The author characterizes the position of some critics as "inverted snobbery" (line 17) because they hold which one of...

Naz on May 30, 2014

This passage is about the crime novelist P.D. James and how she writes outside the traditional crime novel box. The passage points to her tendency to painstakingly construct characters and create elaborate settings (lines 11-15). The next few lines then point to other critics who find her "pretentious and tiresome." The author describes these critics as having an "inverted snobbery" for criticizing James on adopting a "highbrow literary style" as opposed to adopting the more "time-honored convention of the detective genre." Thus, if James's taking a more highbrow approach has angered these critics, they are, therefore, criticizing her for not adopting a less highbrow literature style. As opposed to being traditionally snobby and wanting more elaborate, highbrow material, they'd prefer her to strip down her language and get to the crux of it all. In this way they are being inversely snobby, i.e. "inverted snobbery."

So, answer choice (D): "Detective fiction should be content to remain an unambitious literary genre," is our correct answer. These critics prefer that James get to the point of her story as opposed to inserting "elaborate abstractions" (lines 14-15) into her plots.

Hope that was helpful! Let us know if you have any other questions.

Batman on May 31, 2014

Thanks a lot!!^^