Content introduction main part

2. The main characters of detective Genre
Analyzing the history of the detective genre requires the correct definition of this genre. Defining crime is difficult in many ways. Tzvetan Todorov, in his study The Typology of Detective Fiction, described three main subcategories of this genre. For the first type, Todorov establishes the novel containing a mystery called whodunit. The second subgenre is the genre of a thriller and the last type is a so-called suspense novel which combines elements of the first and second types. This classification does not describe the development of completely different forms. They are all types of detective stories that coexist but follow different rules. Their development is therefore not diachronic, but each of the subgenera bears similar characters with an unmistakable trace. The completely different forms of the detective genre that emphasized the criminal part of the story are hard-nosed mode and police procedure. These styles were common and popular in the United States. In Britain, the focus was on the pure detective nature of the investigation and the tension that arose from the uncertainty of uncovering the real criminal. Numerous authors represent American hard-nosedness.⁴ From American authors to illustrations Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and John Dickson Carr. John Scaggs defines policing as the most popular style in the United States after World War II. "Policing is a subgenre of crime fiction that explores how a team of professional police officers (and women) work together." The difference from British traditions is seen in the dominating work of a police team, not a single detective. The police procedure is a typical writing style of authors like Ed McBain or Chester Himes. As already mentioned, the British style of writing differs from the American in many aspects, which will be described in detail in the following chapters. The definition of the detective genre is presented in the rules created to guide authors in writing in this style. The strictest defenders of rules that make good detective stories were Gilbert K. Chesterton and Ronald A. Knox. According to Škvorecký, the rules were first formulated from the knowledge of discovery like a game, and then as a logical consequence, the rules were compiled. American literary critic Willard Huntington Wright, better known as S.S. Van Dine, published The Twenty Rules For Writing Detective Stories in 1928. A year later, Knox revised the twenty rules into ten new ones called Knox's Decalogue. Chesterton believed in the Decalogue as the guide to be followed, and his enthusiasm led to his appointment as President of the Detection Club, which united 20th-century crime fiction writers. As president, Chesterton controlled the oath each member had to take and helped other writers produce their works. The rules consisted of advice and instructions for the writers on what they could and shouldn't do with their novels. There was a rule forbidding supernatural intervention, rules forbidding a detective or his companion from being the killers, and the rule obliging the detective to present the reader with any clues he finds. All these rules created a fair gaming environment for the author and his reader.
The most prolific era of British detective fiction began in the late 19th century. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with his Sherlock Holmes series is considered the most productive author of this period. Authors who began their writing careers after Doyle became known as authors of The Golden Age of Detective Fiction. The Golden Age began just before World War I and lasted until World War II. The typical form used during the Golden Age was the classic detective novel, containing mystery as the opening part and investigation as the second part of the novel. The crime style is characteristic of the mysterious death that violates the natural order of law-abiding citizens when "everyone must live in its shadow for a time until the fallen one is identified. With his arrest, innocence will be restored and the law withdrawn for eternity. Another significant trace of English whodunit is duality in stories. The first part of a novel is written as a storyline in the past that tells the reader who was killed, but when and how it happened is kept secret. The presence of the unknown indicates the importance of a detective investigating it. This story represents the predominant part of a criminal investigation. It is the first story that differentiates it from the American hard-nosed genre where the crime as an introductory part can be omitted or the whole story leads to the crime that closes the story. The precise clarification of the initial crime consists of systematically collecting clues, motives and interrogations. The second part of the novel consists in uncovering the identity of the killer. This part of the novel is written in the form of introspections that explain to the reader the killer's motives that led him to commit the crime. Uncovering the criminal's identity, excluding all innocent suspects, and finally punishing them is the very last part of the criminal investigation. The English detective novel is notable for its incorporation of new scientific advances. In the 19th century, there was a massive scientific development in the fields of photography, dactyloscopy and biology. This development also influenced the police investigations, which were reflected similarly in the novels. Since ordinary people did not have the opportunity to explore the new trends, the detective novel explaining and describing to readers the technique of dactyloscopy or chemical blood testing procedures became very popular. One of the significant traces of the English whodunit is its main character, the character of a detective. This character is usually an eccentric man, a drug addict like Sherlock Holmes, a chronic detailer like Hercule Poirot, or an elderly lady observing the world behind the knitting needles. British Criminal Investigation developed Poe's ubiquitous companion who tells the story. Every great detective has a partner who mitigates his extremity and is the detective counterpart.⁵ This man explains, records and tells the story. He adds additional information that the detective does not consider important and that "embodies the social and ideological norms of the time". Like the detective, his companion also remains apolitical, they neither represent strong political thinking nor are they members of political pparties. Another distinctive trait of American fiction is " distinctive settings. The modern city is generally recognized as the normal setting for hard-nosed fiction, while Golden Age fiction, at least in its English version, often features a rural or semi-rural setting.” The typical setting in an English crime novel is in the countryside, in noble mansions or the smaller Victorian villages. There are almost no crime novels in traditional British crime fiction, the murders are committed in the alley behind a factory or the middle of big cities. The British style of writing is nevertheless distinctive. There are authors from Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Each part of Great Britain is specific in its culture, mentality and traditions. The literature of these countries reflects national characteristics and differences. Apart from the boom in crime fiction written in Ireland, Wales and Scotland in the second half of the 20th century, some authors made their mark in the literature. In Irish literature, mention should be made of Cathal Ó Sándair (1922–1996), author of the famous Irish-language detective Réics Carló. Of all Scottish backgrounds, Alfred Walter Stewart (1880-1947) represents a chemist and part-time writer, author of seventeen detective fiction writing primarily under the pen name J.J. Kennington. Stewart brought to life several detectives, Superintendent Ross and Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield. The most prolific era of Welsh detective and crime fiction began in the second half of the 20th century. Author Meirion James Trow, a contemporary author, has revived a character from the Sherlock Holmes stories and compiled an interesting collection of novels. All of the novels are set between 1879 and 1923 and have Scotland Yard's Inspector Lestrade as the main character. In Doyle's stories about Sherlock Holmes, Inspector Lestrade played a supporting role, representing the official police department. Aside from this allusion to Sherlock Holmes stories, other Welsh writers of detective fiction were Frank Showell Styles (1908-2005), whose detective fiction was written under the pen name Glyn Carr, and Ethel Lina White (1876-1944). All these authors represent a part of British criminal history, but it is English fiction which undoubtedly differs from Irish-Welsh or Scottish by its distinctive setting, characters, plots and structure. The ideal combination of all nations in Great Britain is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle was born in Scotland to both his parents Irish and Doyle himself has lived his whole life in England.