Diffferences in Detective Stories Essays

The detective genre is recognizable by the mystery that it represents or establishes. Every word of a fiction novel is chosen with a purpose, and that purpose on a detective novel is to create suspense. The excerpts from The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler, Murder Is My Business by Lynette Prucha, and Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley, create an atmosphere of suspense and mystery. Even though they all fit into this category, there are some differences that make each novel unique. The imagery that the authors offer in the excerpts helps the reader to distinguish the similarities and the differences.

In Criminal Justice, there are many different detectives with many different qualities. So how do you know what it takes for a detective to be successful? What traits and qualities make a good detective? Today, two very popular detectives will be compared, Sherlock Holmes and Nancy Drew. These investigators are being “investigated” in one of their most popular novels, The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene and The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Both of these novels have very good sleuths, with many similar and contrasting qualities. Let’s follow the clues in these books to figure out the qualities of these good detectives and what qualities will take most detectives down the path of success.

but it is connected to money. There is no victim in it but the villain

As well as harnessing the setting, Priestley uses the genre of a detective story to create a gripping and interesting story to keep the audience interested. It also allows for Priestley.

Cold case investigation is a growing concern due to increased numbers of unsolved cases and pop culture appeal. This paper will walk you through what a cold case investigation is, how one begins, and factors such as the use of volunteers can effect the outcome of a cold case investigation. Each year the number of unsolved cases in the U.S. goes up, but with limiting funding and lack of manning something has to be done to keep the numbers down. A dedicated cold case unit is the best answer to this problem.

The basis of detective fictions is a well-developed and observant character that is able to walk the audience and outside perspectives through the case. In this case, Arthur Conan-Doyle utilizes the observant perspective of Watson to describe the actions of Sherlock Holmes. Doyle characterizes Sherlock through underscoring vocabulary and the first person understanding of Watson. A series of analytical language and descriptive literary devices such as juxtaposition to portray the effects of Irene Adler on the near-perfect character of Sherlock Holmes.

In detective fiction stories of the 19th century, the detective is a detective male and the victim is always female. Which means that the image of female detectives or even all females did change over time in detective fiction. But even then, women were still

Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window continues and expands on traditional themes of the Detective Fiction Genre. In 1841, Murder in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe broke the traditional character constraints of the Crime Fiction Genre, by introducing a new type of lead detective figure. The ideal detective figure encompassed traits of superiority, intelligence, wit and a keen sense for observation. The lead detective figure is a sophisticated character that is not bound to the constrictions and limitations of the Law and the exploration of this figure through the use of visual aid and techniques, provides contrast and variation on the common themes within the genre. Hitchcock provides an alternative approach through a new medium carving way

Primarily, readers read detective stories because they expect a dramatic event to happen whether that be criminal activity or more prominently, a murder. The audience of The Murders in the Rue Morgue didn’t have extremely eventful lives; it wasn’t every day that a horrid murder would take place in the real streets of Paris. They desperately craved excitement for their boring days and for that, they turned to books: detective stories in particular. The horror of the actual act offered a form of excitement and entertainment to the reader. The story allowed them to escape from their already routine life. Other than that, the society in detective stories like The Murders in the Rue Morgue was outwardly perfect in which the characters “have very simple problems” (Aydelotte, pg. 4). Everything in the society went right, up until the point of the murder. The fact that a seemingly ideal world was interrupted by such a gruesome event, offered the reader a reality check and made them aware of their anxiety of the evil that exists in the world. For the audience of detective stories, “The mess, confusion, and frustration of life have

Thirdly, the suspects must be relevant to the story and should not be detected by the reader early on the story. Fourthly, the criminal must be a worthy opponent to the protagonist. The mind of a criminal should be the intellectual Equal of the protagonists. Lastly, a believable story is needed to make crime fiction worth reading. Readers like to be involved with the crime solving so the the story should be plausible to keep the reader engaged. Not all crime book follow these conventions however. For example, The text I have chosen is Gangsta Granny written by David Walliams. In the book, the protagonist is an 11 year old boy named Ben with his grandma whose name is not given and only referred to as Granny as the deuteroganist. Ben has to spend every Friday night with his grandma but Ben thinks she is boring. Granny over hears that she is found boring by ben and decides to make up stories to entertain Ben. She hides fake jewels Granny as the deuteroganist. Ben has to spend every Friday night with his grandma but Ben thinks she is

The comic Stumptown by Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth and the retro audio podcast Nick Carter: Master Detective starring Lon Clack portray the different roles of women in detective fiction. Nick Carter was on the radio from 1943 to 1955, and represents more traditional roles for gender. Over the 125 episodes, the radio show followed detective Nick Carter and his female assistant, Patsy on different crime scene investigations. Carter was also able to solve seemingly impossible crimes by looking at unique angles. Stumptown was published in 2011. It represents a more modern view on gender roles in detecting. In this comic, Dex Parios, a private investigator, is hired to find someone’s granddaughter. She encounters many difficulties while investigating and attempting to find the missing girl. In the end, the plot ends up being a lot more complicated than initially presented. In this essay, I am going to look at how the role of gender in detective fiction has evolved over time.

Throughout the 20th century, hard-boiled detective novels were very popular and the public quickly devoured these male-centered stories. They had a major focus on plot and the characters in various novels often fit the same stereotypes, such as the cynical and isolated detective and the seductive femme fatale. However, as the years have gone on, there has been a rise in female detectives that do not fit the mold of the previous crime fiction pieces. Sally Wainright’s BBC police procedural Happy Valley gives way to a woman that is flawed, but does her best to succeed in the police force despite the various problems she faces. She is not just a female version of these male detectives, but rather carves her own path in the police force and the genre. In addition, the format of the series itself is different from the predecessors since it is character-driven and the plot is only secondary.

While American and British authors developed the two distinct schools of detective fiction, known as “hard-boiled and “golden age,” simultaneously, the British works served to continue traditions established by earlier authors while American works formed their own distinct identity. Though a niche category, detective works reflect the morality and culture of the societies their authors lived in. Written in the time period after World War I, Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon and “The Gutting of Couffignal”, and Raymond Chandler’s “Trouble Is My Business” adapt their detectives to a new harsh reality of urban life. In “hard-boiled” works, the detective is more realistic than the detective in “golden age” works according to the

When someone mentions the occupation of detective, a single image usually comes to mind, a man wearing a cape and deerstalker, holding a magnifying glass and smoking a pipe. This entire image can be contributed to one character: Sherlock Holmes. Holmes is considered by many to be the greatest detective to ever exist, even if he only exists in the pages of books and on movie and television screens. It is impossible to escape the influence of Holmes. Countless references are made to him in all types of media and he is used as an inspiration to may more fictional characters we have all grown to love. The cultural impact of Sherlock Holmes has spread to more than just fiction; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s

All though the stories are extremely different people still don’t see the difference making the classic mistake of thinking that mysteries are all the same and just classified as mysteries when such a complex story as so many levels of complexity and details. They have different emotional levels creating different personal attachments with each character individually. The differences become very