Until relatively recently, crime fiction was frequently seen, alongside other forms of popular fiction, as less worthy of serious critical attention than other forms of literature. Yet it is one of the longest-lived and most popular genres of fiction. It also raises important theoretical questions concerning, for example, plot, character, discourse, and setting, while at the same time reflecting and illuminating transformations in social attitudes. This course will introduce students to both the historical development of crime fiction from its roots in the 19th century to the present, and explore the broad international scope of the genre. It will approach crime fictions both as texts rooted in and organised by specific generic traditions, and as social documents linked both to changing concepts of transgression, punishment, and justice, and a number of other important concepts including gender, race, and class. It will also adopt an intermedial approach to crime narratives by studying adaptations, and by examining contemporary screen crime dramas.