Deathtraps: The Postmodern Comedy Thriller

The phenomenal success of such plays as Ira Levin's "Deathtrap and Anthony", Shaffer's "Sleuth" heralded the advent of a new form of detective play - the comedy thriller. These plays overturned the conventions of detective fiction while keeping playgoers on the edges of their seats. Carlson shows the comedy thriller to be a singularly postmodern form. The detective story, with its emphasis on reason and logic, provided the perfect playground for the destabilizing effects of postmodern experimentation. The comedy thriller's self-referential openness was a refreshing contrast to the closed world of the classic detective play and injected a new ebullience and theatricality into a staid form. Carlson examines all the elements of the thriller - openings, settings, characters, plot lines, the role of the audience, and endings - and shows how they work to overturn the conventions of realism in detective drama. "Deathtraps" will prove a feast for all lovers of the comedy thriller.