Spinning the tale: Spinster detectives and the construction of narrative in the Miss Silver Mysteries

Abstract

The concept of spinster detective is one that has been relatively understudied, despite general contemporary interest in the detective form as an academic as well as a popular genre. The spinster detective sub-genre has remained on the sidelines, probably because of its utilization of an old woman as the detective. As an alternative to the professional detective, she represents a counter figure who sits comfortably in her chair knitting away as the events revolve around her. It is interesting to note that the word "spinster" itself comes from the act of spinning and spinster detectives from Miss Marple onwards have been frequently represented as old ladies who alternatively knit, crochet, weave, spin, or embroider. This correlation between being unmarried and "spinning" gains a poignant dimension when the actions of detecting and spinning are considered as central to these narratives. What the spinster detective does, in effect, is, she spins a tale; she constructs events in such a way as to explain who committed a crime and how, by forming a narrative out of the evidence. Her narrative is a counter narrative to the dominant presence and construction of the professional detective. This paper aims to reveal how the Miss Silver character in the Patricia Wentworth detective series gains narrative presence in the novels through the act of knitting, and how she gains a legitimate voice through this seemingly passive production.