The Boy Detective in Early British Children s Literature

Draws links between juvenile and adult detective fiction which are rarely acknowledged in criticism exploring the early history of British detective fiction
Uses extensive archival research on 'penny dreadfuls' and story papers that have, until now, been overlooked

Contributes to gender studies by exploring the relationship between the fictional boy detective and changing societal constructions of boyhood and male adolescence

Autorentext

Lucy Andrew is Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Chester. Her research interests are in children's and young adult literature, crime fiction and fandom. She has published on Veronica Mars and supernatural crime fiction for young readers. She is the co-editor of Crime Fiction in the City: Capital Crimes (2013).

Inhalt

1. Introduction: The Birth of the Boy Detective.- 2. The Corruption of Youth: Juvenile Delinquency and the Boy Detective Hero.- 3. Taming the Beast: Adolescence, Empire and the Detective's Boy Assistant.- 4. Be Prepared!: Looming Conflict, Active Citizenship and the Rise of the Professional Boy Detective.- 5. Forever Young: The Cult of Childhood and the Schoolboy Detective.- 6. The Journey Continues? Boy Detectives beyond the Story Papers.- Appendix: Chronology.- Bibliography.- Index.