Victorian Detective Fiction



Overview

Explore the perennially popular and ever-evolving genre of detective fiction born in the Victorian period.

The end of the nineteenth century witnessed the invention of the first celebrity literary detective in the form of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Though in the past (and sometimes in the present) dismissed as merely popular fiction, it is now recognised as an important part of Victorian and later literature, and the subject of much critical attention.

Why did the genre come into being at this time, and what are its distinctive features? How did it engage with wider social issues, such as crime, gender roles, class divisions, and imperialism? And what role did it play in the wider literary culture of the period? These are some of the questions which will be explored at this in-person day school, which will be taught by leading scholars in the field: Sara Lodge, Christopher Pittard, and David Grylls. 

Please note: this event will close to enrolments at 23:59 GMT on 14 January 2026. 

Programme details

9.45am
Registration at Rewley House Reception

10am
The Strand Magazine and Late Victorian Detective Fiction: Doyle, Allen, Meade, and Morrison 
Christopher Pittard 

11.15am
Tea/coffee break

11.45am
Victorian Working-class Women Detectives in Fact and Fiction 
Sara Lodge  

1pm
Lunch break

2pm
Sherlock Holmes: the Detective as Disturbed Genius 
David Grylls  

3.15pm
Tea/coffee break

3.45pm
Discussion Panel 
All 3 speakers  

5pm
Course Disperses 

Fees

Description Costs
Event Fee (includes tea/coffee) £120.00
Baguette lunch £7.50
Hot lunch £21.25

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit or are a full-time student in the UK you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees.

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutors

Dr David Grylls

Tutor

Dr David Grylls was Director of Studies in English Literature and Creative Writing at OUDCE for many years, and is an Emeritus Fellow of Kellogg College, Oxford. He is a specialist in nineteenth-century fiction and has published a number of books and articles, including Guardians and Angels: Parents and Children in Nineteenth-Century Literature (Faber, 1978), The Paradox of Gissing (Harper Collins,1986), What the Dickens: A Guide to Martin Chuzzlewit and Hard Times (BBC Education, 1994), and ‘Gissing and Prostitution’ in George Gissing and the Woman Question (Routledge, 2013).

Professor Sara Lodge

Dr Christopher Pittard

Tutor

Dr Christopher Pittard is Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Portsmouth. He has published widely on Victorian literature and on detective fiction, including the books Literary Illusions: Performance Magic and Victorian Literature (2025), The Cambridge Companion to Sherlock Holmes (2019), Purity and Contamination in Late Victorian Detective Fiction (2011), and a new critical edition of The Return of Sherlock Holmes (2023) for Oxford World’s Classics.

Application

Please use the 'Book' button on this page. Alternatively, please contact us to obtain an application form.

Accommodation

If you wish to stay with us before and/or after the event, please contact our Residential Centre for availability and discounted rates.

Call +44 (0) 1865 270362 or email res-ctr@conted.ox.ac.uk

Our accommodation in Wellington Square has been rated as 4-Star Campus Accommodation under Visit England. All bedrooms are modern, comfortably furnished with tea/coffee making facilities, Freeview television, private bath/shower rooms and free WiFi. For more details see our accommodation information.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support