The Presence of the Unusual in Crime Fiction and its Manifestations in Crimes à moda antiga: contos verdade, by Valêncio Xavier

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to discuss the presence of the unusual in crime fiction. Although this issue may be seen as problematic, because Crime Fiction is a genre very connected to reality, it is sustained by the understanding of the Unusual not only as a mere analogue of supernatural, but rather as a term capable of covering several narratives that cause strangeness since they address weird events. In order to better approach it, the manifestations of the unusual were analyzed in Crimes à moda antiga: contos verdade, by Valêncio Xavier, a book composed of eight short stories that address eight real criminal cases that happened in Brazil in the 20th century. To define the concept of Unusual this work is based mainly on the contributions of García (2007) (2014); and, to think about the unusual in crime fiction, on the ideas of Todorov (1981) and Lovecraft (2007). It was possible to understand that the unusual in crime fiction is constituted through ambiguity, it is an allusion to the supernatural, not a confirmation of it. This aspect of the unusual does not give up verisimilitude, it enhances the atmosphere of tension of the narrative and creates new meanings.