Detectives like Sherlock Holmes are common protagonists in detective novels.
Novel is a term that comes from the Italian word novella . The concept refers to a literary work of a narrative nature that has a considerable length ; From this meaning, a genre of literature also receives this name.
The adjective police (or police , in its feminine version), on the other hand, alludes to that linked to the police . Furthermore, it allows the classification of a work of fiction that revolves around some type of crime and the search for its perpetrator.
A detective novel , therefore, is a narrative work whose plot has to do with criminal episodes . Detectives , thieves and murderers are common characters in this type of stories.
Characteristics of a detective novel
It can be said that the detective novel, also known as crime novel or police novel , is a subgenre of the novel. Usually, the main protagonist is an investigator who aims to solve a mystery. It could be a police officer , a private detective, a lawyer or a journalist, for example. Based on their investigations, the reader accesses data that allows them to reconstruct the story and gain knowledge of what happened.
The investigator's antagonist is responsible for the crimes in question. Usually his identity is a mystery until the end of the book, although sometimes it is possible to know who the culprit is and the enigma , then, involves other issues.
Agatha Christie is one of the main references of detective novels.
Your historical journey
It is usually indicated that the detective novel was born in the 19th century . However, its antecedents are remote: there are those who mention the Old Testament and authors from Ancient Greece as precursors of this subgenre.
If we focus on a modern conception of the notion, the American Edgar Allan Poe is pointed out as the father of the detective novel thanks to works such as "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (published in 1841 ), "The Gold Bug" ( of 1843 ) and "The Purloined Letter" ( 1844 ).
In subsequent years, writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie contributed to strengthening and popularizing detective fiction. The passage of time also led to the development of multiple styles and trends.
Types of detective novel
Today, detective novels include a wide variety of narratives that can be very different from each other. Various currents have forged various types of works that, although they fall within this group, have particularities that distinguish them.
The crime novel , in this framework, is among the most popular. Its characteristic features are the high level of violence and the blurred boundary between heroes and villains. In crime novels, the mystery of the crime is not so important, but rather the authors focus on the personality of individuals and the description of society , often focusing on marginal areas.
The thriller , likewise, can be part of the detective novel. In this case, the main thing is to maintain the tension , whether about the conflict or the situation of the characters.
Historical novels and science fiction can be framed, on certain occasions, in the field of detective novels. As can be seen, genres , subgenres and styles do not have a strict or invariable structure, but are frequently combined.