This in-person day event examines the development of British detective fiction from the 1890s to the end of the twentieth century. You’ll explore the hybrid of adventure and detective fiction created by Arthur Conan Doyle; the classic whodunit of Agatha Christie; Margery Allingham’s exploration of post-war trauma; and Colin Dexter’s modernisation of the whodunit.
We’ll explore how detective fiction works as a narrative form, and the ways it offers the opportunity to reflect on the workings of literature more broadly. We’ll also explore the historical contexts of these novels, from Victorian ideas of criminology and the context of empire, to the impact of the world wars and the twentieth century sexual revolution on popular fiction. You’ll trace the evolution of the detective character from a masculine hero of empire to a figure who questions these values, and consider the distinction between private detectives such as Holmes and policemen such as Inspector Morse. We’ll explore the importance of setting to later detective fiction, taking Oxford as an example.
This event will close to enrolments at 23:59 GMT on 21 January 2026.