Gumshoe America
Hard-Boiled Crime Fiction and the Rise and Fall of New Deal Liberalism
Book • 2000
In 'Gumshoe America', Sean McCann examines how hard-boiled crime fiction both reflected and shaped American political culture during the New Deal and postwar eras.
He argues that the genre's narratives about corruption, violence, and individual agency illuminate broader anxieties about liberal institutions and democratic governance.
Combining literary analysis with historical context, McCann traces how crime fiction engaged debates over law, order, and reform in a changing America.
The book situates authors like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler within larger cultural transformations, revealing the genre's ideological complexity.
McCann's work is influential in literary studies for linking genre literature to political histories.
He argues that the genre's narratives about corruption, violence, and individual agency illuminate broader anxieties about liberal institutions and democratic governance.
Combining literary analysis with historical context, McCann traces how crime fiction engaged debates over law, order, and reform in a changing America.
The book situates authors like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler within larger cultural transformations, revealing the genre's ideological complexity.
McCann's work is influential in literary studies for linking genre literature to political histories.
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Mentioned by John Plotz as part of Sean McCann's scholarly credentials when introducing him.
10.1 "Extreme Circumstances, Extreme Reactions:” Aaron Gwyn and Sean McCann (JP)
