
- L 143
- M 144
- N 144
- O 144
- P 144
- R 144
- S 145
- T 145
- V 145
- W 145
