Victorian Detective Fiction and the Nature of Evidence

The book explores the interplay between 19th-century historical disciplines such as philology, cosmology, and evolutionary biology, and the detective fiction of authors like Poe, Dickens, and Doyle. It highlights how these narratives responded to the works of influential figures like Lyell and Darwin, marking a shift from scriptural literalism to a secular worldview. Through a critical lens, detective fiction scrutinizes the evidence and storytelling methods of these disciplines, revealing a complex relationship between literature and emerging scientific thought.