SUBVERTING THE GENRE: FEMINIST DIMENSIONS AND NARRATIVE STRATEGY IN THE DETECTIVE FICTION OF P.D. JAMES

Abstract

This thesis explores feminist dimensions in the detective novels of P.D. James, focusing on An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1972) and A Taste for Death (1986). By introducing Cordelia Gray as one of the first professional female private detectives, James challenges the patriarchal assumptions of classical detective fiction. Similarly, A Taste for Death highlights female resilience and moral agency within a crime narrative. The research demonstrates that James’s works not only preserve the conventions of the genre but also extend its thematic boundaries by incorporating feminist concerns.