Saussure and Sherlock, Derrida and the Detective: A Semiotic and Deconstructive Interpretation of the Classic Detective Fiction Genre

Abstract

In this thesis, I will read detective fiction, particularly from the Holmes canon, in light of two linguistic and philosophical theories: the theory of semiotics expounded by Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) in his book Course in General Linguistics (originally published in 1916); and French philosopher Jacques Derrida’s (1930-2004) theory of deconstruction, particularly as it pertains to Saussure’s semiotics, which was articulated in several books, including Of Grammatology, published in the late 1960s. Through these perspectives, I will demonstrate how detective fiction parallels and allegorizes these theories, revealing subtle facets and complexities of a genre that is much more than predictable whodunit plots.