Detective Fiction in a Post-Truth World: Eva Rossmann’s <i>Patrioten</i>
Detective fiction is known as a genre that is concerned with revealing truths, both in the fictional world of the text as well as in the society after which it is patterned. The current socio-political environment, however, has been described as an era of post-truth politics and political propaganda...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-02-01
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| Series: | Humanities |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/9/1/15 |
| _version_ | 1819364910349418496 |
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| author | Anita McChesney |
| author_facet | Anita McChesney |
| author_sort | Anita McChesney |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Detective fiction is known as a genre that is concerned with revealing truths, both in the fictional world of the text as well as in the society after which it is patterned. The current socio-political environment, however, has been described as an era of post-truth politics and political propaganda, in which truth is more often determined by the relative strength of its representation. While some contemporary crime novels continue to propagate a reassuring message of truth, select Austrian narratives reflect this new so-called post-truth world. Bringing together theories of detective fiction and post-truth discourse, this article demonstrates how Eva Rossmann’s 2017 crime novel <i>Patrioten</i> (<i>Patriots</i>) adapts the themes and structures of traditional detective narratives to expose a society in which certainty is determined less by objective facts than by their construction in the media and socio-political discourse. The analysis concludes that the novel’s thematic and formal innovations help to redefine the socio-critical potential of contemporary detective fiction by showing the imminent dangers of an unregulated post-truth society. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T23:06:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-47515b611fe14dc58fdd8cbe03647ee9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0787 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T23:06:27Z |
| publishDate | 2020-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities |
| spelling | doaj.art-47515b611fe14dc58fdd8cbe03647ee92022-12-21T16:35:01ZengMDPI AGHumanities2076-07872020-02-01911510.3390/h9010015h9010015Detective Fiction in a Post-Truth World: Eva Rossmann’s <i>Patrioten</i>Anita McChesney0Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USADetective fiction is known as a genre that is concerned with revealing truths, both in the fictional world of the text as well as in the society after which it is patterned. The current socio-political environment, however, has been described as an era of post-truth politics and political propaganda, in which truth is more often determined by the relative strength of its representation. While some contemporary crime novels continue to propagate a reassuring message of truth, select Austrian narratives reflect this new so-called post-truth world. Bringing together theories of detective fiction and post-truth discourse, this article demonstrates how Eva Rossmann’s 2017 crime novel <i>Patrioten</i> (<i>Patriots</i>) adapts the themes and structures of traditional detective narratives to expose a society in which certainty is determined less by objective facts than by their construction in the media and socio-political discourse. The analysis concludes that the novel’s thematic and formal innovations help to redefine the socio-critical potential of contemporary detective fiction by showing the imminent dangers of an unregulated post-truth society.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/9/1/15detective and mystery storiesaustrian crime fictioncontemporary austrian literaturekriminalliteratur/deutschpost-truthtruthnationalism in literature 21st centurypatriotism in literature 21st century |
| spellingShingle | Anita McChesney Detective Fiction in a Post-Truth World: Eva Rossmann’s <i>Patrioten</i> Humanities detective and mystery stories austrian crime fiction contemporary austrian literature kriminalliteratur/deutsch post-truth truth nationalism in literature 21st century patriotism in literature 21st century |
| title | Detective Fiction in a Post-Truth World: Eva Rossmann’s <i>Patrioten</i> |
| title_full | Detective Fiction in a Post-Truth World: Eva Rossmann’s <i>Patrioten</i> |
| title_fullStr | Detective Fiction in a Post-Truth World: Eva Rossmann’s <i>Patrioten</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detective Fiction in a Post-Truth World: Eva Rossmann’s <i>Patrioten</i> |
| title_short | Detective Fiction in a Post-Truth World: Eva Rossmann’s <i>Patrioten</i> |
| title_sort | detective fiction in a post truth world eva rossmann s i patrioten i |
| topic | detective and mystery stories austrian crime fiction contemporary austrian literature kriminalliteratur/deutsch post-truth truth nationalism in literature 21st century patriotism in literature 21st century |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/9/1/15 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT anitamcchesney detectivefictioninaposttruthworldevarossmannsipatrioteni |