Undeniably, The Foremost Element Of Mystery And Detective

Our culture is all about good defeating evil, you see this them everywhere within our society, mystery stories are but another element of this theme. Mystery stories appeal to human nature because they allow each of us to feel clever, especially when we’re able to figure out the subtle clues laid out for us throughout the story. Our culture has these themes throughout our lives we glorify these themes by always seeking to understand everyday mysteries, such as who killed Kennedy, who was Jack the Ripper, and just what really happened in the case of Lizzie Borden. Some of these mysteries have confounded our culture for decades while others have lasted throughout the

He states in Chapter One, Part Four, “for one thing, we know that narrative in all its forms is a dialectic between what was expected and what came to pass. For there to be a story, something unforeseen must happen” (15). Unforeseen is the key word in this quote by Burner and is crucial to the mystery genre. Within mystery twists and turns occur, red herrings take the audience down the wrong path, and the audience plays detective, but for it to be a true mystery, something unforeseen must occur. This unforeseen occurrence is what keeps the audience on the edge of their seat and coming back for more. It is common knowledge that the detectives cannot find the murderer only 20 minutes into the episode or 50 pages into the book and while the audience certainly enjoys being correct when the killer is revealed, continuously being correct would ruin the allure of the genre. It is stories such as The Murders in Rue Morgue by Edgar Allen Poe that keep the readers on their feet with the unforeseen. When first reading Poe's story, I would have never guessed that an orangutang committed the murder and I am sure many other readers felt the same way, which draws us into the story.

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.

The “10 Commandments” established by Ronald Knox as well as the “Twenty rules for writing detective stories” by Willard Huntington Wright, are all followed (for the most part) whether intentional or not, by McDermid and result in this gripping novel. The rules establish the “fair-play” aspect of the puzzle mystery which McDermid proves are effective in keeping us engrossed by the story and leaves the reader the feeling like the detective, that they are just on the cusp of solving something big. The mystery keeps us in the dark but not so much so that we cannot see a light and the end of the tunnel. The mystery may initially have the reader baffled, but as we discover evidence with the detective, the reader feels that there is more to it than what meets the eye and leaves us hungry for more information. The most important and common laws of the puzzle game are to play fairly with the reader. There should be no supernatural intervention and the reader must not be deceived. As McDermid mentioned in her interview with BBC Radio, the reader

Concealment versus exposure are two ideas that lend meaning to one of the novel’s most significant themes:

William W. Stowe continues to create an understanding of the genre where “Detective fiction tends to affirm rather than question, to take social structures, moral codes and ways of knowing the given, rather than subjecting them to thorough, principled criticism. In detective fiction, crime is usually seen as a personal evil rather than a social injustice and the detective is depicted as an ideal incarnation of competitive individualism… the truth although elusive, is ultimately

The tone of the author changes to a challenging nature as the readers realized that it could be difficult for Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson to try to solve the mystery under the dangerous circumstances. The mystery unraveled as the assumptions of Sherlock Holmes seemed to be true. Answers come to the investigators as the story moves to the end. Sherlock Holmes appeared to be persistent as he was heroic when under the hazardous conditions. Waiting in

The acclaimed authors, Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle, formulate the characters of Auguste Dupin and Sherlock Holmes respectively, to be similar in the way they analyze, deduce, and connect segments of often-thought “unsolvable” cases. Through their comparable techniques and system of deduction, Dupin and Holmes never fail to trace back evidence to the scene of the crime. However, due to vast differences between the authors’ writing styles, the audience observes the main characters as distinct individuals, ultimately reinforcing the notion that Dupin and Holmes are not clones, but rather characters from different backgrounds that evolve to epitomize heroic private detectives.

In the genre of detective fiction one of the first names that pops into ones head is that of Sherlock Holmes. His stories, in the “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," more or less embody classic detective fiction in the 1800s. There are victims early on in the story and a bad guy whom you only find out about at the end. The story is fast paced and you are lead down different paths and end up thinking you have figured out the twisted mystery, to only then find out you were no where close to the actual solution. Almost all of the stories we have read in class have had these things in common.

In “The adventure of the Speckled Band” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle follows Sherlock Holmes on a grand adventure to solve yet another mystery. They story takes place in April 1883 at Stoke Moran. Helen Stoner comes to Sherlock Holmes and Dr.Watson to receive answers to her sister, Julia’s death. Helen fears for her life and questions her sister’s death and evening of her wedding. Helen is anxious to hear what Sherlock and Dr.Watson have to say. Now Dr.Roylotte, Helen’s stepfather, is the main suspect. Sherlock exclaims this is a serious matter that must be dealt with imminently. Sherlock and Watson must investigate Stoke Moran.

In 1944 the literary critic Edmund Wilson wrote an exasperated essay in the pages of The New Yorker titled “Why Do People Read Detective Stories?’’ Wilson, who at the time was about to go abroad to cover the allied bombing campaign on Germany, felt that he had grown out the detective genre at the age of twelve, by that time he had read through the stories from the early masters of the detective genre, Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle. Even tho everyone he knew seemed to be addicted the genre. His wife at that time, Mary McCarthy, was in the habit of recommending her favorite detective novels to their émigré pal Vladimir Nabokov; she gave him H. F. Heard’s beekeeper whodunit “A Taste for Honey,” which he enjoyed while recovering

Detective stories are the type of genre that tends to go way over one’s head. In the sense that we are unfamiliar with dark,mysterious, and uncomfortable situations that we generally would have night terrors about. It goes deep into the idea of a world where there is just one brave soul who is willing to uncover the whole truth. There is always a lone detective that the story is revolved around, a man that is ready to sacrifice his safety in order to protect others. Chandler’s “The Simple Art of Murder” and Mosley’s “Devil in a Blue Dress” both bring out the important elements of a detective tale. The lone detective, the setting of a detective story, and the search for truth all come together to constitute as a detective story at its best.

One’s ability to use reasoning to solve complications provides a great insight of their traits and characteristics. One Autumn day, Watson finds Sherlock Holmes talking to a peculiar guest with very pronounced red hair. As Holmes starts to observe the man, the investigation in the story, “The Red Headed League” by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, begins. Doyle begins many of his Sherlock Holmes short stories with a similar setting, a client providing details of a problem and having Watson and Sherlock investigate. Obvious and subtle clues are laid out in the beginning, having the reader try to piece it together. However, as the story progresses towards the end insignificant actions and observations made by Holmes suddenly becomes significant. It may seem as though Holmes is doing something peculiar; but in actuality, he is providing himself with clues. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s suspenseful “The Red Headed League,” he demonstrates the theme of reason and logic with the dynamic characterization of Sherlock Holmes and Holmes’ inherent ability to solve mysteries.

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