Women appeared as detectives very early in the history of detective novels and often pictured an empowering image for women in periods where women's options were severely limited. As detective novels became less about solving a puzzle, they began to portray increasingly feminist ideas in an interestingly nonthreatening context. The class will look at a range of female detectives in both American and English novels. Students will be asked to read a book a week, but most will be comparatively easy reads. In addition to examining Gaudy Night as an example of the earliest feminist detective novels, feminism will also be found in the hardboiled novels which emerged in the 1970s and in "cozy" detective stories with an emphasis on historical detective novels.

Participants are expected to have an email address for communication.