Little help plz (1 Viewer)

[monique66]

Ah i have the essay question:

Crime fiction provides a solution for the crime but not for the more complex problems raised in the texts.

Examine this view in relation to two texts and one other related material of your own choosing. (CSSA 2001)

I thought i might start of with something about mystery linking together the crime and the social and cultural issues. For example in Anil's ghost the issues of gender, identity and truth are raised. But what i'm having problems with is relating this to genre, how does the question allow me to link back to crime fiction (other than the use of 'mystery')?

 

[kami]

perhaps you might want to look at the fact that anils ghost and to a lesser extent skull beneath the skin dont have the clearcut solutions of normal crime fiction and so redefine the genre in their way. You could then link this to the fact that james and ondaatje crafted social reflection in their title and that the purpose of construction was entirely differnt for say poe, doyle or christie. lol its a bit incoherent but its the best ive got at ten to one lol.

 

[monique66]

coolies...but i'm not doing the skull beneath the skin, instead i'm doing the big sleep and the problem with that is that it doesn't really expand or challenge anything. Its so hard linking things together...on one hand i want to talk about the conventions and then i have to talk about these 'issues' which makes it so hard to link together!

 

[kami]

hmmm..thats a toughie. Well how about misogynism? Hardboiled, and Big Sleep both portray women as stigmatised femme fatales(think the younger sister) who fall for men and are defined by them. Anils Ghost challenges this convention of having women being weak in crime, and the Hardboiled genre in particular.

 

[monique66]

man this question is annoying, i've written 900 words and i still don't know what i'm doing, i think i linked it to mystery but i'm not sure

 

[black_man]

maybe it could have something to do with the fact that crime fiction, and it's sub-genres, are by nature, a product of their context, with composers using the overall progression of order to disorder as a means to present a critique of society and significant cultural and social values. The values incorperated into 'skull' and 'anils ghost' are those of a modern context, and are perhaps perceptions of a greater or more prominent presence of evil within the world...i'm not sure

 

[ishq]

Anil's Ghost raises issues of government politics, the inner workings of the higher authorities and reveals some of the lesser known details of the Sri Lankan Revolution. While the text brings these to light by way of the crime and its solution, the author makes it clear that the corruption in the society, the dealings, the murders etc. will continue. One protagonist may solve that one crime, but no world changing revelations have occured as a result.

Crime Fiction, as a genre, as black_man said, is a result of its context and the values of its time.

Take Agatha Christie and her Country House Crimes - In the isolated setting, she raised issues of feminism, the gentry, the ridiculous Victorian social codes etc. But, did her texts every divulge in a possible 'solution' for these? Nope. She was only concerned with crime.

Another Example could be the Police Procedural Dramas on TV these days. Law & Order SVU, for example. Last week they apprehended this dude who sold kiddie porn all over the world. It was a damn hard task, tracking him down and saving the life of a little girl. However, once they caught him, they realised that he had a thousand other accomplices around the globe and about a million customers who would no doubt find another means to satisfy their needs. Did the episode go into a possible investigation into these one million people? No. it ended. The one hour was up.

Hence, by using these as possible related texts, or even as means of understanding the nature of crime fiction, the reader/viewer can realise, that though, Crime Fiction paints the picture, its still unfinished.


My rant is over. Please find faults.

 

[monique66]

thanks guys, i'm nearly finished writing it. appreciate the help