Une étude en noir

Why did crime fiction first establish itself on the basis of a distinction, or even opposition, between the character of the detective and that of the police officer ? This article explores the series of Sherlock Holmes stories published by Arthur Conan Doyle between 1887 and 1927 and analyses the r...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Luc Boltanski
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: ENS Éditions 2011-05-01
Series:Tracés
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/traces/5049
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author Luc Boltanski
author_facet Luc Boltanski
author_sort Luc Boltanski
collection DOAJ
description Why did crime fiction first establish itself on the basis of a distinction, or even opposition, between the character of the detective and that of the police officer ? This article explores the series of Sherlock Holmes stories published by Arthur Conan Doyle between 1887 and 1927 and analyses the relationship between the emergence of crime fiction and the strengthening of nation-states. Nation-states, with their bio-political projects, aim at ensuring that reality is both ordered and predictable. Mysteries stand out on this backdrop of supposedly calculable reality. Social reality is structured by the tension between law and order and the class society. Police officers embody law and order, to which all subordinates have to abide by. The detective, using extra-legal means, solves mysteries affecting upper class members of society. The detective is the state’s ordinary state of exception.
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spelling doaj.art-7d55b34cac7941ec89899e68992e7b422024-02-13T14:05:21ZfraENS ÉditionsTracés1763-00611963-18122011-05-0120497310.4000/traces.5049Une étude en noirLuc BoltanskiWhy did crime fiction first establish itself on the basis of a distinction, or even opposition, between the character of the detective and that of the police officer ? This article explores the series of Sherlock Holmes stories published by Arthur Conan Doyle between 1887 and 1927 and analyses the relationship between the emergence of crime fiction and the strengthening of nation-states. Nation-states, with their bio-political projects, aim at ensuring that reality is both ordered and predictable. Mysteries stand out on this backdrop of supposedly calculable reality. Social reality is structured by the tension between law and order and the class society. Police officers embody law and order, to which all subordinates have to abide by. The detective, using extra-legal means, solves mysteries affecting upper class members of society. The detective is the state’s ordinary state of exception.https://journals.openedition.org/traces/5049crime fictionthe Stateexceptionrealitymystery
spellingShingle Luc Boltanski
Une étude en noir
Tracés
crime fiction
the State
exception
reality
mystery
title Une étude en noir
title_full Une étude en noir
title_fullStr Une étude en noir
title_full_unstemmed Une étude en noir
title_short Une étude en noir
title_sort une etude en noir
topic crime fiction
the State
exception
reality
mystery
url https://journals.openedition.org/traces/5049
work_keys_str_mv AT lucboltanski uneetudeennoir