Editing Spy fiction (section)

===Nineteenth century===

Spy fiction as a genre started to emerge during the 19th Century. Early examples of the espionage novel are ''The Spy'' (1821) and ''[[The Bravo]]'' (1831), by American novelist [[James Fenimore Cooper]]. ''The Bravo'' attacks European anti-[[republicanism]], by depicting [[Venice]] as a city-state where a ruthless [[oligarchy]] wears the mask of the "serene republic".

In nineteenth-century France, the [[Dreyfus Affair]] (1894–99) contributed much to public interest in [[espionage]].<ref>Cook, Chris. ''Dictionary of Historical Terms'' (1983) p. 95.</ref> For some twelve years (ca. 1894–1906), the Affair, which involved elements of international espionage, [[treason]], and [[antisemitism]], dominated French politics. The details were reported by the world press: an Imperial German [[Mole (espionage)|penetration agent]] betraying to Germany the secrets of the [[Staff (military)|General Staff]] of the [[French Army]]; the French [[counter-intelligence]] riposte of sending a [[charwoman]] to rifle the trash in the German Embassy in Paris, were news that inspired successful spy fiction.<ref>Toby Miller, ''Spyscreen: Espionage on Film and TV from the 1930s to the 1960s'' Oxford University Press, 2003 {{ISBN|0-19-815952-8}} p. 40-41</ref>

At least two [[Sherlock Holmes]] stories have clear espionage themes. In ''[[The Adventure of the Naval Treaty]]'', Holmes recovers the text of a secret Naval Treaty between Britain and Italy, stolen by a daring spy. In ''[[His Last Bow (short story)|His Last Bow]]'', Holmes himself acts as a [[double agent]], providing Germany with a lot of false information on the eve of [[WWI]].