CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Very little research has been done on crime fiction in Malaysia. This research aims to fill the
lacuna that is present in this field and genre. It will compare three award winning crime
writers, Ramlee Awang Murshid from Malaysia, John Grisham from America and Peter
Temple from Australia and their works as well as the movies that have been adapted from
their novels. The research aims to look at the differences and similarities between crime
fcition of the three countries and determine where the twain meets.

The objective of this research is to fill the lacuna of research on crime fiction. It also
aims to create a new theory in order to read crime fiction. The aim of this research is to find
out the similarities and differences that exist between Malaysian, American and Australian
crime fiction to determine why American crime ficiton sells better than Malaysian and
Australian crime fiction. It also wants to determine where the twain meets in order to provide
a solution as to the formula that can be used in order to market Malaysian and American
crime fiction internationally at the level of the American crime fiction.

The research questions that need to be answered are,

1. How is crime fiction presented by the three authors?

2. How do the authors approach the theme of crime in each country that they write from?

3. How do the laws and culture as well as the environment of each country influence the
writings of each author?

4. What are the differences and similarities between the fictions of each writer?

5. How have their writings been transferred onto the silver screen?

6. Why is crime fiction given prominence in all three countries and why has it become a
bestselling genre?

PREVIOUS RESEARCH

This section will discuss the research that has been done on crime fiction, the novels that will
be used for this research as well as the theories that will be employed to analyze the texts. It
is introduces the research area and gives a bird’s viewpoint of the topic.

A thesis on Ramlee Awang Murshid has been written by Siti Fatimah Kassim titled Novel
Bersiri Ramlee Awang Murshid: Satu Penilitian Novel ‘Cult’ (2011). It discusses popular
literature and concentrates on popular literature and gives emphasis to the cult novel, its
structure, writer, reader and publisher. It discusses the structure of the novel from the aspect
of theme, character, plot and language. It also discusses the role of new media that is said to
have influenced the production of cult literature, the creation of a cult writer and the cult
readers as well. This thesis does not discuss Ramlee’s crime fiction therefore there is a lacuna
in the study of the asaid author. This research aims to fill the gap.

Nur Izwani Md. Nor has produced a thesis titled Peranan Media Baru Dalam Penghasilan
Trilogi Sutera Bidadari Karya Ramlee Awang Murshid (2013) is an analysis on Murshid’s
work. The analysis was done using the creative process theory and the new media theory. The
creative process theory has been used to look at how the work is created and the new media
theory is used to look at the role of the new media in the production of the writer’s works.
Her work too does not discuss Ramlee’s crime fiction. Therefore there is a gap to be filled by
this proposed research in reading Ramlee’s works.

The disertation produced by Hizairi Othman Adaptasi Novel Ke Filem: Analisis

Perbandingan Antara Filem Melayu Dan Filem Barat (2000), discusses the issues about
the different perspectives of the adaptation of a novel to a film. He compares between two
countries Malaysia and the United States of America with the motif of looking back at the
problems and scenarios of adaptation in both countries. Malaysia represents the developing
phase and America represents the progressive phase in the adaptation phenomena. He
compares two films, S. Othman Kelantan’s novel Juara (1976) adapted by U-Wei Hj.
Shaari into Jogho (1997) who has also written the script. While the American text is
Michael Ondatjee’s The English Patient (1992), the script written by Anthony Minghella,
and the fim also directed by him in 1996. The research discusse that the two mediums,
literautre and film are two different art entities, but have similarities. Although these
movies show the the difference between the two countries, Malaysia and America, the
comparitive study is only carried out on two writers Michael Ondatjee and S. Othman
Kelantan.

The thesis titled The Poetics of Deviance in Contemporary American Crime Fiction (2003)
by Christian Gregoriu looks at how corruption is manipulated in contemporary American
crime fiction: language , the social aspects and the generic. Christiana Gregoriu has analyzed
American crime writers like James Patterson, Michael Connelly and Patricia Cornwell. This
research also looks into metaphorical and allegorical language that is used to portray the mind
of the criminal in Patterson and also looking at the justification of the moral of the crime by
using the the notion of mind style. The term deviation is said to be something different and
for a different discipline.

