We found a match
Your institution may have rights to this item. Sign in to continue.
- Title
The Appeal of the Mystery.
- Authors
GOLDMAN, ALAN H.
- Abstract
The article analyzes the aesthetic value of mystery or detective fiction in connection to its appeal in the 20th century as the most widely-read genre. Defending the claim that detective fiction is deserving of literary analysis against the objections regarding its flat characters and formulaic plots, the author explores the cognitive and emotional engagement mystery novels offer. Also discussed is a conception of aesthetic value that is measured by its capacity to engage with all of the mental capacities, its ability to expand the reader's experience, and the comparison it offers to the real world.
- Subjects
MYSTERY fiction; MYSTERY fiction -- History &; criticism; AESTHETICS; EMOTIONAL experience; READING; AESTHETIC experience; PSYCHOLOGY; LITERATURE appreciation
- Publication
Journal of Aesthetics & Art Criticism, 2011, Vol 69, Issue 3, p261
- ISSN
0021-8529
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/j.1540-6245.2011.01470.x