Misfit In Crime

Fascination with the crime fiction and socially deviant characters has hit an all-time high. Rachel Franks author of “A Taste for Murder: The Curious Case of Crime Fiction,” states “it has been estimated that as many as one in every three new novels, published in English, is classified within the crime fiction category” (1). Yet a quick glance at the evidence Franks presents might makes it difficult for some to believe. People like John Sutherland a former chairman of the judges for one of the world's most famous literary awards who suggests submitting a crime novel for the Booker Prize would be: "like 255 putting a donkey into the Grand National"(Franks 4).One can assume he doesn't seem to think highly of the quality of crime fiction . Despite

It could be said that it’s human nature to be attracted and attempt to understand to something new and unusual. The misfit is an example of a character who is very unusual and doesn't fit the stereotypical image of an evil psychopathic killer displayed on mainstream crime television. In “A good man is hard to find” author Flannery O'Connor writes “I was a gospel singer for a while," The Misfit said. "I been most everything. Been in the arm service, both land and sea, at home and abroad, been twice married, been an undertaker, been with the railroads, plowed Mother Earth, been in a tornado, seen a man burnt alive once"(8).Other than seeing a man burnt alive the reader can see the

It’s not an exaggeration to say humans are attracted to people with similar characteristics to their own. In “The Black Cat” the narrator confesses, “Our friendship lasted, in this manner, for several years, during which my general temperament and character -- through the instrumentality of the Fiend Intemperance -- had (I blush to confess it) experienced a radical alteration for the worse”. There are readers who know or suffer from this affliction of radical temperament alteration due to alcoholism. This leads them to have some kind of an emotional attachment to the character because they either empathize or are disgusted with him. The more emotional attachment they have with this narrator the more their invested in his story and are likely to read on. It’s this feedback loop of appealing to readers’ egos that causes them to consistently enjoy crime fiction and deviant