Pistols and Petticoats

175 Years of Lady Detectives in Fact and Fiction

Erika Janik

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Hardback

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English

01 September 2018

Biography; Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers; Gender studies: women; Police & security services

A lively exploration of the struggles faced by women in law enforcement and mystery fiction for the past 175 years.

In 1910, Alice Wells took the oath to join the all-male Los Angeles Police Department. She wore no uniform, carried no weapon, and kept her badge stuffed in her pocketbook. She wasn't the first or only policewoman, but she became the movement's most visible voice.

Police work from its very beginning was considered a male domain, far too dangerous and rough for a respectable woman to even contemplate doing, much less take on as a profession. A policewoman worked outside the home, walking dangerous city streets late at night to confront burglars, drunks, scam artists, and prostitutes. To solve crimes, she observed, collected evidence, and used reason and logic traits typically associated with men. And most controversially of all, she had a purpose separate from her husband, children, and home.

Women who donned the badge faced harassment and discrimination. It would take more than seventy years for women to enter the force as full-fledged officers. Yet within the covers of popular fiction, women not only wrote mysteries but also created female characters that handily solved crimes. Smart, independent, and courageous, these nineteenth - and early twentieth - century female sleuths (including a healthy number created by male writers) set the stage for Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, Sara Paretsky's V. I. Warshawski, Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta, and Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, as well as TV detectives such as Jane Tennison of "Prime Suspect" and Olivia Benson of "Law and Order".

The authors were not amateurs dabbling in detection but professional writers who helped define the genre and competed with men, often to greater success. "Pistols and Petticoats" tells the story of women's very early place in crime fiction and their public crusade to transform policing. Whether real or fictional, investigating women were nearly always at odds with society. Most women refused to let that stop them, paving the way to a modern professional life for women on the force and in popular culture.

By: Erika Janik
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 236mm, Width: 160mm, Spine: 23mm
Weight: 526g
ISBN: 9780807039380
ISBN 10: 0807039381
Publication Date: 01 September 2018
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

CHAPTER ONE Detecting Women CHAPTER TWO Sleuths in Skirts CHAPTER THREE Sisterhood Behind Bars CHAPTER FOUR Spinster Sleuth CHAPTER FIVE The First Policewomen CHAPTER SIX Girl Detectives CHAPTER SEVEN Breaking Through the Ranks CHAPTER EIGHT Hard-Boiled Heroes CHAPTER NINE From Mothers to Crime Fighters CHAPTER TEN Women Detectives Today ACKNOWLEDGMENTS NOTES INDEX

Reviews for Pistols and Petticoats: 175 Years of Lady Detectives in Fact and Fiction

An entertaining history of women s daring, defiant life choices. Kirkus Reviews Erika Janik does a fine job tracing the history of women in police work while at the same time describing the role of females in crime fiction. The outcome, with a memorable gallery of characters, is a rich look at the ways in which fact and fiction overlap, reflecting the society surrounding them. A treat for fans of the mystery and who isn t? Katherine Hall Page, Agatha-Award winning mystery writer Fiction and reality meet and mingle in this fascinating work of cultural history. Who are the great female detectives in literature? Who were their historical precedents? How did they make their way in a predominantly male world, whether we re talking about the Pinkerton Detective Agency in 1861 or the S.V.U. on NBC? The best study of this hugely popular genre that I have ever read. William Martin, New York Times bestselling author of Back Bay and The Lincoln Letter