#  HL90CL: Breaking the Law: American Crime Stories 

 





 Semester:   Fall 

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 Year offered:  2016 

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 Link: [Course Website](https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/16959) 

 

 

 

**Instructor:** Nicholas Donofrio  
**Meeting time:** Thursday, 10-12

   ![screen_shot_2016-07-18_at_11.48.37_am.png](/sites/g/files/omnuum4926/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/histlit/files/screen_shot_2016-07-18_at_11.48.37_am.png?itok=KW1BqGMk) 

 

What is crime? Who commits it? When and where is it likely to occur? How should it be punished? And why do we find it so interesting? These are the questions at the dark heart of American crime fiction—questions whose answers have changed considerably over time. Course examines detective stories, spy novels, police procedurals, gangster movies, and more. Readings from Poe, Doyle, Christie, Hammett, and Highsmith; films include *Mildred Pierce*, *The Godfather*, and *Boyz n the Hood*.