New York dans le polar métaphysique : la ville totale

Abstract

Thousands of writers have set their novels in New York City and several anthologies of New York writings have been published recently, establishing the city as a central element in American literature. Considering the particular genre of detective fiction, this is also the case, so to speak. Our contemporary world, mostly urban, has led to a major shift in the genre towards increasing uncertainty and doubt about the traditional detective hero’s ability to cope with such a harsh environment. He used to stand as a reassuring heroic figure against the historic background inherited after WWII and then the Cold War and the Vietnam War. Then followed an era of increasing terrorism, globalization and generalized scare; September 11 came as the ultimate manifestation of this threat. In this context, detective fiction mostly evolved towards a much darker path - thriller or noir – whereas other authors created a new branch of the genre by mixing detective fiction patterns with a metaphysical questioning of our contemporary existence - metaphysical detective fiction - which can be illustrated by writers from very different horizons, such as Paul Auster in his New York Trilogy, Jerome Charyn and his Isaac Sidel series or Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn. All three have in common their renewal of the detective genre and their deep attachment to New York. The city is the main protagonist of their detective fiction: omnipresent and omnipotent, New York plays a capital role in the narration and stands as a genuine participant in the plot.