The Detective 
as Outsider
led by B. J. Rahn
Mondays: September 8, October 6, November 10 & December 8
6:00pm-7:30pm
$55 for members; $60 for nonmembers
From his first appearance in the 19th century, the detective has been an eccentric figure: for example, Edgar Allan Poe's C. Auguste Dupin and Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. In the early 20th century, idiosyncratic traits continued to distinguish sleuths such as Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Philo Vance, Sam Spade, and Nero Wolfe.
In the second half of the 20th century, this literary tradition led to a great many sleuths who can be considered "outsiders" because of their social class, race, ethnicity, religion, politics, sexual orientation, gender,or age, as well as physical and mental condition. However, their marginal status has not prevented them from attracting loyal readers. Indeed, their special outlook and the challenges they face may even have contributed to their appeal.
This course will explore the extent to which the detective's outsider status affects his/her character and ability to solve crimes. Is it integral to the events of the story or just an intriguing background?
Read The Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosely for the first class followed by...
Jane Haddam's Glass Houses
Laurie King's Night Work
Reed Farrel Coleman's Redemption Street
About B. J. Rahn
B.J. Rahn has been teaching, researching, and writingabout crime fiction for over two decades. She has published articles in journals and reference books
such as The Armchair Detective, St. James Guide to Crime and Mystery Writing, Scribner’s Mystery and
Suspense Writers: The Literature of Crime, Detection, and Espionage, The Dictionary of Literary Biography,
and The Oxford Companion to Crime and Mystery Writing. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Crime Writers Association of UK. Her
website is www.crimecritic.com.
Through February 2009, all reading groups will meet at 17 East 47th St.
Mysterious links
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Ink
Words Without Borders
For more information or to join a reading group,
please call 212-755-6710 or email info@mercantilelibrary.org