Anxiety and Evil in the Writings of Patricia Highsmith, Peters 9781409423348..

Taylor & Francis

Drawing extensively on the under-explored Highsmith Archive, Peters suggests that the usual generic distinctions-crime fiction, mystery, suspense-have been largely unhelpful in elucidating Patricia Highsmith's novels. Peters adopts a psychoanalytic approach to show that specific disturbances within her text have resulted in Highsmith's writing remaining resistant to explication and to the more sophisticated interpretative strategies that would seek to position her within a specific genre. > Drawing on an impressive range of secondary material, including many elusive reviews, interviews and articles from the under-explored Highsmith Archive, Fiona Peters suggests that the usual generic distinctions -crime fiction, mystery, suspense - have been largely unhelpful in elucidating Patricia Highsmith's novels. Peters analyzes a significant selection of Highsmith's works, chosen with a view towards demonstrating the range of her oeuvre while also identifying the main themes and preoccupat.