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The Monthly Novel: Classic Detectives

3 monthly sessions on campus, on Fridays at 11am-2pm, starting from Friday 10 October. - we are no longer taking enrolments for this course.

Overview

In this course we'll consider the appeal of three of the most famous fictional detectives, Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey. We'll explore character, methodology and setting in a selection of novels and stories, while also discussing the wider significance of the classic detective genre.

  • Arthur Conan Doyle, A Study in Scarlet, 1887
  • Arthur Conan Doyle, The Hound of the Baskervilles, 1901-1902
  • Arthur Conan Doyle, A Scandal in Bohemia, 1891
  • Arthur Conan Doyle, The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, 1892
  • Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920
  • Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926
  • Dorothy L.  Sayers, Strong Poison, 1930
  • Dorothy L. Sayers, Have His Carcase, 1932.

The course will examine the tropes of classic detective fiction and identify the distinctive achievements of specific popular novelists. It will appeal to anyone who enjoys detective fiction and wants to analyse both specific texts and their own interest. You'll be encouraged to offer your own views of the set texts through whole and small group discussion. 

Syllabus

Please note that this is indicative but not definitive.  It is possible that there may be some small changes to the format.

Week 1

Our main focus of discussion will be Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles, 1901 – 1902 but it would be useful for students to read the first couple of chapters of A Study in Scarlet, 1887, which introduces the reader to both Homes and Watson.  Students may also like to read a couple of Conan Doyle’s short stories, for example, ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’, 1891 and

‘The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle’, 1892.  All these texts are available online.  In seminars, it is useful to have easy access to texts to discuss.

Week 2

  • Agatha Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, 1920
  • Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, 1926.

Week 3

  • Dorothy L.  Sayers, Strong Poison, 1930
  • Dorothy L. Sayers, Have His Carcase, 1932.

Course lecturer 

At Continuing Education, Dr Shirley Jones currently runs courses on contemporary women's writing, and the thematic strand, The Monthly Novel. Previously Shirley has also taught courses on classic authors, such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and Dorothy Wordsworth. Shirley's PhD was a study of the Victorian writer, Margaret Oliphant.

Outside of Continuing Education, Shirley is a member of a writers' group and runs the Redbrick Writers, a community writing group, at the Victoria Gallery and Museum.

Course fee

  • Standard fee: £70
  • Concession fee: £35.