--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We tend to think of crime fiction as…" description: "\"We tend to think of crime fiction as reading designed for entertainment - not education. It delivers an almost pure kind of readerly pleasure: the myst..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/sarah-weinman-7655_crime_we-tend-to-think-of-crime-fiction-as-rea_886760.jpg" --- # We tend to think of crime fiction as reading designed for… ![“We tend to think of crime fiction as reading designed for entertainment - not education. It delivers an almost pure kind of readerly pleasure: the mystery solved, justice delivered, roughly or otherwise.” quote by Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/sarah-weinman-7655_crime_we-tend-to-think-of-crime-fiction-as-rea_886760.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/sarah-weinman-7655_crime_we-tend-to-think-of-crime-fiction-as-rea_886760.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/425/sarah-weinman-7655_crime_we-tend-to-think-of-crime-fiction-as-rea_886760.jpg) > “We tend to think of crime fiction as reading designed for entertainment - not education. It delivers an almost pure kind of readerly pleasure: the mystery solved, justice delivered, roughly or otherwise.” [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Crime fiction offers entertainment while also delivering moral resolution and intellectual satisfaction. **In simple terms:** Crime stories entertain and teach justice. Key Takeaway Appreciate genre’s dual purpose. Themes literature justice entertainment Mood analytical thoughtful Type literary educational When to use this quote - reading clubs - educational curricula - media analysis Key Concepts narrative structure ethical themes Questions to Reflect On - What moral lessons do you take from crime stories? - How does this genre shape your view of justice? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex social issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Crime fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime-fiction/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) ## Related quotes > [I think I'm out of crime fiction now, and I think the dividing line is American Tabloid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-think-i-m-out-of-crime-fiction-now-and-i-think-the-dividing-line-is/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [I think crime fiction is a great way to talk about social issues, whether 'To Kill A Mockingbird' or 'The Lovely Bones;' violence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/i-think-crime-fiction-is-a-great-way-to-talk-about-social-issues/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [Fear not lest precautions and protective contrivances diminish your pleasure: mystery only adds thereto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-de-sade/fear-not-lest-precautions-and-protective-contrivances-diminish-your/) [Marquis de Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquis-de-sade/) > [Today I continue with my science-fiction reading habit and find it very mind-expanding. 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Most of my reading is heavily dictated by what I'm writing at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mawer/only-occasionally-do-i-read-new-fiction-most-of-my-reading-is-heavily/) [Simon Mawer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mawer/) > [A lot of what the 'Culture' is about is a reaction to all the science fiction I was reading in my very early teens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-banks/a-lot-of-what-the-culture-is-about-is-a-reaction-to-all-the-science/) [Iain Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-banks/) > [I guess...on one hand, I spent way too much time watching science fiction and reading science fiction when I was growing up. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/i-guess-on-one-hand-i-spent-way-too-much-time-watching-science/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [The strength of fiction is not in reading about yourself, but in reading about other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/the-strength-of-fiction-is-not-in-reading-about-yourself-but-in/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [If you think the shifting tectonics of world history might make for a juicy crime fiction backdrop, the last decade or so has proved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/if-you-think-the-shifting-tectonics-of-world-history-might-make-for-a/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [My focus will always be crime, but it might not always be fiction, nor always for adults, nor books entirely in prose. That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/my-focus-will-always-be-crime-but-it-might-not-always-be-fiction-nor/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) ## More by Sarah Weinman > ['The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-choirboys-is-very-much-a-product-of-its-mid-1970s-time-especially/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [America in the 1800s isn't quite the historical mystery hotbed as the same period in the country it bested in the War of Independence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/america-in-the-1800s-isn-t-quite-the-historical-mystery-hotbed-as-the/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [While every historical era has its unique appeal as a setting for tales of crime and detection, the 19th century is exceptional - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/while-every-historical-era-has-its-unique-appeal-as-a-setting-for/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [After so many attempts to mount a musical version of 'Lolita,' the project was well and truly dead by the summer of 1971. Chief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/after-so-many-attempts-to-mount-a-musical-version-of-lolita-the/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [My one criticism of Vertigo Crime to date is that it's been a boys' club, reveling in violence that, while entertainingly lurid, lacks depth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/my-one-criticism-of-vertigo-crime-to-date-is-that-it-s-been-a-boys/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [My focus will always be crime, but it might not always be fiction, nor always for adults, nor books entirely in prose. That's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/my-focus-will-always-be-crime-but-it-might-not-always-be-fiction-nor/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [First, a confession: I liked 'The Da Vinci Code.' This news is even more of a surprise to me than it might be to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/first-a-confession-i-liked-the-da-vinci-code-this-news-is-even-more/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [Having set its tonal template, Vertigo Crime laid low for a few months before starting in earnest at the beginning of 2010.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/having-set-its-tonal-template-vertigo-crime-laid-low-for-a-few-months/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > ['The Chill,' by Jason Starr and Mick Bertilorenzi, was both a wise and nervy choice to start the year: Starr's standalone novels, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-chill-by-jason-starr-and-mick-bertilorenzi-was-both-a-wise-and/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [The interior nature of 'Basic Black' is central to its unfolding. Shirley Kaszenbowski, regarded from the outside, is the embodiment of the invisible woman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-interior-nature-of-basic-black-is-central-to-its-unfolding/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [The 'Vampire of Ropraz' claims to be based on a true story, but the name of Rosa's father matches that of a notable Swiss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-vampire-of-ropraz-claims-to-be-based-on-a-true-story-but-the-name/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [In the summer of 1997, a little more than half a lifetime ago, I got my first proper summer job. The job, with one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/in-the-summer-of-1997-a-little-more-than-half-a-lifetime-ago-i-got-my/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [As I considered Parker and his absurdist reflection in the Westlake-authored 'Dortmunder' novels, I wrote, 'His natural ability to observe human behavior and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/as-i-considered-parker-and-his-absurdist-reflection-in-the-westlake/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [The abundance of Roman historical mysteries contrasts with the surprising paucity of crime novels set in classical Greece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/the-abundance-of-roman-historical-mysteries-contrasts-with-the/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) > [Writers of historical fiction are often faced with a problem: if they include real-life people, how do they ensure that their make-believe world isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-weinman/writers-of-historical-fiction-are-often-faced-with-a-problem-if-they/) [Sarah Weinman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) [Explore all 89 Sarah Weinman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-weinman/) ## More Crime quotes > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [“Crime and punishment can be summed up in two classifications: there are bad people and there are people who get into bad situations. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnnie-dent-jr/crime-and-punishment-can-be-summed-up-in-two-classifications-there/) [Johnnie Dent Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnnie-dent-jr/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [“The jailers, the Court, everyone in that building – it wasn’t about justice; it was about obedience and intimidation…about maintaining order. Fear accomplished that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-allan/the-jailers-the-court-everyone-in-that-building-it-wasn-t-about/) [Jay Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-allan/) > [Taking notes while watching Forensic Files and Snapped. I don't want to make the same mistakes the criminals do! ;)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-notes-while-watching-forensic-files-and-snapped-i-don-t-want/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [Nations sometimes flourish by denying the crimes that brought them into being. Only when the original invasion, occupation, extermination or usurpation has been safely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/nations-sometimes-flourish-by-denying-the-crimes-that-brought-them/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The danger that may really threaten (crime fiction) is that soon there will be more writers than readers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/the-danger-that-may-really-threaten-crime-fiction-is-that-soon-there/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [“a crime to fell a tree and light it on fire, where coals of hardened shit warmed and stunk up homes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/a-crime-to-fell-a-tree-and-light-it-on-fire-where-coals-of-hardened/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. 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