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Journals / Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli Üniversitesi SBE Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 11 Sayı: 1

(MIS)REPRESENTATIONS OF OTHERNESS IN DETECTIVE FICTION: THE TRAVELLING GYPSY AS THE CRIMINAL OTHER IN THE CASE OF THE MISSING HAND

Zeynep Harputlu Shah(Siirt Üniversitesi Yabancı Diller Yüksekokulu)0000-0002-7839-9758
Pages
406–414
Publication Date
2021-03-30
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The use of primaeval superstitions as a motive for committing a crime further demonstrates estrangement of the gypsy community by distancing them both culturally and temporally through implications of primitiveness and savageness

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:This study seeks to examine (mis) representations of otherness in British detective fiction and focuses on the travelling gypsies as the criminal other in “The Case of the Missing Hand”, a story published in 1895 in Chronicles of Martin Hewitt by Arthur Morrison.
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Key Findings & Data:In line with its objectives, the study firstly introduces characteristics of Victorian detective fiction and then provides a literary analysis of the crime story with a presumed murder victim, an exoticized crime setting, the detective figure and a foreign gypsy as the criminal other.
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Conclusion & Impact:The use of primaeval superstitions as a motive for committing a crime further demonstrates estrangement of the gypsy community by distancing them both culturally and temporally through implications of primitiveness and savageness
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Roman Toplumu · Polisiye Kurgu · Suç

Abstract

This study seeks to examine (mis) representations of otherness in British detective fiction and focuses on the travelling gypsies as the criminal other in “The Case of the Missing Hand”, a story published in 1895 in Chronicles of Martin Hewitt by Arthur Morrison. In line with its objectives, the study firstly introduces characteristics of Victorian detective fiction and then provides a literary analysis of the crime story with a presumed murder victim, an exoticized crime setting, the detective figure and a foreign gypsy as the criminal other. In the article, it is argued that Morrison’s short story is a reflection of the strong stereotyping of the gypsies in Victorian society and depicts misrepresentation of the figure of the outsider gypsy as the criminal/villain in British community for endangering their sense of security and safety in the period. The use of primaeval superstitions as a motive for committing a crime further demonstrates estrangement of the gypsy community by distancing them both culturally and temporally through implications of primitiveness and savageness

Özet

Bu çalışma, İngiliz polisiye kurgusunda ötekiliğin (yanlış) temsilini incelemeyi amaçlamakta ve Arthur Morrison’un 1895 yılında Chronicles of Martin Hewitt eserinde yer alan “The Case of the Missing Hand" (Kayıp El Vakası) adlı öyküsünde suçlu öteki olarak göçebe Romanlara odaklanmaktadır. Amaçları doğrultusunda, çalışma öncelikle Viktorya dönemi polisiye kurgusunun özelliklerini tanıtmakta ve ardından bir suç öyküsünde olası bir cinayet kurbanı, egzotikleştirilmiş bir suç mahalli, dedektif figürü ve suçlu öteki olarak ele alınan yabancı bir Roman’ı inceleyerek edebi bir analiz sunmaktadır. Bu makale, Morrison'ın kısa öyküsünün Viktorya toplumunda göçebe Roman topluluklarına karşı var olan güçlü basmakalıp yargıların bir yansıması olduğunu ve aynı dönemde İngiliz toplumunun emniyet ve güvenlik duygularını tehlikeye attığına inanıldığı için dışlanan Roman figürünün suçlu/hain olarak yanlış temsilinin yapıldığını ileri sürmektedir. İlkel hurafelerin bir suç işleme nedeni olarak kullanılması, Roman topluluğunu hem kültürel hem de tarihsel olarak ilkellik ve vahşilik imalarıyla modern toplumdan uzaklaştırarak daha fazla yabancılaştırdığını gösterir.

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Cite This Article

Shah, Z. H. (2021). (MIS)REPRESENTATIONS OF OTHERNESS IN DETECTIVE FICTION: THE TRAVELLING GYPSY AS THE CRIMINAL OTHER IN THE CASE OF THE MISSING HAND. Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli Üniversitesi SBE Dergisi, Cilt: 11 Sayı: 1, 406–414. https://doi.org/10.30783/nevsosbilen.882657

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