Tag Archives: detective fiction

11/6/21

Journalistic Integrity & its Consequences

Ricardo Piglia’s “Crazy Woman and the Tale of the Crime” is a short story interested in untouchable higher-ups and those who wish to expose them. I found this story both difficult to comprehend and extremely captivating. Piglia’s decision to have the titular “Crazy Woman” be the key to the solving of the crime is very interesting. In a sense, this decision sets the fictional detectives up for failure. The Crazy Woman proves to be somewhat of an unreliable narrator- her speech occurs in a sort of stream of consciousness rant, and we are predisposed to distrust her based on the fact the she is seemingly homeless and literally described as crazy. Unfortunately, it is keeping up appearances that society holds most dear, and this poor possibly unbalanced woman is no match for Almada’s arrogance and elevated societal position. Even once Anahi is proven to be onto something with her information- that Almada really is the murderer- the journalist Renzi is forcefully encouraged to look the other way. The understanding is that if he isn’t killed for reporting on this issue, he will be fired, and having no job will be the least of his worries.

This story is a tragic reminder of the casualties that occur in the search for the truth. Many journalists are killed or imprisoned for getting too close to the truth of what is really happening. We see this occur all over the world, and many individuals are forced to make a choice: are they willing to die for their pursuit of truth? This is too big of a price to pay, and it should not ever have to be asked, but the reality is, just like in Piglia’s story, criminals are protected by powerful people with many resources. It is a bleak reminder of the state of our present, and of our future if corruption and bribery are not dealt with swiftly and severely.

10/7/21

The Puzzle of a Broken System

María Bermúdez’s “The Puzzle of the Broken Watch” (1948) is an interesting piece of detective fiction in terms of its conformity to the genre norms. While the short story does adhere to the genre expectations of the ratiocination era of detective fiction, there are subtle unconventional elements that stand out as holding importance.  

This short story is immediately placed within the ratiocination sub-genre of detective fiction by introducing Miguel, the main investigator, reading. Bermúdez does also satisfy several of Borges’ rules for detective fiction, including; no more than six main characters; a temporal distance between the crime and investigation; minimal blood and gore; and a logical and plausible solution. However, after discussing Bermúdez’s academic and advocacy background, I think it is important to consider the ways that she strays from tradition and the importance of it.  

Miguel is employed to investigate the crime because the police failed to effectively serve justice and protect the public. Additionally, the murderer is a member of the police force. These two elements are important because it breaks against the genre norm of the detective working with the police to serve justice. However, it is the criminal in this story who works with the police, as a police officer, offering him protection from suspicion. I would argue that this reversal acts as a critique of police corruption; the state fails to protect its people by both actively harming innocent civilians, symbolized by Rosa’s murder, but also by ineffectively carrying out justice. The police force’s integrity is questioned and critiqued in this story, there is no glorification of the state as an instrument for serving justice.  

Bermúdez’s active participation in women’s rights also has me considering the importance of the female victim. Since the story places more importance on ‘who’ rather than ‘how’ the choice of a female as the victim seems deliberate to me, especially in this male-dominated genre. The investigation focuses quite heavily on motives and ultimately the proposed motive is jealousy. Rosa was an innocent young woman who exercised her right to say no to a man. Her murder stands out to me as a critique of the possessive nature of men and the danger women face when they exercise autonomy.  

Bermúdez breaking these norms is potentially a form of her activism. As we discussed in the interventionism section, short stories can act as powerful tools for creating an empathetic understanding of complex and harsh realities. The shocking revelation of Ismael, a police officer, as the murderer of an innocent woman, may be Bermúdez’s way of conveying a message about her society. 

10/7/21

Death and the Compass and the Rules

When reading “Death and the Compass”, I was most interested in the author, Borges’ six rules in regard to the detective fiction genre. As a result, I chose to write about how these rules fit within this short story.

Rule one that Borges mentions is that the story must not contain any more than 6 characters. This rule was set in place so as to not confuse the reader too much. In this detective fiction, there are no more than 6 major characters.

Rule two is that the criminal has to be introduced in the beginning. In this short story, one of the villains is the second victim, Daniel Simón Azevedo.

Rule three is that the twist villain must not be forced into the role of villain. Although the reader does not get to know much about Azevedo prior to his death, it is revealed earlier on that he has a background in crime, making the reveal of him being one of the villains somewhat believable. 

The fourth rule is the priority of how over who. Toward the final murder, the detective Lönnrott tries to figure out some patterns on how the victim will be murdered rather than the identity of the next victim.

Rule six states that the victim must not have a blood-red death. This rule makes it easier to figure out the cause of death.

The final rule that Borges writes is that the crime must be mysterious without resorting to the use of magic or hypnotism. All of the murders in “Death and the Compass” are mysterious yet do not use any form of magic or hypnotism. All of the murders that can be replicated in real life.

With all these rules set in place, the writer has the foundation for a good detective fiction.

10/6/21

Spatial Inequality and Access to Justice: A Cross Comparison between Parasite (2019) and “The Puzzle of the Broken Watch”

Parasite (2019) is a Korean film directed by Bong Joon-ho. It follows attempts to class mobility by a lower-class Korean family. Although quite different genres, “The Puzzle of the Broken Watch” and Parasite explore spatial inequality through their surroundings and how those living in ‘slums’ access justice and navigate daily life institutions in unequal ways. 

In Parasite, the Kim’s home undergoes a fumigation leak, a man urinating in front of their family unit, and a disastrous inundation. Later, even at the shelter after losing their home to the rain, the conditions are inhumane, with the State’s unpreparedness to offer help to its lower-class citizens. Hence, the Kim family’s environment tells us how they experience neglect due to their economic status. In contrast, the Park family sees the rain as a blessing because the State has invested infrastructure into their area. 

In “The Puzzle of the Broken Watch,” class relations are not as explicit, but are still embedded within the narration of Juan’s neighbourhood and his dishonest arrest. Atlampa is a working-class neighbourhood in Mexico City, a city defined by its social stratification. Juan’s daily context is described as: “tenements which characterized the older, poorer Mexico … ravaged by the years … crowded with tables, assorted junk … improvised partition of bedspreads and sarapes” (pg. 4-5). Furthermore, there is constant neighbourhood vigilance, but this is not as to benefit each other. Instead, when needed, people keep silent to appease people in power (ex. gossiping ladies silence on Ismael). Ismael, a policeman and worker of the Mexican State, asserted his power against the neighbourhood, as they know if they speak on injustice, they will just be met with consequences. Juan’s unequal spatial context made him vulnerable to being framed in the first place. Ismael knew that Juan’s positionality within society was less valid than his. And had it not been for the willingness of the detective, Juan would have likely not gained justice. Or at least we assume he does, as the story ends without conclusion on Juan’s case. Additionally, it is interesting that when the detectives are looking at other plausible perpetrators, it is all working class people until they get to the murderer, perhaps representing their interchangeability.

Within both works, we see Mexican and Korean societal structures, given legitimacy by the State, keep cycles of exploitation and marginalization as to obstruct the working-class from obtaining justice. Both States deliberately fail to protect the working class, as they are seen as expendable. Their lives are not as valuable, and their spatial surroundings represent the lack of dignity that is assigned unto their identities. The States’ structures are built only for those who can afford freedom. Everyone else is in a state of survival, trying not to fall victim to the States’ corruption and negligence. Through a spatial context, both stories explore levels justice recognition.