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ogreart's review
4.0
I was hoping it would be a course in writing mystery and suspense, but it was more of a history of the genre. And a very interesting history it is. I was able to learn a lot about how successful stories in this genre are put together, so, in a way, that can apply to any I want to try to write. It also gave me some great ideas for books I want to try reading. All in all, this was a good investment of my time.
auntblh's review
2.0
I didn't enjoy this as much as I did How Great Science Fiction Works. Part of my issue with this one was the professor's accent. He kept dropping his gs (i.e. settin' instead of setting). I also wasn't fond that most of his lectures revolved around the same books/authors.
married2agamer's review
4.0
This was an interesting series; it introduced a lot of books I had never heard of before but also lead to a lot of thoughts about society, justice, and answers.
josephvanburen's review
5.0
A very thorough look at mystery fiction, from detective to hard-boiled to modern noir. It actually covers a lot of other related genres as well: crime thriller, espionage, true crime, etc. as well as books and stories from different eras, countries, and ethnicities. As a reader, this was a great introduction to a widespread genre that I am not that familiar with. As a writer, I found the analyses fascinating and inspiring. It took a long time to get through the audiobook, but I remained interested in the material all the way to the end. I'm looking forward to reading some of the books mentioned in this lecture series.
hammo's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the first quarter. The rest of it dragged on quite a lot.
After introducing the genre, several threads are pursued. An interesting one is how the relationship between the protagonists of M&SF (mystery and suspense fiction) and official law enforcement have evolved over time. Poe's OG detective Dupin was positively antagonistic to the French police (during the 1840's police were a new institution and so were often distrusted), Holmes was accommodating but condescending to Scotland Yard, to hard-boiled private eye Sam Spade the police are something like a flawed institution which it is necessary to get along with, and in police procedurals law enforcement officers themselves becomes the protagonists.
A thread which was pursued most thoroughly was how MS&F novels have been used to empower minorities. There are lectures are on "African American Mysteries", "Native American Mysteries", "Female Centred Mystery and Suspense" (also "The Lady Detective"), "Gay and Lesbian Mystery and Suspense" , and "Latino Detectives at the Border". Although this is interesting, it ended up being pretty repetitive.
I would've liked to have learned more about real life crime, law-enforcement, and detection, and how the history of these areas is reflected in the genre. The fact that this was only ever covered tangentially seems like an oversight to me. I also would've liked an analysis of how changing attitudes to science and rationality have been reflected in the genre (Holmes & Dupin embody full enlightenment optimism about rationality triumphing over the world, in the war era people's faith in rationality as a power for good was shaken and about the same time the hard-boiled detective emerged [coincidence?], and more recent police procedurals are again very rationalism-positive, although there is more of an emphasis on teams of people with high-tech equipment rather than armchair geniuses). This type of thing was hinted at, but never directly addressed in the lecture series.
My "to-read" list has expanded ~10% as a result of listening to this series.
After introducing the genre, several threads are pursued. An interesting one is how the relationship between the protagonists of M&SF (mystery and suspense fiction) and official law enforcement have evolved over time. Poe's OG detective Dupin was positively antagonistic to the French police (during the 1840's police were a new institution and so were often distrusted), Holmes was accommodating but condescending to Scotland Yard, to hard-boiled private eye Sam Spade the police are something like a flawed institution which it is necessary to get along with, and in police procedurals law enforcement officers themselves becomes the protagonists.
A thread which was pursued most thoroughly was how MS&F novels have been used to empower minorities. There are lectures are on "African American Mysteries", "Native American Mysteries", "Female Centred Mystery and Suspense" (also "The Lady Detective"), "Gay and Lesbian Mystery and Suspense" , and "Latino Detectives at the Border". Although this is interesting, it ended up being pretty repetitive.
