The Story of a Detective Novel Entitled “Pars Vite et Reviens Tard” Written by Fred Vargas (L’histoire romanesque du roman policier Pars vite et reviens tard de Fred Vargas)

Abstract

This article is an examination of a detective novel entitled “Pars
Vite et Reviens Tard” written by Fred Vargas. Firstly, the paper looks at
kinds of stories told in this novel and Secondly, whether or not these
stories conform to traditional models of detective novel. The first is the
crime story, according to Tzvetan Todorov’s ideas. The second is the
detective story as expounded by Frank Evrard. Thirdly there is the love
story as found in Fred Vargas’ novel itself. We can use Paul Larivaille’s
“quinaire schema”, mentioned by Yves Reuter, to analyze the plot and
how it unfolds in this novel. In conclusion we found that “Pars vite et
reviens tard” broadly conforms to the model of the traditional detective
story. For example, the criminal story is absent from the recital and its
detective story constitutes the discourse of the novel. The criminal story
shows the signals, the deaths, the suspects and conforms to Todorov’s
“curiosity” and the plot follows every step of the “schema quinaire”.
Although there are certain pertinent details which deviate from this
model such as its love story.