Škvoreckého Nápady čtenáře detektivek, jejich zdroje, metoda a místo v kontextu uvažování o detektivním žánru
Škvorecký’s Ideas of a Detective-Story Reader: Sources, Method and Place in the Context of Crime Fiction Theory

Summary/Abstract: This study situates Josef Škvorecký’s book The Ideas of a Detective-Story Reader (1965) within crime fiction scholarship, emphasizing its critical methodology. The second part examines a central paradox: Škvorecký’s rejection of realism in detective fiction alongside his appreciation of authors who introduced realistic elements. His work draws mainly on Howard Haycraft’s Murder for Pleasure and the anthology The Art of the Mystery Story, influential in shaping criticism from the 1920s to the 1940s. Selected analyses show that Škvorecký went beyond Haycraft’s approach and anticipated later trends in crime fiction studies, particularly those emphasizing the social conditions underlying crime. His essays deserve recognition not only for their popularizing role, but also for their scholarly rigor.

• Details
• Contents