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The IUP Journal of English Studies

A Postcolonial Rereading of Sherlock Holmes and Feluda

Article Details

Pub. Date	: Sep, 2022
Product Name	: The IUP Journal of English Studies
Product Type	: Article
Product Code	: IJES010922
Author Name	: Rima Bhattacharya
Availability	: YES
Subject/Domain	: Arts & Humanities
Download Format	: PDF Format
No. of Pages	: 11

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Abstract

This paper depicts how writers from colonizing nations often use the genre of crime fiction as a colonizing force through the literary appropriation of a country and its inhabitants. It examines how the detective who functions as a cultural informant uses the power or authority of his knowledge to fulfill his imperial cultural enterprise.

Further, this paper explores the relationship between crime fiction and postcolonial consciousness by comparing the story of a white mainstream author, Arthur Conan Doyle, with that of a native Indian writer, Satyajit Ray. Finally, the paper probes how indigenous authors of crime fictions 'mimic' the style of mainstream white writers as a means of subtly undermining their quasi-colonial oppression.

Introduction

Detective fiction is one of the most popular literary genres enjoying the advantages of mass production and the appreciation of a global reading audience. However, despite its widespread popularity, detective fiction or crime fiction, in general, has received relatively less scholarly interest until recent times. The early detective fictions of the 1960s and 1970s had some typical features of their own, but now such stories have come a long way to incorporate heterogeneous elements. They have adopted the ability to address social and ideological issues, moving beyond the mere task of crime-solving.