Date Thesis Awarded

5-2024

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelors of Arts (BA)

Department

English

Advisor

Christopher MacGowan

Committee Members

Hermine Pinson

M. Lee Alexander

Timothy Barnard

Abstract

This thesis investigates transformations of the hard-boiled crime fiction genre by analyzing the works of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and how authors Sara Paretsky and Chester Himes adapt and manipulate the genre to suit their intentions and voices. By examining the construction of Hammett's Continental Op and Sam Spade, and Chandler's Philip Marlowe, the foundation is laid for understanding the defining characteristics of a hard-boiled detective in the 1930s and 40s. This thesis then explores how Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski and Himes' Coffin Ed and Grave Digger Jones adapt these qualities to suit new demographics of detectives: a white woman and black men, respectively. Through this analysis, the thesis highlights which aspects of the genre remain consistent and what changes are necessary to accommodate the new race and gender of the private eye. Furthermore, it explains how these adaptations ground the new variations within the genre while emphasizing their unique approaches. Beyond the focus on the private investigator, the thesis explores each author's approach to gender and race issues and examines their motivations and the social context of their work, including how these themes intersect with the gender and race of the characters.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.

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