Download Mystery Genre notes

History of the
Crime/Detective Story

Father of the Mystery/Crime story:
› Edgar Allan Poe, who wrote “ The Murders of
the Rue Morgue” in 1841
› First Detective: Auguste C. Dupin
“Locked Room”

"a murder victim is found inside an
apparently sealed enclosure and the
detective's challenge is to discover the
murderer's modus operandi”

Most famous example:
› The Murders in the Rue Morgue"
Shift in mystery stories by Poe

from the aesthetics of the situation to a more
intellectual reality, moving the story from "a
focus on the superficial trappings of eerie
setting and shocking event to a study of the
criminal's mind." (Crime Classics)
Other famous authors of the
time:

Charles Dickens - "Bleak House" (1853).
"The Mystery of Edwin Drood" (1870).

Wilkie Collins - "The Woman in White"
(1860). "The Moonstone" (1868).

Anna Katherine Green (became first woman
to write a detective novel) "The Leavenworth
Case" (1878).
Characteristics of a Mystery
Novel

Must have a detective (usually eccentric)

The official police must be bumblers

Clues must be presented to the reader

The author must not tell a lie

Many writers begin their stories with the
impact of the crime, then work backwards to
reconstruct the incomplete fragments of what
is known into a more intelligible whole
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

born May 22, 1859, Edinburgh, Scotland -died
July 7, 1930, Crowborough, Sussex, England

Known as the author of the Sherlock Holmes
stories

Went to medical school - knighted (1902) for his
work with a field hospital in Bloemfontein, South
Africa, and other services during the South
African (Boer) War.

Published his stories in The Strand Magazine
Behind the success of Doyle

Sherlock Holmes
› is a “character whose intelligence was
formidable, turning the solving of crimes
into a science”
› A rational thinker, who pieces information
together to draw an inescapable
conclusion, one that was not evident to
the others in the story.
Pointers for Reading Doyle

Similar Plot Line
› Introduce the crime
› Presentation of the case as “unique” or “singular”
› Adding odd characters
› Watson’s ignorance or lack of understanding of the
case and his use as Holmes’ foil
› The setting out of clues/introduction of false clues
› Adding complications to the case
› The resolution and explanation of the crime by
Holmes
Points for Reading Doyle

Key Vocab:

Foil - A foil is a character who serves as a
contrast to another perhaps more
primary character, so as to point out
specific traits of the primary character.
(Dr. Watson - narrator)

Verisimilitude: The sense that what one
reads is "real," or at least realistic and
believable.
Points for Reading Doyle

Key Vocab:

Red Herring - An action, theme, or piece of
information meant to lead a character or the
reader astray. Mysteries often employ red
herrings to complicate the plot and draw the
reader’s attention away from the real
solution, thus prolonging the pleasure of
reading.
Queen of Crime -Agatha
Christie

1890-1976 - Devon,
England

Married Archie
Christie, a WWI
fighter pilot in 1914

She worked as a
nurse, wrote on the
side

1890 - 1976
Agatha Christie

1st novel: The Mystery Affair at Styles introduces detective - Hercule Poirot
› Wrote 30 novels featuring Poirot

1926 - troubled marriage - divorce remarriage to Max Mallowan (archeologist)

In 1971 she was awarded the high honor of
becoming a Dame of the British Empire.
Agatha Christie

Her play, The Mousetrap, continues to run at
St Martin’s Theatre in London. It is the
longest running stage play in the world.

Agatha Christie wrote more than 80 novels in
her lifetime, earning her the title of “The
Queen of Crime”
Mystery History

Gardner - author of novels featuring Perry
Mason (later turned into a tv show)

Other famous TV detectives/shows Columbo, Murder She Wrote, Dragnet,
Hawaii 5-0, Kojak,

Other Novels - Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys