Shedding Light on Noir - Part 2 NEW
Class | Registration opens 12/6/2026 9:00 AM EDT
A close look at crime fiction from its inception to its current apex as one of the most popular literatures in the world.
This course will shed light and analysis on crime fiction and give readers a view of what to expect of characters, plot, authors and more. In the first part of the course we examined formulas, femmes fatales and authors such as Walter Moseley, Elmore Leonard and films such as Key Largo. In this Second installment we will examine books and short stories by George Pelecanos, SA Crosby and John Banville. We will also watch the third in the Knives Out trilogy of movies and examine satire. It will be an encompassing analysis of crime fiction and why it has become popular and as omnipresent as a TV staple and merits a section of Thomas Pynchon’s new novel, Shadow Ticket. The class will be expected to read, analyze and share their knowledge about crime fiction.
- This course a continuation of 2025's Bringing Crime Literature to Light but with all new material. Not necessary to have taken Part 1.
Jack Wallingford
Known as “the city that lights and hauls the world,” Schenectady, New York, was where I was born. My parents wrenched me out of this environment when I was young and moved me to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. I floundered through school until I landed at Kent State University, graduated with an MA and started my first professional job at the Plain Dealer. Today, I am a retired teacher and an avid reader and writer.