What is the American thriller? Has it developed over time? What was it like in the past? This is a book about thrillers and gaining knowledge of what American thrillers were like in a specific period - the 1970s. Analysing seventies texts about crime, police, detectives, corruption, paranoia and revenge, The American Thriller aims to open debates on genre in the light of audience theory, literary history and the place of popular fiction at the moment of its production.

Autorentext

PAUL COBLEY is Reader in Communications at London Guildhall University.

Inhalt

Dedication Acknowledgements Introduction Firing the Generic Canon Reading the Space of the Seventies 'The Luxury to Worry about Justice': Hard-boiled Style and Heroism What do we 'Believe' when we 'See'? Views of Crime 'Keeping that Sixth Ball in the Air': The Police Sambos or Superspades? Just Because You're Paranoid it Doesn't Mean They're Not Out To Get You 'Thank God for the Rain...': Revenge from Dirty Harry to The Exterminator Conclusion Notes Index