Female Detectives in Early Crime Fiction 1841-1920

An extensive survey of female detectives in works of fiction published between 1841 and the end of 1920.

Female Detectives in Early Crime Fiction 1841-1920
Published: 13 September 2024
Format: A4, 460 pages, with matte cover

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FROM THE INTRODUCTION

This is a survey of female detectives in works of fiction published between 1841 and the end of 1920. The start date simply acknowledges that the female detective as a recognisable character did not exist before 1841. There is slightly less rationale for the end date but after the First World War crime fiction moved in new directions and the twenties and thirties are often referred to as its ‘Golden Age’. The aim of this survey is to chronicle the formative era of the genre, before this Golden Age, and to focus on its first seventy or eighty years.
     The book is divided into entries, each of which deals with a work of fiction which generally falls into one of three categories: a novel, a series of stories or a standalone short story. Both periodical appearances and appearances in book form are covered. The entries are stand-alone commentaries with only a little cross-referencing. Relevant works by the same author are mentioned and, for those works written in the early years of the genre, there is some discussion of their context and place in the historical development of the female detective.
     The treatment of each work is not rigidly uniform but contains a variable blend of bibliographic information and critical commentary with the discussion focussing on the character, career and capabilities of the detective. However it is often impossible to discuss the activities of the detective without revealing details of the plot and so — caveat lector — there are ‘spoilers’ ahead.
     Featured here are private detectives and, although some authors have taken liberties with historical authenticity, official police detectives. There are also the committed amateurs who would proudly describe themselves as detectives but alongside these there are others whose membership of this illustrious sisterhood is more problematic.
     In some stories there is a protagonist who becomes involved with a mystery and helps with its resolution but who cannot be considered a fully fledged detective in that she makes a positive contribution to the problem only in an ad hoc or fragmentary way. She may thwart a criminal, make logical deductions, uncover clues or assist others in apprehending a wrong-doer, but still not function as a detective.
     Clearly, to resolve these issues, one needs a working definition of what does and what does not constitute a detective. In fact it is useful to have two definitions: the definition of a ‘detective’ and the definition of a ‘detective story’. Taken together these will help to establish criteria for a work to be included in this survey.
     A detective resolves to solve a mystery and is prepared to make a sustained and determined attempt to do so. There should be a planned and purposeful approach to interpreting facts, gathering clues and making logical deductions with the aim of furthering the investigation. The detective will take proactive steps and, ideally, achieve something that no one else has done, such as making new discoveries or finding new explanations to fit the facts. On its own, an intense desire to learn the outcome is not enough; nor is having occasional insights or asking pertinent questions unless these are translated into positive, constructive actions. Nor is it enough just to thwart or foil villains in a purely reactive way. The detective need not be infallible but should nevertheless be seen to adopt a methodical and focussed strategy that has at least the potential to succeed.
     For a few humorous works, where there is undeniably a female detective, these requirements have been applied flexibly or waived all together.
     Over the years commentators and critics have suggested criteria to define what is meant by detective fiction and those given here follow the broad consensus. To qualify as a ‘detective story’ there is a bare minimum that must be true:

• The story must contain a detective.
• There must be a criminal problem or a mystery and the detective must actually perform acts of detection in an attempt to arrive at its solution.
• The detective must be an important character.
• The mystery and the detective’s attempts to solve it must be a major — arguably the major — plot strand.

So the mere appearance of a character described as a detective does not define detective fiction. Romances or adventure stories where there is a minor detective strand to the plot are also unlikely to qualify.