Start Date
10 October, 2025
There will be 3 Monthly meetings on Friday 11am - 2pm, starting from 10 October.
Overview
In this course we will consider the appeal of three of the most famous fictional detectives: Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey. We will explore character, methodology and setting in a selection of novels and stories. We will discuss 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
This course aims to examine the tropes of classic detective fiction and to identify the distinctive achievements of specific popular novelists.
This course will appeal to anyone who enjoys detective fiction and who wants to analyse both specific texts and their own interest. Students will be encouraged to offer their 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
Please note that the ‘last date available to book’ date is only a guide. We reserve the right to close bookings earlier.
In order to avoid disappointment, please be sure enrol as soon as possible. Registrations will not be processed until the following day if received after 3pm.
Course Lecturer: Dr Shirley Jones
At Continuing Education, I currently run courses on contemporary women's writing, and the thematic strand, The Monthly Novel. Previously I have also taught courses on classic authors, such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and Dorothy Wordsworth. My Ph. D was a study of the Victorian writer, Margaret Oliphant.
Outside of Continuing Education, I am a member of a writers' group and I run the Redbrick Writers, a community writing group at the V G & M.
Courses fees: Full fee £70/Concession £35
Back to: Continuing Education