Wherever the crime novels of P. D. James are discussed by critics, there is a tendency on the one hand to exaggerate her merits and on the other to castigate her as a genre writer who is getting above herself.
Topic
P. D. James’s crime novels and the debate over her place in literary and genre fiction.
Framework
Present Debate (with elements of Highlight Noteworthy)
Main Point
There is an ongoing debate among critics about whether P. D. James’s crime novels are high literature or just genre fiction, but the author suggests that James may be outgrowing the constraints of the crime-novel genre and might be ready to write mainstream literary fiction. *The Most Valuable Sentence:* Seen in the last paragraph —
P1: Framing the Debate About P. D. James
There's a split among critics about P. D. James — some overpraise her, others dismiss her as an overly ambitious genre writer. The whole debate is really rooted in a false split between "enjoyable" and "serious" fiction.
P2: Different Critics’ Views
Supporters say James writes with depth, intricate characters, and explores big ideas, while detractors think she's pretentious and not true to the detective genre. Some critics just want her to focus on classic whodunit tricks instead of being "literary."
P3: Balanced Assessment of James’s Work
The author thinks James writes well and gives depth to her characters and worlds, which is enjoyable — but admits these qualities can slow down or muddle the mystery plots. Sometimes, her mysteries are solved more by intuition than by clear clues, as she seems more invested in character than the mechanics of detection.