A book titled Revisitng John Grisham: A Critical Companion (2007) by Math Beth Pringle
discusses John Grisham’s novels. In this book there is an anlysis of three main elements that
are in the novels of John Grisham. They are the development of plot, , the developmnet of
character, and the theme. The novels analyzed in this book are The Partner (1997), The Street
Lawyer (1998), The Testament (1999), The Brethren (2000), A Painted House (2000),
Skipping Christmas (2001), The Summons (2002), The King of Torts (2003), Bleachers
(2003), The Last Juror (2004), The Broker (2005), The Innocent Man (2006). Although this
book discusses half of Grisham’s works, the discussion does not compare the works with the
works of other authors.

Crime Fiction (2005) by John Scaggs discusses crime fIction genre by tsaking into account a
few novels, short stories, movies and television series. Scaggs, discusses the history of crime
fiction starting from the Bible to James Ellroy. He also discusses the part that are present in
crime fcition such as Mystery and Detective Fiction, The Hard-Boiled Mode, The Police
Procedural, Historical Crime Fiction. He also discusses the repetiton of themes and motifs in
the texts within the social and historical context. An analysis is done on the novel The Firm
(1991), that is one of the novels produced by Grisham. However, the analysis is not an in
depth analysis and only discusses the character of McDeere, the main character in the novel,
at a glance.

There is also an article written by Sohaimi Abdul Aziz titled The Development of the Popular
Malay Cult Novel (2010). This article discusses the development the Malay popular novel
that has been become the craze for teenage readers. He discusses Murshid’s works, who is
Malaysia number one crime and thriller writer. The main concern of this article is that
Murshid is Malaysia’s bestselling author and he has cult followers. Becoming a writer that
has cult followers has been one of the reasons as to why Ramlee is a bestseller. However,
Sohaimi does not discuss anything concerning crime fiction or crime theory. Thus, the
proposed research is a novel research that will look at undiscovered ideas and theories where
Malaysian fiction is concerend. Neither does Sohaimi compare Ramlee’s work with other
auhtors local or international.

THEORIES ON CRIME: AN INTRODUCTION

The theoretical framework that will be used to analyze the texts will be crime theory and
psychology of crime theory. Crimonology can be defined as an academic discipline that uses
scientific methods to study the nature of crime, the criminal’s behaviour, the cause of the
crime and the extent of the crime. Criminology has not given much attention to the victims of
a crime. This is stated by Larry J. Sigel (2012) in his work Criminology. It also studies
deviant behaviour which means actions that depart from social norms, values, and beliefs.
Siegel argues that according to the law people who commit deviant behaviour are not
categorized as criminals.

The psychology of crime theory looks into the biology of a criminal. Cesare Lombroso as
quoted by Daniel J. Curran (1994) states that criminals go back to the ape-like human stage.
He also discusses insanity and occasional criminals. There are three types of criminals
according to Lombroso: 1. Pseudocryminals, 2. Criminaloids, 3. Habitual Criminals. He also
discusses how female criminals are downplayed and are thought to be less dangerous than
men. Lambroso describes their nature to be different from that of the men. The two theories
mentioned above will be used to analyze the texts. From these theories the researchers would
like to develop a new theory that will be and can be used to read crime fiction locally and
internationally.

CRIME FICTION

One of the authors that will be read in this research is John Grisham. He is a
“megabestselling” author and is the head of the elite of five “megebestselling” authors. Ten
of his novels have been adapted to movies. He is the number one world-wide bestselling
author. His novels that will be used for this research are The Firm, A Time To Kill, A Painted
House, The Partner, The Pelican Brief, The Confession. All these novels deal with the themes
of crime fiction. Although these novels share two similar themes, there are other themes that
surface in each of them.

