Customer Reviews

Snobbery with Violence: English Crime Stories and Their Audience

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Colin Watson, Snobbery with Violence: Crime Stories and Their Audience (Eyre and Spotswood, 1971)

I was expecting a survey with this book (rather like Moorcock's lovely Wizardry and Wild Romance), but got something altogether different: a critical assessment. Watson, a writer a notable crime fiction himself, looks over the state of things in relative detail from the turn of the century up to the emergence of James Bond (whose creator he calls "hopelessly derivative," then goes on to show examples from many other authors he covered earlier in the book). While there's a bit of a bibliographic feel to the narrative-- fans of crime fiction will certainly see a new name or two to hunt down in one's library's stacks-- Watson is more concerned with the morals and values to be found in both the fiction and the authors writing it, and what those morals and values said about the changing of British society in the twentieth century. It's interesting stuff to be sure, but something of a vertical-market piece. Those who think they'll find it interesting most certainly will. *** ½

Undiscovered because although published in 1971 it is now out of print. A masterpiece because not only does it fulfil the Author's aim as cited in his Introduction,but unwittingly he has given something more. He uses the history of Crime fiction from inception to 1965 (about 100 years) to provide a contemporary reflection of the conventional attitudes & beliefs of ordinary members of the Public. In short it is a work of Social History. But more than this it is as Social History a brilliant exposition of the mores of aparticular strata of English Society in the 2 decades between WW1 & WW2. This strata was the English Lower Middle Class living in the suburbs of the great conurbations.Colin Watson himself belonged to this strata in his formative years & delineates this both positively & unconsciously when writing of other periods. Aside from the Social Historian the style & wit of the survey can be enjoyed by any reader of discernment