In the Weiner brothers’ novel «The Era of Mercy», better known from the film «The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed», it is not so much the crime that is revealed, but the identity of the detective is studied. Criminality can be overcome by mercy. The Gospel speaks of mercy. But the heroes of the Soviet detective are not looking for God, but for themselves. Sharapov finds his true self — and he finds the true Zheglov. The real detective story is not about who leads the Black Cat gang. The choice of the detective is more important: what is more important to him — steel will, readiness for anything, or is it Sharapov’s «pink», in places ridiculous adherence to principles.
The detective story is one of the most popular genres of literature. We love to read books about deception and understand that the evil, which is so much around us, will be punished. Stories about detectives solving riddles have existed as far back as ancient India. But the first true detective with an intricate criminal case appeared in 1841. It was Murder on Morgue Street by Edgar Allan Poe. Later, all the famous works about crimes were written: «The Dog of the Baskervilles», «The Brothers Karamazov», «Murder on the Orient Express», «Drama on the Hunt».
The writer Dmitry Bykov chose 10 detective stories that best reveal the schemes of this genre.
In this course, we will analyze the main books about detectives and criminals — from the adventures of Sherlock Holmes to action-packed novels by Jean-Christophe Granger. And consider 10 basic schemes of detectives. For example, there was no murder, the killed was, the detective killed. And also let’s talk about the works in which the author managed to jump over these schemes. And even make the viewer a killer!
And we will also find out:
• Who was the prototype of the great literary detectives.
• Why Sherlock Holmes and Poirot are a thing of the past. And why does it take a whole team of professionals to catch a criminal today?
• How feminism influenced the detective, and the woman became the main criminal.
• What complex topics are covered by detective stories: from terrorism to the search for God.
• How a detective can become a boring history textbook.
• What books can you learn about the life of an English estate or the life of a French intellectual?
• How does an English detective story differ from a French one and how they both differ from a German and a Russian?