Different Worldviews, Different World Literatures? The Contrasting Chronotopes of Ethnic Detective Fiction in Pasado Perfecto and The Beggar's Opera

The present article discusses the nature of ethnic detective fiction from the comparative perspective of world literature by underscoring the divergent discourses that can hide under such a seemingly unified subgenre. In the context of our current understanding of world literature, both the Inspector Ramirez series by Canadian crime writer Peggy Blair and the Lieutenant Conde series by Cuban author Leonardo Padura can be categorized as multiethnic, international, minority, multicultural, cross-cultural or ethnic detective fiction, because of the series’ focus on the Cuban crime scene. However, a comparison of the action-space, plotspace, and worldview chronotopes (i.e. time-space frames) of The Beggar’s Opera and Pasado perfecto reveals that the focalizers of both novels adhere to opposite worldviews. Pasado perfecto’s Cuban worldview chronotope largely conforms to the premises of the original hardboiled paradigm, whereas the Canadian worldview of The Beggar’s Opera appears to cross over from detective fiction into ethnographic travel fiction. In the end, it would seem the only thing holding both novels together is their shared label of ethnic detective fiction.

Jaar van publicatie:2020

Toegankelijkheid:Closed