Classic crime novels a boon for feminism
THEY have already been credited with rejuvenating the book market, as real paper novels battle back against the rise of ebooks.
But it appears that decorative classic book covers so popular with modern readers have had another, inadvertent benefit: a boost for feminism.
The trend for ornate retro book covers has made Thirties crime fiction fashionable again, bringing a trend for misogynistic killings to an end, according to Ann Cleeves, a crime writer.
The author of the and series said that until recently, writers had felt under pressure to introduce “beautiful young women in peril” to their early chapters in order to sell books.
She said scenes in which women were “nastily, graphically mutilated or tortured” had become almost a requirement for new crime novels, as publishers sought to recreate the success of books such as
But that “peak of sadism” seems to have passed, she added, as readers switch to classic crime.
Speaking at the festival, she highlighted the success of the British Library’s classic crime series, a collection of more than 25 books from decades ago, reprinted with old-fashioned rail- way poster-style covers. In 2014, one such book, became a surprise Christmas bestseller.
“What was really making me anxious was that young new female writers were feeling obliged to put this sort of material at the beginning of their book,” she said.
“But what’s been brilliant over the last couple of years is that the British Library have done a whole series called classic crimes, which are set in the Thirties.
“Because they’re selling in their millions, publishers are realising that you don’t need a mutilated young woman or someone who’s been tortured and locked up in a cage. You can actually sell books that are very different.
“So I think that peak of sadism has passed a bit now.”