The Popularity of Detective Stories

A small bookshop, a roadside stall, a railway or a bus stop bookstall is ordinarily well stocked with popular books and most of them are detective stories. Why is it that so many of us would have books as companions for a night’s journey or prefer them for light reading? There must be some explanation for this kind of behavior and a tangible reason for the popularity of detective books. All detective books do not follow the same pattern. Each different writer has a different way of treating his subject matter, of constructing his plot and also his particular “flavor” which he imparts to his work.

All detective novels are not centered around a murder, many are. Therefore, besides certain general reasons for the popularity of detective stories, there are also certain specific reasons why certain readers have a preference for some particular writers

Detective novels do not demand emotional or intellectual involvement; they do not arouse one’s political opinions or exhaust one by its philosophical queries which may lead the reader towards self-analysis and exploration. They, at best, require a sense of vicarious participation and this easy to give. Most readers identify themselves with the hero and share his adventures and sense of discovery. The concept of a hero in a detective story is different from that of a hero in any other kind of fictional work. A hero in a novel is the protagonist; things happen to him. his character grows or develops and it is his relationship to others which is important. In a detective story, there is no place for a hero of this kind.

The person who is important is the detective and it is the way he fits the pieces of the puzzle together which arouses interest. Thus in a detective story it is the narration and the events which are overwhelmingly important, the growth of character is immaterial. What the detective story has to offer is suspense. It satisfies the most primitive element responsible for the development of story-telling, the element of curiosity, the desire to know why and how. So detective stories offer suspense, a sense of vicarious satisfaction and they also offer escape from the fears and worries and the stress and strain of everyday life.

There are detective stories for all ages for they have a universal appeal. Enid Blyton’s prolific writings include the mystery series of the Secret Seven and the Famous Five. These books are very interesting but they have something more than mere detection to offer. They satisfy the desire for an adventurous life for many children’ who live in urban areas or in unimaginative surroundings. They also have a didactic purpose as the writer avails of every single opportunity to drive home a moral lesson. There are also Alfred Hitchcock’s children’s mystery novels. They are equally interesting and instructive as the incidents require unraveling and do not involve murder and the children engaged in this activity are presented as intelligent, hard working and disciplined.

For the adults the choice available in detective fiction is very wide. As far as the morality is concerned some of them are harmful and are likely to have a deteriorating effect on the readers if they are not discriminating enough. Erie Stanley Gardner’s cases and his famous lawyer Perry Mason provide some very interesting examples of legal quibble. It is the court scenes with their wit and repartees which attract a large following among readers. In Della Street, his secretary, supplied the romantic interest on a subdued note. In Agatha Christie’s detective novels, the main interest lies in working out the plot. In Peter Cheyney’s novels, it is drink and violence; in Alistair Maclean’s it is spying and courage and romance. Ian Fleming’s James Bond series are thrillers and not really detective novels. One cannot but remember the Sherlock Holmes stories and novels. They have a wide range and appeal to the young and old alike. G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown will also be long remembered.

The detective story is not a modern creation although it is true that never before has it had this amount of popularity. The Gothic romances popular at the end of the eighteenth century had this same element of mystery and detection which became the object of satire in Jane Austen’s NORTHANGER ABBEY. Wilkie Collins’ THE MOON-STONE and WOMAN IN WHITE are models of detective fiction.

Serialization of novels normally encouraged the writers to end an instalment on a note of suspense. Writers who have attained the stature of classic writers have written a great deal of work which hovers on the margin between detective fiction and a work of permanent literary merit. The margin is very thin; the detective plot has to have a plus factor – something that has universal value and is significant where human life and future are concerned. Charles Dickens’ HARD TIMES, GREAT EXPECTATIONS and BLEAK HOUSE fall into this category. Many people who would rather stay away from intellectually ‘heavy’ books find it hard to resist these. Detective fiction is also popular because the story moves with speed.