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Series:   Elements in Crime Narratives

Female Anger in Crime Fiction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2024

Caroline Reitz
Caroline Reitz
Affiliation:
John Jay College of Criminal Justice and CUNY Graduate Center

Summary

Feminist anger is having a moment, but the double meaning of 'mad' as angry and crazy has shaped the representation of women in popular crime fiction since Lady Audley burned down the house over 150 years ago. But when is anger just, when is it revenge, and when is it maddening? This Element will explore the ethics and efficacy of anger in female-centered crime fiction from its first stirrings in the 19th century through second wave feminism's angry, individualist heroes until today's current explosion of women who reject respectability and justification. It will also examine recent challenges to our understanding of the genre posed both by feminist care ethics and by intersectional crime fiction. This Element considers anger as the appropriate affect for women fighting for justice and explores how it shapes the representation of female detectives, relates to the crimes they investigate, and complicates ideas around justice.
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Keywords

crime fictionangerwomenjusticeviolence
Type
Element
Information
Series: Elements in Crime Narratives
Online ISBN: 9781009358699
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication: 12 December 2024

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Female Anger in Crime Fiction
  • Caroline Reitz, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Online ISBN: 9781009358699
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Female Anger in Crime Fiction
  • Caroline Reitz, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Online ISBN: 9781009358699
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Female Anger in Crime Fiction
  • Caroline Reitz, John Jay College of Criminal Justice and CUNY Graduate Center
  • Online ISBN: 9781009358699
Available formats
×