From page to reality

By KAYE THORNBRUGH

Contributing Writer

After studying the exploits of great literary detectives, North Idaho College students will follow in their footsteps — literally.

Contemporary World Cultures (FLAN 207), taught by Molly Michaud and Aaron Cloyd this coming spring, will focus on British murder mysteries. The class will culminate in a two-week visit to the United Kingdom in May, including England, Scotland and Wales.

“It’s one thing to sit in class and discuss wonderful books,” Cloyd said. “It’s another thing to actually stand there and physically experience the text, to walk through the world that’s been written.”

The class will focus on three novels: “Even Dogs in the Wild” by Ian Rankin, set in Edinburgh, Scotland; “King Solomon’s Carpet” by Barbara Vine, set in London; and “Complicit” by Gillian E. Hamer, set in North Wales. In each novel, the setting is pivotal, a character unto itself, which will add depth when students explore the locations in person.

Michaud and Cloyd designed the plan for this class after a department get-together last winter, where they discovered that they shared a love of murder mysteries.

Since she travels to England and Ireland every summer, Michaud already knew the lay of the land. She suggested to Cloyd that they teach a class that culminated in a UK tour, and then used her summer trip to research locations. Meanwhile, Cloyd unearthed obscure texts from each place they wanted to visit, searching for the perfect books that combined mystery, culture, and a strong sense of setting.

Murder mysteries and crime novels are often neglected by academics, Cloyd said, but this class will shine a light on them.

“Why do we still love Sherlock Holmes?” he asked.

FLAN 207 seeks to answer that question, combining culture, politics and history through the lens of literature. Murder mysteries raise questions of genre, gender and more, Cloyd said, which involves some academic heavy-lifting. But there’s also an undeniable element of fun: studying the structure and conventions of crime fiction to puzzle out how writers entice their readers into flipping pages late into the night.

“There’s something inherently satisfying about crime fiction,” Cloyd said, “where a detective takes a messy situation like a murder and gives it order and meaning. Crime novels find a kind of poetry in chaos.”

“The reader is empowered by working through the mystery,” he said.

The first time Michaud traveled to Europe, she said she immediately felt at home. For the first time, she was seeing the places she had studied all her life, experiencing history. She wants to share that sort of first-hand experience with students through this class, and possibly give them a taste for world travel.

“I hope it’s their first time in Europe -- not their only time,” she said.

While the class will travel to the UK this year, Michaud and Cloyd plan to visit Ireland next year. In the future, they may journey to other European countries.

Michaud said the class is designed to be accessible to anyone who is interested in murder mysteries and wants to travel.

“There’s an academic component, but it’s not a hurdle,” she said. “Someone who’s been out of school for 20 years and loves to read can just join in.”

There are no prerequisites. Students will meet for class on Mondays, from 4 to 5:15 p.m. Community members are welcome to enroll. Although the class is limited to 18 people, if the class is full, Michaud and Cloyd encourage prospective students to join the waitlist.

Course fees are $2,500 for international flights and in-country travel and hotel, not including food and spending money.

Travel deposit is due by Dec. 5.

A mandatory informational orientation for the course will be Thursday, Nov. 16, at 4 p.m. in LKH 207.

For more information, call the NIC English and Humanities Division at 208-769-3394.

— Provided by North Idaho College