--- Mark Sullivan <
DJ-Anonyme@webtv.net> wrote:
>
> Anyway, there is clearly an appeal to
true-life
> criminal exploits. So
> how far back does it go? If I remember
correctly,
> didn't Poe and
> Dickens both base detectives (arguably the
first
> fictional detectives)
> on the memoirs of a French (?) thief taker?
Not
> exactly a crook, but
> not really a cop either.
>
There are many early examples of proto crime-detective novels
and recits in early 19th Century French lit that could serve
as models. However the most colorful real-life
adventures/crime book of the time was by Vidocq (his
memoirs). He was a crook, even a little bit murderer if I
recall well. Went in jail. Established a kind of "PI -
research" house, but in between became the chief of French
police. Wrote many novels about police investigations.
Invented the modern intelligence applied to ordinary police
cases...etc. What about this ex-con! Quite a
character...
Dupin from Poe came probably from Gaboriau's novels, but for
the present time I'm far from my bookcase to be able to check
( approx 10,000 km) I do not know about Dickens.
E.Borgers Hard-Boiled Mysteries http://www.geocities.com/Athens/6384
__________________________________________________ Do You
Yahoo!? Send instant messages & get email alerts with
Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com/
-- # To unsubscribe, say "unsubscribe rara-avis" to majordomo@icomm.ca. # The web pages for the list are at http://www.miskatonic.org/rara-avis/ .
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 02 May 2000 EDT