The Golden Age of Detective Fiction

Many individuals have flashbacks after experiencing trauma. Survivors of such horrible traumas sometimes can act out in violence, after something triggers them to remember the ordeal. The novel The Suspect by L.R. Wright, offers a realistic account of what goes on in the mind of an individual who has committed murder. Throughout the novel, I made connections to many real life examples of how trauma has affected the lives of criminals and their victims, through either alcohol or mental illness. Individuals affected by this sort of trauma can seek medical or social help in order to be able to learn how to cope with daily living.

Agatha Christie, author of the murder mystery And Then There Were None, used foreshadowing and both external and internal conflict to portray the theme of her novel that justice can be served for the crimes that go unpunished. Christie used these elements because she enjoyed mystery and she liked to keep her readers engaged while reading. Agatha Christie is still considered one of the best, if not, the best murder mystery writer today because she wrote the first murder mystery novel and she wrote many more after that that was well loved by people.

When Gayle Wald wrote, “Sayers’s career writing detective stories effectively ends with Gaudy Night” (108), she did not present a new argument, but continued the tradition that Gaudy Night does not center on the detective story.  Barbara Harrison even labeled Dorothy Sayers’s Lord Peter/Harriet Vane books, Strong Poison, Gaudy Night, and Busman’s Honeymoon, as “deliriously happy-ending romances” (66).  The label stretches the definition of a romance, but Gaudy Night indeed has very little to do with crime.  Sayers encrypted the real story within her detective novel.  This story behind the story narrates love and human relationships.  In fact, the crimes in Gaudy Night only supply a convenient way for

The author shows the readers that today so-called cozy mysteries has no big difference from Golden Age style mystery writing. The story occurs mainly in a small setting, such as part of a closed group, in a manor or a small village. Christie’s works still influence the readers: They still love to read Agatha Christie’s novels today.

In the film and the literary versions of The Maltese Falcon, cops are portrayed differently because of the distinct tools available to each media. The written descriptions of the novel give people on the police force a personality, so that they are humanized. On the other side, the film creates a cynical depiction of cops, where policemen are less complex humans than the criminals of the world, so this portrayal makes the film’s world appears grimmer than the literary world. In lieu of written description, the lighting of Huston’s The Maltese Falcon (1941) causes the policemen to lack some of the depth that they had in Hammett’s novel of The Maltese Falcon (1929) because the lighting creates fewer contrasting shadows

Readers who have never picked up on the Dashiell Hammett detective novel The Maltese Falcon 1930 or seen the classic 1941 film adaptation, which follows the novel almost verbatim, can feel a strong sense of familiarity, faced for the first time in history. In this book, Hammett invented the hard-boiled private eye genre, introducing many of the elements that readers have come to expect from detective stories: mysterious, attractive woman whose love can be a trap , search for exotic icon that people are willing to kill the detective, who plays both sides of the law, to find the truth , but it is ultimately driven by a strong moral code , and shootings and beatings enough for readers to share the feeling of danger Detective . For decades , countless writers have copied the themes and motifs Hammett may rarely come anywhere near him almost perfect blend of cynicism and excitement.

Once again, I got carried away by Agatha Christie's. Everytime I lay my hands across a detective fiction, I'm unstoppable, ready to uncover all the mysteries! As I flip through the pages, my heart beats faster, adrenaline rush through my body as I was slowly taken to the protagonist's world, experiencing terror and fear, while analyzing every single possibilities: who the real murderer is, how to break his perfect alibi, or how to get away unnoticed by him.

The art of mystery has been perceived and defined in books for centuries with many different authors placing their own mark on the genre. One of these authors leaves an indelible mark on the genre, setting the standard for the expertise that mystery writing takes, and is unparalleled by many writers even today. Raymond Chandler, the master of nasty, uses both his fascination for mystery and prowess for literature and turns it into a work of art for the reader to unfold. The use of corruption, women, love, and deceit all play a key role in highlighting Chandler’s main character: Marlowe, a hardboiled detective working the corrupt streets of LA. The corruption

The movie The Maltese Falcon is about a private investigator who is striving to unravel the mystery surrounding a black enamelled bird known as the Maltese Falcon. Samuel Spade, the protagonist of the story, is what was known as a “hard-boiled” detective. Men such as that rarely show a tender side (if they have one). Likewise, they are physically tough, frequently resorting to guns or fists to get what they want. In addition, they tend to be amoral, yet with an inflexible code of honour of their own.

“Outsold only by the Bible and Shakespeare, Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time. She is best known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, as well as the world’s longest-running play – The Mousetrap” (“Homepage”). The New Historicism Lens is a way for readers to speculate deeper understandings of texts by relating the text to the historical era in which it was set or written. Another aspect of this lens involves looking specifically at how the author’s life impacts their writing. Published in 1939, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, continues to be one of Christie's most successful books, and with the use of this lens, readers can observe historical happenings at the time it was written and how events in Christie’s life influenced her writing of this text.

Detective Lionel, a large and intimidating person, slams the steel door behind him. The room is nondescript and has a stench of tobacco fumes. The only objects in it are me and the detective, as well as a wooden table, desk lamp, and two stainless steel chairs. Detective Lionel wears a grimacing smirk on his face as he sits in his chair and places his beige fedora on the table. He rests his hands on the table, and he asks, “What were you doing in the park early in the morning.”I respond by saying, “You think I murdered Mr. Scott, don’t you?”

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

Thesis: Agatha Christie's unique way of writing mysteries to capture the audiences attention in her interesting plots, mind-boggling detectives, and the quietude of her settings to create the perfect mystery.

1A. A good detective is a very smart person who is able to use evidence and to detect lies and truth. And is also able to think things in a logic and quicker way as well as understanding criminal's movements. For example, detective Dupin in the "Murders of the Rue Morgue" from how the bones were broken and how a lot of hair was pulled out, he figured out that the criminal was not a human, but rather an criminal(Orangutan). "I proceeded to think thus—à posteriori. The murderers did escape from one of these windows. This being so, they could not have refastened the sashes from the inside, as they were found fastened; — the consideration which put a stop, through its obviousness, to the scrutiny of the police in this quarter. Yet the sashes were fastened. They must, then, have the power of fastening themselves. There was no escape from this conclusion." I have seen the character of detectives evolve from one author to the next by having a brilliant life in Doyle's novel "The Sign of the four" to love as in Rampo's "Beast in the Shadows. In "The Sign of the Four" it said, "I cannot live without brain-work. What else is there to live for?" In the "Beast in the Shadows" it said, "Thus, I fell for her completely, sending her meaningless on a frequent basis." Doyle's, Rampo's, Gaboriau's, Christie's, and Borges's fiction character and plot were similar as Poe's detective and plot. Therefore, they do depend on earlier models. In respect, Gaboriau aims to glorify or support the French police while it said, “Well done, Goulard!" quoth the commissary, approvingl;” Poe has a contemptuous attitude towards the agency. I believe that Gaboriau got the idea from Poe, but did the opposite from what I see, I could definitely tell that Poe deserves the title "One of American Greatest Storyteller" because so many authors followed his example of how to write a detective novel. Which shows that his writing impact others to write detective novels.

Agatha Christie is one of the most successful crime novelists and theater writers of the 20th century. Agatha Christie's shy life led her to a world of fantasy and has helped her to evoke many personalities, including famous detective such as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marble.