@article{Hynynen_2018, title={Queer Readings of Crime Fiction: The Importance of Genre}, volume={23}, url={https://lambdanordica.org/index.php/lambdanordica/article/view/482}, abstractNote={<div> <p>This article circumscribes the main characteristics of existing queer crime ction scholarship, and then explores the impact of literary genre in a queer reading of crime novels. An analysis of Arnaldur Indridason’s novel&nbsp;<em>Bettý</em>&nbsp;(2011), Brigitte Aubert’s thriller&nbsp;<em>Une âme de trop</em>&nbsp;(2006), and Pierre Lemaitre’s noir novels&nbsp;<em>Cadres noirs</em>&nbsp;(2010) and&nbsp;<em>Alex</em>&nbsp;(2013) demonstrates the extent to which genre conventions such as surprise and suspense can support or obstruct anti-normative representations of queer characters and phenomena. It is shown that the decoding of queer sexuality and gender is easily inscribed within a crime narrative but that this does not always entail a queer subversive perspective. The transgender gure placed at the centre of Aubert’s novel invites little discussion of non-normative gender or sexuality because of how the plot is structured, whereas the lesbian narrator and main character in Indridason’s story vehicles a strong critical message about heteronormative society and celebrates queer love. Open-endedness or ambiguous closures (Stewart 2014) are instrumental in expressing queerness in the crime genre, while they are also typical of certain kinds of non-queer socio-political crime novels. Lemaitre’s both novels combine anti-capitalist social critique with a defence of marginalised social groups, including women, children, and the poor.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <p>&nbsp;</p&gt;}, number={1-2}, journal={lambda nordica}, author={Hynynen, Andrea}, year={2018}, month={Oct.}, pages={19-38} }