The Firm is about a chase that is petrifying, and it involves the protagonist who is being
hunted by the FBI and mafia. Trust is something that is very difficult to gain in this novel
because both the FBI and mafia try to take advantage of the protagonist. Mitchell McDeere
the protagonist has to be very intelligent and brave in making drastic decisions . He has to do
it because he has to get vital and secret information from a few firms and elude the FBI at the
same time. A Time to Kill portrays discrimination towards the black society of America. A 10
ten year old girl is raped by two white men, James Louis “Pete” William dan Billy Ray Cobb.
The lawyers are bale to safe the victim’s father at the end of the novel. The Partner portrays
the theme of a person being a genius and of being able to escape from problems with the use
of his genus. The main character is Patric Lanigan a lawyer from Biloxi, Mississippi who
becomes a partner in a successful law firm. The Pelican Brief is a legal thriller that is set in
New Orleans, New York and Washington D.C. The theme is of the escape of a character
from a large group and it is quite dangerous. Darby Shaw is a law student and he exposes the
fact that the law can be spun by people who have money and influence. The Confession is
about an innocent man who has been sentenced to death. The failure of justice makes
innocent people charged while the guilty go free. A cheerleader is murdered and a football
player is indicted.

The second author that will be analyzed in this research and compared with John Grisham is
the Malaysian, Murshid. He is Malaysia’s number one thriller writer and is a bestseller. The
first novel that will be looked at is Mandatori. The theme is of the subordination of the less
powerful by the people who are richer than them and more powerful. This creates the urge for
revenge in the victims. The revenge also creates multiple-personalities in the oneself. Thus,
the novel advocates that godliness saves a person from exacting revenge. Ungu Karmila is
another novel that deals with the theme of crime. It is believed that the supernatural causes a
death in Villa Sunyi. However, the death occurs because of a purple flower that emnates a
smell that can create hallucinations. The love story between Dr. Ismadi and Ema does not
materialize into a marriage because she dies in the villa. Fiksyen 302 portrays a character
that has multiple-personalities. A death that occurs because of the subconscious mind that
controls the other personality is depicted in this novel. Another theme that is prevailent is of
vengeance that leads to a murder. Pei Pan is the next novel to be analyzed. The title is a word
from Chinese that means betrayal or treason. It is about the treason of trusted people that lead
to the destruction of life. It is about betrayal that normally happens in the corporate world.
Hatiku Di Harajuku is the last novel to be discussed. The prevailing themes in this novel are
love that is strong and deep. Emotional turmoil is also presented as a theme. There is also the
theme of turbulance that descend in the samurai group that join the yakuza.

Peter Temple is an Australian auhtor who has written many crime novels including Truth and
The Broken Shore. Five of his novels have won the Ned Kelly Award for Crime Fiction. For
the purpose of this research we will look at two series of his novels. The Jack Irish Series and
The Stand Alone Novels. In the Jack Irish Series the novels are Bad Debt (1996), Black Tide
(2000), Dead Point (2000), and White Dog (2004). The Stand Alone Novels are The Broken
Shore (2005), An Iron Rose (1998), Shooting Star (1999), In The Evil Day (2002), Ithaca in
My Mind (2012). Bad Debts his first novel in the series has astrong strong main character,
an interesting minor character. It is a solid thriller. The set back in this novel is that it is very
confusing and tackles many issues. This is the first book in the Jack Irish series. Jack is a
Melbourne based lawyer who acts as his own investigator. He is an ultra-dimensional
character who wants to make up for his past mistakes. The novel is a brisk thriller that
marries a strong and intriguing investigation with interesting characters. There is an
unddercurrent of menace in the story as Jack continues to prod away at a case that is sensitive
to some powerful underworld figures. Black Tide has a likeable protagonist and the novel
has many interesting side stories. The plot becomes overly complex, however the story drifts
partway. This second Jack Irish thriller is not as exciting as the first one , the plot is
convulated and shows flashes of excitement. The story continually grows in complexity and
the characters also increase while the plot thickens. The interconnections become difficult
and many of the characters are merely names thrown into the mix, making it very difficult to
grasp and remember the relationship and their place in the drama that unfolds. Dead Point is
a strong-character driven mystery. However, the story is not easy to understand and read
because it takes some jumps. This third series in the Jack Irish series depicts the Melbourne
solicitor in a perplexing murder hunt. The novel is slow to unfold and concentrate more on
Jacks personal life. It is pre-dominantly character driven and concentrates on the
development of Jack’s character and his Fitzroy cronies who are portrayed as well as the
main character.
White Dog is a complex and completely satisfying thriller. This is the last of the Jack Irish
series and Temple has perfectified his skill at presenting Jack and legal thriller as well as
crime fiction. It is a complex and well plotted thriller. The book has two parts to it. The two
parts differ from each other. It is typically Jack Irish because it has the usual diversion that all
the Jack Irish novels have.

