In addition to the occasion, timing, and popularity of detective novels and science fiction, they also have a common point that they are related to perception. However, these two genres differ in that they set time and space as categories of perceptio ...
In addition to the occasion, timing, and popularity of detective novels and science fiction, they also have a common point that they are related to perception. However, these two genres differ in that they set time and space as categories of perception. Unlike science fiction and detective novels where time and space were excluded from the object of interest by themselves, time and space of reality, that is, the real world itself and its perceptions, are the subject of discussion in Shilf.
The Liam abduction, which caused Sebastian to murder Dabbeling, reveals the discrepancy between the reality experienced by individuals and the so-called objective reality that people commonly perceive. After all, the truth is a special reality defined by personal perception and interpretation. Then, the question of how the truth as a special reality can be matched with objectivity or universal perception is raised.
Schilf shows a complex temporal structure that simultaneously reveals linearity and nonlinearity in the narrative structure. In addition, in this novel, time appears as an interdisciplinary theme of the intersection of science and philosophy. Oskar, a theoretical physicist, prioritizes the method of science approached as a physical entity, and Sebastian, an experimental physicist, prioritizes the approach of philosophy in relation to perception and existence.
Detective Schilf solves his case by reading the original text behind the reality through the voice heard in his head, that is, the “inner observer”. But Detective Schilf curses his job. To him, the lives of others are like his own past. The past can be observed but cannot be changed. However, Schilf changes after hearing Sebastian's story about the nature of time, which is important in that it serves as an opportunity to uncover the roots of Dabbeling's murder. In the end, Detective Schilf, who learns the back of the Dabbelling murder case, tries to solve his last case by calling out the "inner judge".
Modern detective novels focus on solving cases by reasonably explaining crimes through scientific and analytical investigations. However, Dürrenmatt's detective novel raises a problem through accidental intervention in the premise of the existing detective novel based on modern rational reason. In Der Richter und sein Henker, coincidence proves the limit of reason and logic by dissolving the causal relationship of the case and revealing the complex interdependence of the world. However, Shilf doesn't stop there, but also shows that emotions and sympathy can at least serve as an opportunity to identify accidental events and save individuals. Der Richter und Sein Henker and Shilf deal in common with cases where there is no legal means to punish through the law. However, as a postmodern detective novel, Shilf is not a story of arrest and punishment, but a story of salvation accompanied by moral self-reflection in a world without God, and a story of love in the age of science.