Cozy mysteries are a subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur offstage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and its detection take place in a small, socially intimate community, standing in contrast to hardboiled fiction, where violence and explicit sexuality are central to the plot. The term cozy was used to describe works in this genre by the 1960s, though it gained widespread recognition only in the late twentieth century, as various writers produced work attempting to recreate the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.
Facts
Place of OriginThe term 'cozy' was applied to the genre by the 1960s, but it only gained wide recognition in the late 20th century, when writers set out to revive the Golden Age of Detective Fiction. 1 Notable ExampleAgatha Christie's Miss Marple, who appears in twelve novels, is a defining example of the amateur-sleuth cozy detective. 1 Defining TraitA subgenre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur offstage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and its detection unfold in a small, socially intimate community. 1 FAQs
Why can the detective in a cozy mystery solve crimes without being a police officer?
Authorities dismiss them as busybodies, which leaves them free to gather clues.
The detectives in cozy mysteries are almost always amateurs. Because the authorities generally dismiss them as nosy busybodies, particularly if they are middle-aged or elderly women, they are left free to eavesdrop, gather clues, and use their native intelligence to solve the crime.
Connections
Sources
1. Cozy Mystery (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)lead paragraph, first sentence
Cozy mysteries (or cosy mysteries) are a sub-genre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur offstage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community.
body text on Agatha Christie's Miss Marple
The Miss Marple character, created by Agatha Christie, appears in 12 novels which have been adapted numerous times for film and television.
History section, on the term's 1960s coinage and its late-20th-century Golden Age revival
The term 'cozy' was used to describe works in this genre by the 1960s, though it only gained widespread recognition in the late 20th century, when various writers produced work in an attempt to recreate the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.
In Group: Detective and Crime Fiction Subgenres, Lead section
Cozy mysteries (or cosy mysteries) are a sub-genre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur offstage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially intimate community.
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