In The Evil Day is a power thriller in which the action takes place in Hamburg and London.
The main character John Anslem runs a security firm that helps companies to solve difficult
problems that others are not capable of doing. He works for secret organizations to retrieve
documents, cash, videos and other sensitive materials and sometimes he resorts to violence.
Anslem is also a former Beirut hostage, still traumatized by the experience. It is a complex
thriller and the conclusion is extremely exciting. The Broken Shore is a novel that gives its
readers a profound sense of place, The characters are symphatheitc and are well used by the
auhtor to depict his story. It is a compelling mystery with any interesting plots. The main
character Detective Senior Sergeant Joe Cashin a former Melbourne homocide detective
recovering from injuries in his tiny seaside town of Port Munro. It is a sense mystery over a
death in a small town. It depicts a small town that has racisal prejudice and corruption
though the setting is iddylic. Although the setting is fictional, it can be traced to real life
setting of small towns in Australia.

The Truth Reinforces the Victorian Police Force and the colleagues of the Broken Shore lead
character Joe Cashin. The Truth is about a police inspector who is challenged by his past,
present and future. The main character Inspector Stephen Villani is the head of homicide with
Victoria Police. The story deals with the murder of a woman in an exclusive luxury apartment
one of the most secure buildings in Melbourne. The novel is very powerful and it forms a
story that is hauntingly clear and marked by determination. Villani believes that Homicide
Comes First and this determines his character in the novel and helps to move the plot.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The theoretical framework that will be used to analyze the texts will be crime theory and
psychology of crime theory. Crimonology can be defined as an academic discipline that uses
scientific methods to study the nature of crime, the criminal’s behaviour, the cause of the
crime and the extent of the crime. Criminology has not given much attention to the victims of
a crime. This is stated by Larry J. Sigel (2012) in his work Criminology. It also studies
deviant behaviour which means actions that depart from social norms, values, and beliefs.
Siegel argues that according to the law people who commit deviant behaviour are not
categorized as criminals.
The psychology of crime theory looks into the biology of a criminal. Cesare Lombroso as
quoted by Daniel J. Curran (1994) states that criminals go back to the ape-like human stage.
He also discusses insanity and occasional criminals. There are three types of criminals
according to Lombroso: 1. Pseudocryminals, 2. Criminaloids, 3. Habitual Criminals. He also
discusses how female criminals are downplayed and are thought to be less dangerous than
men. Lambroso describes their nature to be different from that of the men. The two theories
mentioned above will be used to analyze the texts. From these theories the researchers would
like to develop a new theory that will be and can be used to read crime fiction locally and
internationally.

CONCLUSION

This research aims to fill the lacuna of research that surrounds crime fiction in general and
Malaysian crime fiction specifically. The book is divided into 6 chapters. Chapter 1 is the
Introduction, Chapter 2 is titled ----, Chapter 3 -----, Cahpter 4 -----, Chapter 5 -----, and the
final chapter, Chapter 6 Conclusion. It will concentrate on the three authors.

