Golden Age Detective Fiction - Words To That Effect Ep32

Ep32: Golden Age Detective Fiction

An English country estate. A detective pacing the room, explaining how they have solved the crime, revealing the solution to a puzzle and the clues which were there all along.

It’s so easy to parody this scene because it’s so familiar.

It’s Reverend Green in the drawing room with the candlestick.

It’s a shocking murder in a cosy English village or the country estate of a well-off family…where everyone is as suspect.

It’s the locked room mystery, where the puzzle is always the centre of the story.

So, where do all these familiar ideas come from exactly?

What do we mean when we talk about Golden Age Detective Fiction?

And are our assumptions about the tropes and rules of this fiction really all the accurate?

Golden Age Detective Fiction - Words To That Effect Ep32

This week I’m joined by Caroline Crampton, creator of the podcast Shedunnit to explore Agatha Christie, the rules of detective fiction, the problem with spoilers, and more.

Guest

Caroline Crampton is a freelance writer, editor and podcaster. She writes for a variety of publications, including the New Statesman, the i newspaper, Prospect, the Mail on Sunday, the Guardian and the New Humanist.

You can find more about her work on her website.
She is also the creator of Shedunnit, a wonderful podcast all about Golden Age Detective Fiction. If you enjoyed this episode you’ll definitely like her show.

Shedunnit- Golden Age Detective Fiction

Works & Authors Mentioned

Fallet (TV Show)

Martin Edwards: The Golden Age of Murder

Agatha Christie: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Ronald Knox’s10 Commandments of Detective Fiction

SS Van Dine’sRules for Writing Detective Fiction

Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None

Dorothy Sayers

Ngaio Marsh

Margery Allingham

Josephine Tey

TV & Film Clips

Murder on Orient Express (1974) trailer

Murder She Said (1961) trailer

Poirot (David Suchet)

Murder Most Foul trailer

Music

Music this week was

  • Overhead, The Albatross (Learning To Growl): Telekinetic Forest Guard
  • Overhead, The Albatross (Learning To Growl): Theme For A Promise
  • Francesco Turrisi (Si Dolce e’ il Tormento) Ciaccona
  • 3epkano (Hans The Reluctant Wolf Juggler) Colonel Mustard

Looking for more detective fiction? Try this episode on Baroness Orczy and early female detective fiction.

Maybe some Cesare Lombroso and a bit of Victorian crime?

Or maybe you like your crime a bit more contemporary? This episode on domestic noir has you covered.

If you enjoy the episode and want to find out how to support the show then click here for more information.

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Transcripts

Coming soon!

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