Death of a Great Detective : New Genres of Detective Fiction in 1960s Japan and 1980s China

Abstract

Western classic detective fiction was introduced and translated into Japan and China almost simultaneously and inspired both Japanese and Chinese novelists to create fiction with individual, prodigious detectives as their leading roles, which was not too dissimilar to their Western counterparts. Nevertheless, in the postwar era, Japan and China developed diverse genres of detective fiction. In 1960s’ Japan, the Syakaiha(Social School) detective fiction, which is best represented by Matsumoto Seicho, tended to produce realistic works wherein the police, journalists and ordinary citizens, instead of great detectives, turned out to be the leading force in solving murder cases. In 1980s China, however, the state helped to nurture a new literary genre, Hose Bungaku(Legal System Literature), which highlighted how the police caught criminals. Having borrowed techniques from Syakaiha detective fiction, Hose Bungaku, also has its own characteristics. This paper compares both genres by positioning them in the different contexts of Japan and China and further discusses their historical significance.

Keywords

• detective fiction
• Social School
• popular novels
• Legal System Literature
• Matsumoto Seicho