The objective of this research is to fill the lacuna of research on crime fiction. It also aims to
create a new theory in order to read crime fiction. The aim of this research is to find out the
similarities and differences that exist between Malaysian, American and Australian crime
fiction to determine why American crime ficiton sells better than Malaysian and Australian
crime fiction. It also wants to determine where the twain meets in order to provide a solution
as to the formula that can be used in order to market Malaysian and American crime fiction
internationally at the level of the American crime fiction.

The research questions that need to be answered are,

7. How is crime fiction presented by the three authors?

8. How do the authors approach the theme of crime in each country that they write from?

9. How do the laws and culture as well as the environment of each country influence the
writings of each author?

10. What are the differences and similarities between the fictions of each writer?

11. How have their writings been transferred onto the silver screen?

12. Why is crime fiction given prominence in all three countries and why has it become a
bestselling genre?

Very little research has been done on crime fiction in Malaysia. This research aims to fill the
lacuna that is present in this field and genre. It will compare three award winning crime
writers, Ramlee Awang Murshid from Malaysia, John Grisham from America and Peter
Temple from Australia and their works as well as the movies that have been adapted from
their novels.. The research aims to look at the differences and similarities between crime
fcition of the three countries and determine where the twain meets.

Related References

Afizyanti Gudang. 2007. Mandatori Karya Ramlee Awang Murshid: Satu Penerapan Teori
Konseptual Kata Kunci. (Thesis Master Universiti Sains Malaysia).

Curran, Daniel. J. 1994. Theories of Crime. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Grisham, John. 1993. The Firm. New York: Dell Publishing.

Grisham, John. 1996. A Time To Kill. New York: Random Books.

Grisham, John. 2003. A Painted House. New York: Bantam Dell.

Grisham, John. 2012. The Partner. New York: Dell Publishing.

Grisham, John. 1993. The Pelican Brief. New York: Dell Publishing.

Grisham, John. 2011. The Confession. New York: Dell Publishing.

Gregoriu, Christiana. 2003. The Poetics of Deviance in Contemporary American Crime

Fiction. London: Palgrave MacMillan

Hizairi Othman. 2000. Adaptasi Novel Ke filem: Analisis Perbandingan Antara Filem
Melayu Dan Filem Barat. (Thesis Master)

Nur Izwani Md. Nor. 2013. Peranan Media Baru Dalam Penghasilan Trilogi Sutera Bidadari
Karya Ramlee Awang Murshid. (Thesis Master: Universiti Sains Malaysia)
Ramlee Awang Murshid. Igauan Maut. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Ramlee Awang Murshid. 2008. Ungu Karmila. Shah Alam: Alaf 21.

Ramlee Awang Murshid. Fiksyen 302. Shah Alam: Alaf 21.

Ramlee Awang Murshid. Pei Pan . Kuala Lumpur: Utusan Publication and Distributions.

Ramlee Awang. Murshid. Hatiku Di Harajuku. Shah Alam: Alaf 21.

Scaggs, John. 2005. Crime Fiction. London; New York: Routledge.

Siegel, Larry J. 2012. Criminology. California: Thomson Wadsworth.

Sohaimi Abdul Aziz. 2010. The Development of the Popular Malay Cult Novel. In Kunapipi.
Vol.XXXII. Number 1-2 (2010). 61-66.
Siti Fatimah Kassim. 2011. Novel Bersiri Ramlee Awang Murshid: Satu Penilitian Novel
‘Cult’. (Thesis Master: Universiti Sains Malaysia).

Temple, Peter. 1996. Bad Debts. Sydney: Harper Collins.

Temple, Peter. 2000. Black Tide. Sydney: Bantam.

Temple, Peter. 2000. Dead Point. Sydney: Bantam.

Temple, Peter. 2004. White Dog. Melbourne: Text Publishing.

Temple, Peter. 2005. The Broken Shore. Melbourne: Text Publishing

Temple, Peter. 1998. An Iron Rose. Sydney: Harper Collins

Temple, Peter. 1999. Shooting Star. Sydney: Bantam.