I would've liked to have learned more about real life crime, law-enforcement, and detection, and how the history of these areas is reflected in the genre. The fact that this was only ever covered tangentially seems like an oversight to me. I also would've liked an analysis of how changing attitudes to science and rationality have been reflected in the genre (Holmes & Dupin embody full enlightenment optimism about rationality triumphing over the world, in the war era people's faith in rationality as a power for good was shaken and about the same time the hard-boiled detective emerged [coincidence?], and more recent police procedurals are again very rationalism-positive, although there is more of an emphasis on teams of people with high-tech equipment rather than armchair geniuses). This type of thing was hinted at, but never directly addressed in the lecture series.
My "to-read" list has expanded ~10% as a result of listening to this series.
booksuperpower's review
5.0
The Great Courses – The Secrets of Great Mystery and Suspense Fiction- taught by Professor David Schmid, Ph.D. , is a 2016 The Great Courses publication.
I discovered ‘The Great Courses’, believe it or not, via my parents, who always challenge themselves by learning new languages or just taking courses on anything they find interesting.
I stumbled across a few of the courses on Hoopla a while back, but, it seems they have now been removed from their catalog, or had been the last time I checked, anyway. One reason may be that ‘Courses’ is offering a new streaming service subscription, which gives you unlimited access to many of their courses for a monthly fee.
I’ve been thinking about learning a new language and boning up on my sentence structure and vocabulary skills, so I decided to give the service a try. Lo and behold, while browsing through the various offerings, I found this gem.
The thirty-six- installment course, is taught by David Schmid, an author in his own right. The course takes the viewer through the beginnings of the mystery genre, starting with Edgar Allan Poe, naturally, and then touching upon every type of detective/ mystery/ thriller sub-genre you could imagine.
This is a very interesting and entertaining course that is informative and thought-provoking. Any lover of crime fiction will enjoy these lectures, as well as those who may be considering authoring a crime novel.
The usual suspects, if you will, are examined and studied, such as Poe, Christie, and Holmes, but more obscure authors are looked at as well, as are niche genres or themes, such as Noir, Cozy mysteries, Legal Thrillers, and many others.
Keep in mind, these are lessons, just like those you would take in school, and employees little visual aid. Each lecture is about thirty minutes long, so they are easy to fit into a busy schedule.
I enjoyed the professor’s analysis, and had a lot of fun learning about vintage crime stories, the progression of women in mystery and crime fiction, the various popular themes through the years, and the discoveries new authors and even a few sub-genres I have yet to tap into.
The courses are available via audible, on CD or from the streaming service I mentioned previously. I enjoyed the course immensely and do recommend it!!
I discovered ‘The Great Courses’, believe it or not, via my parents, who always challenge themselves by learning new languages or just taking courses on anything they find interesting.
I stumbled across a few of the courses on Hoopla a while back, but, it seems they have now been removed from their catalog, or had been the last time I checked, anyway. One reason may be that ‘Courses’ is offering a new streaming service subscription, which gives you unlimited access to many of their courses for a monthly fee.
I’ve been thinking about learning a new language and boning up on my sentence structure and vocabulary skills, so I decided to give the service a try. Lo and behold, while browsing through the various offerings, I found this gem.
The thirty-six- installment course, is taught by David Schmid, an author in his own right. The course takes the viewer through the beginnings of the mystery genre, starting with Edgar Allan Poe, naturally, and then touching upon every type of detective/ mystery/ thriller sub-genre you could imagine.
This is a very interesting and entertaining course that is informative and thought-provoking. Any lover of crime fiction will enjoy these lectures, as well as those who may be considering authoring a crime novel.
The usual suspects, if you will, are examined and studied, such as Poe, Christie, and Holmes, but more obscure authors are looked at as well, as are niche genres or themes, such as Noir, Cozy mysteries, Legal Thrillers, and many others.
Keep in mind, these are lessons, just like those you would take in school, and employees little visual aid. Each lecture is about thirty minutes long, so they are easy to fit into a busy schedule.
I enjoyed the professor’s analysis, and had a lot of fun learning about vintage crime stories, the progression of women in mystery and crime fiction, the various popular themes through the years, and the discoveries new authors and even a few sub-genres I have yet to tap into.
The courses are available via audible, on CD or from the streaming service I mentioned previously. I enjoyed the course immensely and do recommend it!!
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