Call for Papers: Monograph on the female detective on TV.

Anna Backman Rogers & Laura Nicholson seek abstracts for their forthcoming edited monograph on the female detective on TV. DEADLINE MARCH 5TH.

Because The Basic Human Form is Female: The female detective in Television. Edited by Anna Backman Rogers and Laura Nicholson.

For decades, the female detective has occupied space within a genre that is all-too-often reserved for the celebratory storylines of self-sacrificial men. She has served to break down sexist barriers placed before women within professional and personal frameworks, acting as an on-screen surrogate for (female) spectators, globally. The female detective has succeeded in cultivating widespread audience attention and high ratings for multiple series across the world, underlining the popularity of, and desire for, the women-led, crime TV genre. It is curious then, that critical literature exploring this central figure’s contemporary, cultural significance is scarce. Given the abundance of on-screen material that has been produced throughout years of prime-time TV and (more recently) online streaming, it seems the female detective, in all her guises, has yet to be afforded the praise and exploration she deserves.

In response to this paucity of critical text, we are assembling the foundations of a special collection on the female detective in crime TV, in the format of a book to be edited by Anna Backman Rogers and Laura Nicholson. The proposal for this research comes just as we are witnessing a cultural ‘boom’ in detective shows featuring women as driving forces, across multiple media platforms. As such, the need for critical literature that explores the feminist realisations and potential of the female detective and her contemporary cultural importance, is timely.

We are calling for papers from scholars across disciplines, in order to shed light on the legacy of the female detective and the ways in which these powerful characters continue to inspire far-reaching audiences, while responding to the socio-political backdrop of their time.

We especially encourage papers from LGBTQ+, Feminist and BME scholars. We also seek contributions from a global perspective that bring to the fore series that we may be unaware of.

We hope to approach a major university publisher with this project after final decisions made by the editors on the collection.

Please send proposals of no more than 600 words to Laura Nicholson and Anna Backman Rogers before March 5th, 2018 at the following e mail addresses :- Anna.backman.rogers@gu.se and lauracate.nicholson@gmail.com

Topics may include, but are by no means limited to:

The intersectional feminism(s) of the female detective
Queering the female detective
Fashion and the female detective
Regionally-specific depictions of the female detective
Post-recessionary representations of the female detective
The female detective in period TV drama
The generational politics of the female detective ‘revamp’
The female detective team
Cross-cultural imaginings of the female detective
Interpretations of the female detective across international remakes
Female detective articulations of contemporary cultural flashpoints

The portrayal of violence and the female detective.

TV shows with leading female detectives include, but are not limited to:

Get Christie Love! (1974-1975, US)
Police Woman (1974-1978, US)

The Gentle Touch (1980-1984, UK)
Cagney & Lacey (1982-1988, US)
Miss Marple (1984-1992, UK), Agatha Christie’s Marple (2004-, UK)
Prime Suspect (1991-2006, UK)
Engrenages/Spiral (2005-, France)

Ashes to Ashes (2008-2010, UK)
Vera (2011-, UK)
Forbrydelsen (2007-2012, Denmark), The Killing (2011-2014, US)
Bron/Broen (2011-, Sweden/Denmark), The Tunnel (2013-, UK/France)
Scott and Bailey (2011-2016, UK)

The Bletchley Circle (2012-2014, UK)
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012-, Australia)
The Fall (2013-2016, UK)

Top of the Lake (2013-, New Zealand/Australia/UK)
Happy Valley (2014-, UK)
Quantico (2015-, US)
Jessica Jones (2015-, US)
Agent Carter (2015-, US)
Deep Water (2016, Australia)
Frankie Drake Mysteries (2017-, Canada/UK)

Lynda La Plante’s BLOODLINE Launch at The Ivy

A celebration was held last night at the prestigious ‘Loft at The Ivy’ in London’s West-End; thanks to Simon and Schuster’s UK publishing Director Suzanne Baboneau for launching Lynda La Plante’s 7th Anna Travis novel ‘Bloodline’.

Under the watchful eye of DCS James Langton, DCI Anna Travis takes charge of an investigation for the first time. But is it purely a missing person's case - or a full blown murder enquiry? An ominous pool of blood and no victim lead Anna on a desperate hunt for a man who has disappeared without trace. As Anna becomes obsessed with seemingly irrelevant details, Langton fears that she is losing control. They still have no body and Anna is under increasing pressure to make an arrest...

La Plante has a dual career now alternating between her writing and her TV work, she is as busy as ever.

Baboneau welcomed the eclectic guest list, which comprised TV and Film people from Lynda’s Production Company, Lynda’s friends as well as a few book reviewers including Barry Forshaw, Peter Guttridge, and the Telegraph’s Jeremy Jehu and Ali Karim from Shots Ezine. Also present and mingling were actress Lynda Bellingham, singer and TV presenter Cilla Black and writer and actress Fidelis Morgan. It was good see that Fidelis is back writing again between acting roles, in her ‘quirky’ historical romps.

I had a chat with Suzanne Baboneau who knew of my enthusiasm for Tom Robb Smith’s debut novel Child 44 and she told me that Simon and Schuster were delighted with book #3 which I am anticipating with excitement.

To celebrate the launch of Lynda La Plante’s Bloodline, Shots eZine inconjunction with Simon and Schuster UK have a signed copy in an exclusive competition.

All you have to do is answer this simple question –

Helen Mirren starred as Detective Jane Tennison in a TV series created by Lynda La Plante, can you name the title of the series?

[a] Prime Rib
[b] Prime Suspect
[d] Primo Levi
[e] The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

Send your answer in an email to shotscomp@yahoo.co.uk marking the subject line “Plante1” and please include a postal address

The Closing date for entries is 1st August 2011

Terms and Conditions for the competition are below –

Good Luck!

Even if you don’t win, Bloodline is released on June 23rd and well worth exploring the dark lens of Lynda La Plante

Photos © 2011 Ali Karim “Suzanne Baboneau and Lynda La Plante at The Ivy in London” on Tuesday 7th June 2011

Terms and conditions for the Lynda La Plante Competition
Closing date for entries is 1 / August / 2011 12:00:00 AM
All correct entries will be entered into a prize draw and the first correct answer picked at random on 1 / August / 2011 12:00:00 AM will be declared the winner of the book.
The winner will be notified by email within 14 days of the promotion closing date and is required to accept their prize by email or phone call within 14 days of notification.
In the event of non-acceptance within the specified period, the promoter reserves the right to reallocate the prize to the next randomly drawn correct and valid entry.
The winner will be notified within 28 days of the closing date. No responsibility can be accepted for lost or misplaced entries
The prize is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative
Only one entry per person
Incorrect or illegible answers or entries received after the entry date will not be entered into the prize draw
The judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into
No geographical restrictions