A case study of Phryne Fisher from “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” as shown on the Australian Broadcasting Company.
Phryne Fisher is a private citizen who returns to Australia from travelling around the world to ensure that her sister’s murderer is not released from prison. Her broad world-view from her travels and intuition gives her insight into helping the local constabulary in solving murders in 1920’s Melbourne. Miss Fisher is an example of a “Private Citizen” crime fighter combined with aspects of a “Private Investigator.”
Miss Fisher grew up in the slums of Collinwood on the outskirts of Melbourne, begging for sustenance and trying to stay away from her drunken father. While on a trip to the circus, her sister was abducted and murdered by an unknown person. She and her family fled Australia to England where her family found themselves thrust into the world of royalty upon being given title to land. Miss Fisher was sent away to a posh boarding school, where she gained most of her knowledge of the sciences. She still felt incomplete due to the loss of her sister and left the school to volunteer with a medical unit of the French military following World War I, where she gained valuable knowledge regarding human anatomy and psychological conditions (Cox,
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She bends the rules, but rarely breaks them. If she does, she uses her wit and charm to avoid negative results. The public perception of crime fighters has been portrayed by the media in a variety of ways. News media portrays the police officers on the street as untrained brutes, committing crimes when they make an arrest on an “innocent victim of circumstances.” Television shows overplay the ability of detectives and investigators, giving them the full range of skill and ability to solve a murder within days of the crime. Miss Fisher fits the mold of the self-sufficient crime fighter who can deliver the criminal with little to no outside