THEOLOGY IN SUSPENSE: HOW THE DETECTIVE FICTION OF P.D. JAMES PROVOKES THEOLOGICAL THOUGHT Jo Ann Sharkey A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of MPhil at the University of St. Andrews 2011 Full metadata for this item is available in Research@StAndrews:FullText at: http://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/ Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/3156 This item is protected by original copyright This item is licensed under a Creative Commons License THE UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS ST. MARY’S COLLEGE THEOLOGY IN SUSPENSE: HOW THE DETECTIVE FICTION OF P.D. JAMES PROVOKES THEOLOGICAL THOUGHT A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF DIVINITY INSTITUTE FOR THEOLOGY, IMAGINATION, AND THE ARTS IN CANDIDANCY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY BY JO ANN SHARKEY ST. ANDREWS, SCOTLAND 15 APRIL 2010 Copyright © 2010 by Jo Ann Sharkey All Rights Reserved ii ABSTRACT The following dissertation argues that the detective fiction of P.D. James provokes her readers to think theologically. I present evidence from the body of James’s work, including her detective fiction that features the Detective Adam Dalgliesh, as well as her other novels, autobiography, and non-fiction work. I also present a brief history of detective fiction. This history provides the reader with a better understanding of how P.D James is influenced by the detective genre as well as how she stands apart from the genre’s traditions. This dissertation relies on an interview that I conducted with P.D. James in November, 2008. During the interview, I asked James how Christianity has influenced her detective fiction and her responses greatly contribute to this dissertation. However, James’s novels should be interpreted and explored in the manner that they are received by the reader. How the reader receives and responds to the novels, not only how James writes the novels, is what causes her stories to provoke theological thinking. By examining Christian symbolism that is present in setting, character, the Detective Adam Dalgliesh, and plot, this dissertation seeks to assert that James contributes to a theological conversation through her popular detective fiction. iii I, Jo Ann Sharkey, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 40,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student in October, 2007 and as a candidate for the degree of Master of Philosophy in October, 2007; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2007 and 2010. Date: 22 March 2011 Signature of candidate: I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of Master of Divinity in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date: Signature of supervisor: In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews we understand that we are giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. We also understand that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that my thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below, and that the library has the right to migrate my thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. We have obtained any third- party copyright permissions that may be required in order to allow such access and migration, or have requested the appropriate embargo below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the electronic publication of this thesis: Access to Printed copy and electronic publication of thesis through the University of St Andrews. Date: 22 March 2011 Signature of candidate: Signature of supervisor: iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I gratefully acknowledge Professor Gavin Hopps for his insightful supervision and friendship during my studies. I would like to thank the brilliant community of students and professors at the University of St. Andrews and particularly at St. Mary’s Divinity School. I offer my thanks to Dr. Ralph Wood for encouraging me to pursue my studies in St. Andrews. I credit him for my initial interest in studying P.D. James. My greatest appreciation extends to the community of faith and learning at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, whose professors, staff, and students have supported me in the final months of my dissertation. I offer my deepest thanks to P.D. James for opening her home to me for a personal interview. Her hospitality, attentiveness, and honesty have been most beneficial to my dissertation. I would also like to thank the Rotary Foundation and the West Houston Rotary Club who sponsored my education in Scotland. The scholarships they provide to students around the world promote inquisitiveness and international understanding through education and travel. I also thank Sarilyn Rexius for her friendship and encouragement. The support and laughter you bring makes this time of study a more enjoyable experience. This dissertation is dedicated to my family. The love and confidence that my parents keep in me is a continuous source of joy and strength. This work would not be possible without the support of my mother, Lucille, and my father, George, as well as the support of Sarah, Robert, Brian, and Lucy. v CONTENTS COPYRIGHT ii ABSTRACT iii DECLARATION iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v CONTENTS vi Introduction 1 Chapter One: A Brief Introduction to Detective Fiction 7 1.1 Overview 1.2 Theories of Detective Fiction 1.2.1 Rules of Detective Fiction 1.2.2 The Detective: Hero of Detective Fiction 1.3 Literary, Historical, and Religious Influences on Detective Fiction 1.3.1 Caleb Williams: An Early Literary Influence 1.3.2 Establishment of the Formal Police Force: An Early Historical Influence 1.3.3 Susanna: An Early Theological Influence 1.4 Genres of Detective Fiction 1.4.1 Gothic Literature 1.4.2 Victorian Literature and Beyond 1.4.3 The Golden Age 1.4.4 The Hardboiled Novel 1.5 Conclusion Chapter Two: Religious Settings: Haunted by the Spirit 35 2.1 Overview 2.2 Overview of Religious Elements in the Novels’ Settings 2.3 Analysis of Religious Settings 2.3.1 Religious Settings Provide Solace and Spiritual Guidance 2.3.2 Religious Settings Expose Hypocrisy and Violence 2.3.3 Religious Settings Present but Lack Christian Purposes 2.3.4 James’s Commentary on the Decline of Anglicanism in Britain 2.4 Conclusion vi Chapter Three: Characters Within, Outside, and Unrelated to Christianity Provoke Theological Thought 64 3.1 Overview 3.2 Those Within 3.2.1 The Priests 3.2.2 Characters Who Move Towards Redemption 3.2.3 Characters Who Expose the Failure of the Church 3.2.4 Characters Who Are Vaguely Associated with the Church 3.3 Those Outside 3.4 Those Unrelated Who Still Provoke Theological Thought 3.5 Conclusion Chapter Four: Adam Dalgliesh in Search of the Divine 96 4.1 Overview 4.2 The Influence of Priests 4.3 Dalgliesh as Priest-Detective 4.4 Dalgliesh’s Participation in Christian Practices and Settings 4.5 Dalgliesh’s Love Lost, Love Grasped 4.6 Dalgliesh’s Rough Justice 4.7 Conclusion Chapter Five: Estrangement, Disordered Love, and the 124 Motives for Murder: The Plots Explored 5.1 Overview 5.2 Disordered Love, Estrangement, and Sin 5.3 A Traditional Model of Detective Fiction Re-examined: From W.H. Auden to P.D. James 5.4 Sin in the Detective Novels 5.5 Motive, Murder, and Consequence in James’s Novels 5.5.1 To Avenge the Death of Loved Ones 5.5.2 Love Twisted into Evil 5.6 Imperfect Justice in James’s Detective Novels 5.7 Conclusion Conclusion 154 APPENDIX: Jo Ann Sharkey’s Interview with P.D. James 157 BIBLIOGRAPHY 187 vii viii Introduction P.D. James is one of Britain’s most prolific detective novelists. In a career spanning over fifty years, James has written sixteen detective novels, a Christian fable, a literary analysis, an autobiography, and several other works of non-fiction, short stories, and articles. Although James is known for being a confessing member of the Anglican Church, she does not write obvious Christian stories. Only her novel, The Children of Men, published in 1992, is overtly religious.1 Nonetheless, several of the titles of James’s detective novels suggest glimpses or vestiges of Christianity. Original Sin is a doctrine from Christian theology. The title of her novel Death in Holy Orders combines the Christian sacramental practice with the foreshadowing of violence. The term, “Holy Orders” refers to the process of ordination that occurs in many Christian denominations, including the Anglican Church. Devices and Desires is a phrase taken directly from the Book of Common Prayer. To unreligious readers, this phrase may be less recognizable as a Christian reference; however, the title would be familiar to anyone in the Anglican Church or to anyone who reads the Book of Common Prayer.2 By utilizing Christian words and phrases in her titles, James insinuates to her readers that her novels will address theological themes. Since her first novel in 1962, James has become increasingly more concerned with theological matters.