Mysteries &
Detective Fiction
It’s a mystery?
Elements of mystery
are found in great
literary works of the
past (Bible,
Shakespeare)
Elements of mystery
may be main plot or
subplot [we find mystery
in romance and science
fiction]
Detective fiction is a
subgenre of mystery
When Detective Fiction Appears
Poe: the founder of the genre
The Murders In The Rue Morgue (1841)
The Mystery Of Marie Roget - A Sequel
To "The Murder In The Rue Morgue"
(1850)
The Purloined Letter (1845)
Historical Factors that led to the genre
development
First modern police forces organized in
late 1700s, early 1800s “responsible only
to the law” and not to some wealthy patron
The rise of democracy [esp. in America]
gives rise to the belief that law/the police
are on the side of the people
Changes from past genres
Before, the criminal could be seen as
heroic, like Robin Hood, but not in this
genre
While some characters might question the
efficacy of justice, or even the possibility
of justice through the law—ultimately, the
authors of this genre always side with the
ideal of law and order
Development of Detective Fiction
An increasing emphasis is placed on Science
In its classic form, it is a fictional
celebration of scientific method – Think CSI
19th c. conception of Science included
the natural sciences, but also philosophy,
ethics & law as well as a reliance on
observable fact and logical processes.
Both deductive and inductive reasoning
are required of the detective
Science and Detective Fiction
There is a strong
connection between
detective fiction and
science fiction: both
feature a man of
science using his
reasoning skills to
produce a solution to a
pressing social
problem.
The “Double Contest”
At the heart of detective
fiction is both the contest of
wits between the detective
and the villain, but also
between the writer and
reader.
In good fiction, the writer
must “play fair” with the
reader [that is, there must
be enough reasonable
clues in the story for the
reader to figure out who
done it]
Detective Fiction as Game of Wits
Detective fiction developed as a highly
structured, formal art with rules:
(1) Evidence must be available to the reader
(2) The solution must be reasonable (not
impossible)
(3) No surprises at the end; ex. the number of
suspects must be finite
(4) Crime should be significant
(5) There must be detection
not simply a solution.
Detective Fiction as Discipline
Because of these “rules,” there’s a sense in
which writers don’t have the same kind of
freedom that writers of other kinds of stories
have.
it’s similar to a poet choosing to work within
the conventions of the sonnet