Why do spies have such cachet in the twentieth century? Why do they keep reinventing themselves? What do they mean in a political process? This book examines the tradition of the spy narrative from its inception in the late nineteenth century through...
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Why do spies have such cachet in the twentieth century? Why do they keep reinventing themselves? What do they mean in a political process? This book examines the tradition of the spy narrative from its inception in the late nineteenth century through the present day. Ranging from John le Carré’s bestsellers to Elizabeth Bowen’s novels, from James Bond to John Banville’s contemporary narratives, Allan Hepburn sets the historical contexts of these fictions: the Cambridge spy ring; the Profumo Affair; the witch-hunts against gay men in the civil service and diplomatic corps in the 1950s.Instead of focusing on the formulaic nature of the genre, Intrigue emphasizes the responsiveness of spy stories to particular historical contingencies. Hepburn begins by offering a systematic theory of the conventions and attractions of espionage fiction and then examines the British and Irish tradition of spy novels. A final section considers the particular form that American spy narratives have taken as they have cross-fertilized with the tradition of American romance in works such as Joan Didion’s Democracy and John Barth’s Sabbatical
'Intrigue' examines the tradition of the spy narrative in the 20th century, setting the historical contexts for the main themes of the genre, such as the Cambridge spy ring & the Profumo Affair. Hepburn offers a systematic theory of the conventions &...
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Universitätsbibliothek der Eberhard Karls Universität
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'Intrigue' examines the tradition of the spy narrative in the 20th century, setting the historical contexts for the main themes of the genre, such as the Cambridge spy ring & the Profumo Affair. Hepburn offers a systematic theory of the conventions & attractions of espionage fiction
Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-321) and index. - Print version record
Spies : a theory of intrigueThrills : fear and catharsis as ideological effects -- Codes : self-evident meaning in narratives of intrigue -- Ghosts : illegitimacy and commitment in Under western eyes -- Sewers : fantasies of death and disgust in The third man -- Collaborations : love and war in The heat of the day -- Walls : The spy who came in from the cold as allegory -- Leaks : fighting the queer cold war in The untouchable -- Disappearances : missing bodies in Sabbatical -- Democracy : the death of a spy.
