What Is a Cozy?
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WHAT IS A COZY? by KATHERINE HANSEN CLARK Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Adviser: Dr. William H. Marling Department of English CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY May 2008 CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES We hereby approve the thesis/dissertation of _____________________________________________________ candidate for the ______________________degree *. (signed)_______________________________________________ (chair of the committee) ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ (date) _______________________ *We also certify that written approval has been obtained for any proprietary material contained therein. Copyright © 2008 by Katherine Hansen Clark All rights reserved To my father, Col. Claude L. Clark, who introduced me to the stories of Poe and stories about Sherlock Holmes, and to my mother, Judith Dunn Clark, who had me read everything else i Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgements......................................................................................................... iv Abstract.............................................................................................................................x Introduction.......................................................................................................................1 Chapter One ....................................................................................................................24 Chapter Two....................................................................................................................62 Chapter Three..................................................................................................................97 Chapter Four .................................................................................................................146 Chapter Five..................................................................................................................190 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................238 Appendix A: Survey Questions ....................................................................................267 Appendix B: Focus Group Questions ...........................................................................287 Appendix C: Figures.....................................................................................................290 Endnotes........................................................................................................................296 Works Cited ..................................................................................................................320 ii List of Tables Table 1 Top Authors by Number of Copies at Borders .............................................73 Table 2 Mysteries Read Per Month and Year by My Survey Takers ......................149 Table 3 Political Beliefs of Mystery Survey Participants........................................160 Table 4 Responses to Survey Question, “What mysteries did you start with?” ......166 Table 5 Responses to Survey Question, “How often do you purchase mysteries?” .....................................................................................................................167 Table 6 Responses to Survey Question, “What types of mysteries do you enjoy reading?”...............................................................................................169 Table 7 Responses to Survey Question, “Who are your favorite authors?” ............171 iii List of Figures Figure 1 Borders’ Mystery Copies by Subgenre ............................................291 Figure 2 Proclivity to Read Outside Own Demographic................................292 Figure 3 Income of Mystery Readers .............................................................158 Figure 4 Education of Mystery Readers .........................................................293 Figure 5 Religions of Mystery Readers ..........................................................294 Figure 6 Reading Habits of Mystery Readers vs. General Readers................295 iv Acknowledgements I have so many people to thank and don’t know how to do it adequately. I have said all along during this process that it takes a village to write a dissertation, and my village has certainly come through! First, I wish to thank my committee. Professor William Marling has been a tremendous coach on this journey. He was excited by my ideas for the dissertation and has constantly pushed me to do more, think more, and to write better and more gracefully. Without Professor Kim Emmons, I would not have been able to handle the requirements of our Institutional Review Board. More importantly, she helped me understand what to do with the data I collected in my survey and always offered encouragement. Professor Mary Grimm is a dream reader and fellow lover of mysteries. She asks great questions that prompted me to think more deeply and elaborate more completely. I appreciate as well her kindness in listening to my fears about the dissertation process. Thanks as well to Professor Henry Adams of the Art History department for being a reader of my dissertation. I appreciated his comments during the prospectus and defense meetings. I need to thank Professor Judy Oster as well. Many years ago I had planned to go to law school, but Judy pointed me towards being an English major and urged me to consider becoming an English teacher. I especially appreciate her asking me to assist her in English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum development. I never stop learning from Judy. Professor Bill Siebenschuh has been a wonderful Chair. His enthusiasm for v my topic and for my work have encouraged me. My mentor, Professor Walter Strauss, died before I fulfilled this part of my dream. He hoped I would change my dissertation topic, but he was always supportive and willing to argue about it with me. I miss him. I could not have done this work without my friends. Intellectually, perhaps, I’ve been preparing to do this work on the mystery since at least third grade, but emotionally and psychologically it wouldn’t have been possible without my friends. Joe Flatico has been there with me from the beginning. He claims that he knew I was cut out for bigger things than law school as early as 1984. Joe read drafts of most of my chapters, and spent countless hours over the years talking to me about my dissertation. Professor Michael Altschul has been my friend since I was an undergraduate at CWRU. He has fed me physically with many lunches and dinners over the years, and emotionally with classical CDs and lots of advice. At times when I felt like I was going to give up, he gave me the fortitude to continue. Donna Caputo has spent years sharing her love. The night before the defense, she and her daughter Chuck (a.k.a. Mara Caputo-Benitez) pampered me and made me feel I could succeed. Laura Weldon has been sending me care packages and witty email messages for years. She is such a fine writer and keen observer of life that she inspires me. Dr. Barbara Burgess-Van Aken has been a terrific friend, and most recently, mentor. I helped her prepare for her written and oral exams, and she helped me know what to expect from the final stages of the dissertation. With constant exhortations to breathe and believe in myself, she helped pull me through. Arleen Hartman, my newest friend, has been outstanding. She has taken care of my dog, Harvey, my cats (Tiny Little Kitty, Mad Otto Drunk with Power, and New vi Kitty), my house, and me. She has typed up quotes and given me material to read. Tim Gilbride and Carolyn Getson have also taken care of Harvey. Carolyn’s wonderful remark when we had our first serious discussion about the dissertation was “God, Katherine, you’re writing a book?!” That’s how I’ve felt during this entire process. Judith Olson-Fallon gave me my second favorite motto: “So fix it.” Whenever I felt overwhelmed by my inability to tackle yet more problems with my dissertation, I heard Judith say very quietly, “So fix it.” So I have. Lisa Ochenduski gave my very first Ph.D. gift; before I even began writing, she brought to my house a box packed full of office supplies. What a dream! She also read chapters of the dissertation giving great comments. Laurie von Mehren, my best librarian friend, kept me supplied with mystery texts weeded out of the library, helped me with obscure library references, and aided me with introductions to librarians. Dr. Marjorie Keil, despite having a killer workload, read a chapter of the dissertation, and always gave terrific advice. Dr. Sean Martin read and commented on a chapter as well, and was kind enough to call my fears “crazy” assuring me that I was going to be fine in the defense. Anke Schreiber and her husband Mike Mitroff were always encouraging, sending emails and gathering folks together for movies and meals. My Little Sisters, Tiffany and Kayla Gianetti, helped me coordinate information, organize materials, and