Anna Katharine Green Criticism
Anna Katharine Green (1846-1935) was a pioneering American writer renowned for her significant contributions to the mystery and detective fiction genres. Dubbed the "mother of the detective story," Green's work established many conventions that would become staples of the genre, such as the coroner's inquest, expert testimony, and detailed maps of crime scenes. Her narratives introduced iconic characters, including Inspector Ebenezer Gryce and female detectives like Amelia Butterworth and Violet Strange, who foreshadowed figures like Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Nancy Drew.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Green was the daughter of a prominent lawyer and had aspirations of becoming a poet, a pursuit she explored by composing verses from an early age. Influenced by the works of Edgar Allan Poe and Émile Gaboriau, as well as her father's legal career, she ventured into detective fiction with her debut novel, The Leavenworth Case (1878). This novel became a bestseller, predating Sherlock Holmes by nearly a decade, and it showcased her knack for creating intricate, plausible plots that avoided reliance on fantastical elements.
The Leavenworth Case set the template for Green's subsequent works, often involving murders set in high society with intricate clues rooted in love entanglements and surprise twists. Her detective stories frequently featured courtroom dramas and a blend of professional and amateur detectives, highlighting her innovative storytelling. As noted by critics like Howard Haycraft, Green's influence on the development of the American detective novel is profound, particularly through her pioneering use of female investigators, as discussed by Cheri L. Ross and John Cornillon.
Though Green's work was celebrated for its originality and meticulous plot construction, her adherence to Victorian mores led to a decline in popularity by the mid-20th century. Nevertheless, contemporary critics and readers, including luminaries like Wilkie Collins, praised her for the realism and ingenuity of her plots, a sentiment echoed by Harkins and Johnston. While some modern critics find her stories melodramatic, Green remains a pivotal figure in the history of detective fiction, recognized for her innovative narrative techniques and for broadening the scope of the genre to include female detectives, as highlighted by Audrey Peterson.
Contents
- Principal Works
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Essays
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Anna Katharine Green (Mrs. Rohlfs)
(summary)
In the following essay, Harkins and Johnston focus on Green's literary beginnings, her role as a trailblazer in the genre of detective fiction, and her strengths as a writer.
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Anna Katharine Green
(summary)
In the following essay, Overton examines Dark Hollow in order to illustrate Green's method of writing detective stories.
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Anna Katharine Green
(summary)
In the following essay, Woodward recalls her visit with Green in Buffalo, New York, during which the eighty-three-year-old author reflected on the differences between contemporary mystery stories and those written around the time The Leavenworth Case was first published.
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America: 1890-1914 (The Romantic Age)
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Haycraft underscores the historical importance of Green's mysteries, particularly The Leavenworth Case, to the detective genre in America.
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A Case for Violet Strange
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Cornillon views The Golden Slipper and Other Problems for Violet Strange from a feminist perspective, showing how the collection exposes female oppression and emphasizes sisterhood.
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Anna Katharine Green
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Hayne discusses the historical importance of Green's works in terms of her consolidation of the detective novel and the sensational novel and her contribution to the literary convention of the professional and amateur detective working together to solve a crime.
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Some Minor Voices
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Peterson emphasizes Green's influence on later detective writers, and describes three of Green's principal detectives: Ebenezer Gryce, Amelia Butterworth, and Violet Strange.
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The First Feminist Detective: Anna Katharine Green's Amelia Butterworth
(summary)
In the following excerpt, Ross calls That Affair Next Door a feminist work, arguing that Green challenges conventional notions of female behavior through her portrayal of Amelia Butterworth.
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Anna Katharine Green (Mrs. Rohlfs)
(summary)
- Further Reading