Published Paper Details:

Crime fiction has fascinated readers through the ages. This paper explores the changing portrayal of female characters in crime fiction. Early works often relegated women to stereotypical roles: the victim, the femme fatale, or the sidekick. Characters like Miss Marple and Miss Loveday Brooke offered glimpses of more complex heroines, but it was not until the mid-20th century that authors like Dorothy L. Sayers and Patricia Highsmith challenged gender norms with characters like Harriet Vane and Tom Ripley. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides serves as a case study. While Alicia Berenson, the accused murderer, displays psychological complexity, she remains somewhat limited. Kathy Faber, Theo Faber's wife, embodies a different stereotype - the cheating spouse. In contrast, Clarice Starling from Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs exemplifies a more modern heroine. Intelligent, resourceful, and haunted by her past, Clarice navigates a male-dominated world with both strength and vulnerability. By analysing both characters through Eysenck's PEN model, the paper highlights the enduring influence of past portrayals while celebrating the emergence of multifaceted female characters who challenge expectations and drive the genre forward.