Criminal Matters: The Role of Objects and Agency in Late Imperial Russian Detective Fiction
Lead Research Organisation:
University of St Andrews
Department Name: Finance Advice and Support
Abstract
Research questions - How do objects exercise agency and authority within Russian detective fiction narratives? How can a focus on the agency of objects in Russian detective fiction reshape contemporary theories of human and object agency towards an inclusive subjectivity that benefits traditionally subverted actors? What can material artefacts reveal about the agency of objects in crime and investigation as well as the role of objects in shaping society's relationship to these activities?
This project will analyse the agency of objects within late Imperial-era Russian detective fiction from a New Materialism perspective. This project challenges anthropocentric conceptions of authority actors, thereby reshaping contemporary approaches to detective fiction and literary studies. Asserting a broadly inclusive understanding of agency, this project recognises the significance of actors that operate outside traditionally acknowledged expressions of authority such as speech and movement. Analysing the depiction of material artefacts of crime and investigation within little-known literary narratives, this project will interrogate the impact of objects within investigation as a means of understanding society's relationship to crime.
The question of authority in detective fiction has been previously analysed in terms of knowledge, where detectives' authority is derived from their ability to obtain truth and thus close the gap between the story of the crime and that of the investigation (Todorov, 1966; Porter, 1981). Scholarship has discussed materiality in detective fiction narratives, regarding how particular objects aid literary detectives in locating evidence and solving cases by extending human capabilities (Thomas, 1999; Sweeney, 2003). Therefore, instruments and material evidence have been recognised as essential to detectives, directly tied to the special method which grants them authority.
Existing scholarship on detective fiction merely highlights the use of objects, operating under the assumption that the detective is positioned atop a hierarchy. This study, on the other hand, will examine how objects assert equal authority alongside the detective. The project will be informed by New Materialism perspectives that rethink objects as significant actors with the ability to influence events, rather than as a passive or inert background in social and human action. These perspectives include Actor-Network Theory (Latour, 2005) and assemblage theories (Deleuze and Guattari, 1980; DeLanda, 2016) that conceptualise action as dependent upon the interaction of many bodies and forces (Bennett, 2010). Within certain detective fiction narratives, for example, the detective expresses his expertise through collecting, sorting, and displaying evidence, while at the same time the objects themselves hold significant information. Through this process of interaction, displayed collections and detectives co-create investigative authority.
Primary source material will initially include the late Imperial-era crime stories of R. L. Antropov, A. E. Zarin, A. P. Chekhov, A. A. Shkliarevskii, S. A. Panov, N. P. Timofeev, and N. M. Sokolovskii. I will evaluate the impact of objects within the narratives and their interactions with human characters, with emphasis on the detective. I will interrogate how authority is constituted by both human and nonhuman agents within Russian detective fiction narratives, applying a New Materialism perspective. The scope of sources covered will allow a broad yet thorough understanding of how objects are portrayed in early Russian detective fiction with opportunities for comparison between different texts. Possible areas of focus for chapters include: collections held by detectives; the role of material evidence in solving cases; objects that grant the detective access; disguises; the aesthetics of space; and technologies of detection involving sight or measurement.
This project will analyse the agency of objects within late Imperial-era Russian detective fiction from a New Materialism perspective. This project challenges anthropocentric conceptions of authority actors, thereby reshaping contemporary approaches to detective fiction and literary studies. Asserting a broadly inclusive understanding of agency, this project recognises the significance of actors that operate outside traditionally acknowledged expressions of authority such as speech and movement. Analysing the depiction of material artefacts of crime and investigation within little-known literary narratives, this project will interrogate the impact of objects within investigation as a means of understanding society's relationship to crime.
The question of authority in detective fiction has been previously analysed in terms of knowledge, where detectives' authority is derived from their ability to obtain truth and thus close the gap between the story of the crime and that of the investigation (Todorov, 1966; Porter, 1981). Scholarship has discussed materiality in detective fiction narratives, regarding how particular objects aid literary detectives in locating evidence and solving cases by extending human capabilities (Thomas, 1999; Sweeney, 2003). Therefore, instruments and material evidence have been recognised as essential to detectives, directly tied to the special method which grants them authority.
Existing scholarship on detective fiction merely highlights the use of objects, operating under the assumption that the detective is positioned atop a hierarchy. This study, on the other hand, will examine how objects assert equal authority alongside the detective. The project will be informed by New Materialism perspectives that rethink objects as significant actors with the ability to influence events, rather than as a passive or inert background in social and human action. These perspectives include Actor-Network Theory (Latour, 2005) and assemblage theories (Deleuze and Guattari, 1980; DeLanda, 2016) that conceptualise action as dependent upon the interaction of many bodies and forces (Bennett, 2010). Within certain detective fiction narratives, for example, the detective expresses his expertise through collecting, sorting, and displaying evidence, while at the same time the objects themselves hold significant information. Through this process of interaction, displayed collections and detectives co-create investigative authority.
Primary source material will initially include the late Imperial-era crime stories of R. L. Antropov, A. E. Zarin, A. P. Chekhov, A. A. Shkliarevskii, S. A. Panov, N. P. Timofeev, and N. M. Sokolovskii. I will evaluate the impact of objects within the narratives and their interactions with human characters, with emphasis on the detective. I will interrogate how authority is constituted by both human and nonhuman agents within Russian detective fiction narratives, applying a New Materialism perspective. The scope of sources covered will allow a broad yet thorough understanding of how objects are portrayed in early Russian detective fiction with opportunities for comparison between different texts. Possible areas of focus for chapters include: collections held by detectives; the role of material evidence in solving cases; objects that grant the detective access; disguises; the aesthetics of space; and technologies of detection involving sight or measurement.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Grace Docherty (Student) |