Volume-I, Issue-V, August 2025
Novel Insights A Peer-Reviewed Quarterly Multidisciplinary Research Journal |
| Volume-I, Issue-V, August, 2025 |
The Prequels of Detective Stories: Ancient to Medieval
Lights on the Past Lokeshwar Roy,
Research Scholar, Department of
Bengali, University of North Bengal, West Bengal, India Email: roylokesh23@gmail.com |
Received: 27.08.2025 | Accepted: 28.08.2025 | Published Online: 31.08.2025 |
Page No: 356- 363 | DOI: 10.69655/novelinsights.vol.1.issue.05W.040 | |
Abstract | ||
Detective stories are not a modern literary genre that was born overnight. Rather they are the product of a long historical process that has taken a rich form in the quest of mankind and its yearning for justice. In the second-third century BC, the Bible’s ‘Bel and the Dragon’ shows Daniel's’ keen observation and analytical skills, which proves the main characteristics of detective stories- identifying problems, searching and solving them. Similarly, the story of Kukkuri Sarma found in the tenth mandala of the Rigveda or the images of crime, deception and the intense struggle to save life in ‘Aitareya Brahmana’ and ‘Taittiriya Aranyaka’. In Sanskrit literature, as in the Ramayana-Mahabharata the imprint of detective stories can be seen in medieval Bengali literature as well. Hanuman’s search for Sita in the Ramayana, Vidura’s warning in the Mahabharata, the conflict between the thief and the protector in the Charyagana and the intrigue in the ‘Manasamangala’ Kavya- all are examples of the sharp intellect and analytical skills of the detective. In ancient and medieval literature, the detective character is depicted not only as a crime solver but also as a symbol of social and moral awareness. Bharatchandra’s Kotal character or Mukundaram’s Bharudautta proves that the main power of the detective is to uncover the truth through observation, analysis and logic. Therefore, although the modern form of the detective story was established in the 18th-19th centuries, its foundation has been formed from the streams of ancient Vedic, Biblical, Sanskrit and medieval Bengali literature. Keywords: Detective Literature, Analytical Skills, Ancient Texts, Sanskrit and Bengali Literature, Justice and Morality | ||