11 | Lady Detectives in History and Literature

2019-01-11

Women solving crimes, preventing assassinations, gossiping to find killers, and breaking into archetypes and police forces. Who are the notable female sleuths from literature, and how does their development reflect the changing nature of police departments? How does Agatha Christie’s most famous lady detective fit an archetype, but break the mold? What happened to the first generation of women who grew up reading Nancy Drew? We start in the 1840s with literary traditions and the creation of m...

Women solving crimes, preventing assassinations, gossiping to find killers, and breaking into archetypes and police forces.

Who are the notable female sleuths from literature, and how does their development reflect the changing nature of police departments? How does Agatha Christie’s most famous lady detective fit an archetype, but break the mold? What happened to the first generation of women who grew up reading Nancy Drew?

We start in the 1840s with literary traditions and the creation of modern police forces, introduce you to the real Kate Warne and a novel about her, and discuss literary and real-life legacies of women who changed crime solving.

In this episode, we make powerful connections between history and literature, and between modern policewomen and recent crime novels. You'll also get lots of great book recommendations!

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Written by Misty Wilson-Mehrtens and Allegra Davis Hanna

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