Georges Simenon and his understanding, compassionate, and merciful inspector-analyst.

Authors

  • Clemens Franken Kurzen Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22199/S07198175.2017.0002.00005

Keywords:

European Black Detective Novel, Polemic and Hybrid Assimilation, Inspector-Analyst of the Human Psyche, Georges Simenon

Abstract

This paper is based on the hypothesis that the Belgian-French writer George Simenon argues, in his detective novels, with Inspector Maigret as the protagonist, on the one hand, with the classical model of the private detective as an intellectual superman (cf. Auguste Dupin, Sherlock Holmes & Hercule Poirot) presenting, on the other hand, a hybrid assimilation related to the Chestertonian detective, Father Brown, who solves police problems, mostly thanks to his experience as a Catholic priest-confessor; while Maigret, as a secularized hermeneutic-analyst-confessor, intuitively feels the secret existential-psychological conflict of a criminal and shows a Christian understanding, compassionate, and merciful attitude since he perceives him, above all, as a victim of an extreme existential situation.

References

Altenheim, Hans. “Ein Traum von Maigret”. Der Kriminalroman I. Por Jochen Vogt (ed.). Munich: Fink, 1970. 200-205. Impreso.

Arens, Arnold. Das Phanomen Simenon. Einfuhrung in das Werk. Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner, 1988. Impreso.

Boileau-Narcejac. La novela policial. Buenos Aires: Paidos, 1968. Impreso.

Bresleer, Fenton. Georges Simenon. Auf der Suche nach dem ‘nackten’ Menschen. Hamburg: Kabel, 1985. Impreso.

Cawelti, John. G. Adventure, Mystery, and Romance. Formula Stories as Art and Popular Culture. Chicago y Londres: The University of Chicago Press, 1976. Impreso.

Del Monte, Alberto. Breve historia de la novela policíaca. Madrid: Taurus, 1962. Impreso.

Hoveyda, Fereydoun. Historia de la novela policiaca. Madrid: Alianza, 1976. Impreso.

Krechel, Hans-Ludwig. Strukturen des Vokabulars in den Maigret-Romanen Georges Simenons. Frankforto del Meno - Berna: Lang, 1982. Impreso.

Nusser, Peter. Der Kriminalroman. Suttgart: Metzler, 1980. Impreso.

Reichwein, Magret. Perspektivitäat im Detektivroman Georges Simenons. Dissertation an der Universitäat Duisburgi, 1984. Impreso.

Rainov, Bogomil, La novela negra. La Habana: Arte y Literatura, 1978. Impreso.

Simenon, Georges. El asesino del canal. Trad. Joaquín Jordá. Barcelona: Planeta, 1994. Impreso.

___________________. La cabeza de un hombre. Trad. Joaquín Jordá. Barcelona: Planeta, 1994. Impreso.

___________________. Maigret se divierte. Trad. Jesús López Pacheco. Obras completas de Georges Simenon VII. 11-112. Impreso.

Tschimmel, Ira. Kriminalroman und Gesellschaftsdarstellung. Eine vergleichende Untersuchung zu Werken von Christie, Simenon, Durrenmatt und Capote. Bonn: Bouvier, 1979. Impreso.

Wouters, Els. Maigret: “ je ne déduis jamais”. La methode abductive chez Simenon. Liéja: CÉFAL, 1998. Impreso.

Published

2017-12-31

How to Cite

Franken Kurzen, C. (2017). Georges Simenon and his understanding, compassionate, and merciful inspector-analyst. Cuadernos De teología - Universidad Católica Del Norte (On Line), 9(2), 262-287. https://doi.org/10.22199/S07198175.2017.0002.00005