A reflection of culture, wit, courage and brains. The Detective Genre A reflection of culture, wit, courage and brains.

The Detective Genre The Detective Genre First introduced to the public by Edgar Allan Poe, an American writer who created a French Detective In 1841 Poe first published “ The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” From this point on, he wrote four more detective stories and established the guidelines for the genre.

Poe’s motifs Poe’s Motifs The interpretation of code The trails of false clues laid out by the murderer. The unmasking of the least likely suspect Psychological deduction The most obvious solution

Poe’s motifs Poe’s Motifs The brilliant amateur detective The less-than-brilliant narrator-friend The wrongly suspected person The sealed room The unexpected solution The armchair detective and the application of pure reasoning

S.S. Van Dine’s Twenty Rules Willard Huntington Wright wrote under the name S.S. Van Dine. He was an American literary figure from 1929-1939 who wrote many detective novels himself. He also served as a literary critic and art critic and would often criticize the detective stories of his time. His detective Philo Vance was an irritating creature with an knowledge of everything under the sun. People liked him because of how he could challenge the police.

S.S. Van Dine’s Rules of 20 1) The reader must have an equal opportunity with the detective to solve the crime. 2) No willful tricks or deceptions may be placed on the reader other than those played by the criminal on the detective. 3) There must be no love interest. 4) The detective himself, or one of the investigators, should never turn out to be the culprit.

S.S. Van Dine’s Rules of 20 5) The culprit must be determined by logical deduction –not by accident, coincidence or confession. 6) The detective novel must have a detective in it. 7) There simply must be a corpse in a detective novel. 8) The problem of the crime must be solved by naturalistic means.

S.S. Van Dine’s Rules of 20 9) There must be one detective 10) The culprit must turn out to be a person who has played a more or less prominent part in the story. 11) A servant must not be chosen as the culprit. 12) There must be one culprit no matter how many murders are committed. 13) Secret societies have no place in a detective story.

S.S. Van Dine’s Rules of 20 14) The method of the murder , and the means of detecting it, must be rational and scientific. 15) The truth of the problem must be at all times apparent provided the reader is shrewd enough to see it. 16) The detective story should contain no long descriptive passages, no literary dallying with side issues, no atmospheric preoccupations.

S.S. Van Dine’s Rules of 20 17) The professional culprit should never be shouldered with guilt. 18) A crime should never turn out to be an accident or suicide. 19) The motives for all crimes in detective stories should be personal.

S.S. Van Dine’s Rules of 20 20) No self-respecting detective writer should use the following devices: A bogus séance to force a confession The unmasking of a twin or look-alike The cipher/code letter The hypodermic syringe and knockout drops The comparison of cigarette butts.

Ronald Knox’s rule of ten Ronald Knox was a priest and classical scholar who wrote six detective stories between 1925 and 1937. His detective was an insurance investigator . His novels were liked because he planted clues and created a game between writer and reader. He published ten rules for setting up the detective story.

Ronald Knox’s rule of ten The criminal must be someone mentioned early in the story but must not be someone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow. All supernatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course. No ghosts! Not more than one secret room or passage is allowed.

Ronald Knox’s rule of ten No undiscovered poisons may be used or an appliance that needs a long scientific explanation for the reader to understand how it works. No Chinamen shall figure in a story. No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have a spark of intuition that proves right.

Ronald Knox’s rule of ten The detective cannot be the person who commits the crime. The detective must not light on any clues that are not revealed to the reader. The stupid friend, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts that pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, very slightly, below the average reader.

Ronald Knox’s rule of ten Twins, brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear in the story unless we have been truly prepared for them. These three critics, Poe, S.S. Van Dine, and Ronald Knox established the guidelines for the detective genre. Today people like to play with these rules, but they are still basically followed to some degree.

The Detective As Archetype Archetype: a character, format or device that is used in literature universally. Each genre has its own particular archetypes. Which would you prefer? How did Sherlock help set the archetype? The Hard-Boiled American Detective The Classic English Detective

Sherlock Holmes As Archetype

Sherlock Holmes A Man of Who Reflect His Era A man who believes in reason above all The consummate Victorian gentleman Intellectually far superior to all save a few geniuses Eccentric but elegant Brilliant but frequently bored Addictive personality Perfect combination of keen reasoning, bravery, and civilized behavior

Sherlock Holmes As Archetype: A man who believes in reason above all Intellectually far superior to all save a few geniuses

Sherlock Holmes As Archetype: The consummate English gentleman Eccentric but elegant

Sherlock Holmes As Archetype: Perfect combination of keen reasoning, bravery, and civilized behavior Brilliant but frequently bored Addictive personality

Famous British Writers Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes G.K Chesterton Father Brown Dorothy L. Sayers Lord Peter Wimsey Agatha Christie Poirot and Miss Marple P.D. James Adam Dalgliesh J.K Rowling  Cormoran Strike 

American Detective Archetype Sam Spade

Sam Spade As American Archetype

Sam Spade As Archetype Most of our television shows follow an American format. Our detectives or police men challenge a system, look at the gritty side of life, and have problems with women. They are the rule breakers within a system.

Sam Spade As Archetype A product of the first half of the 20th Century Has seen humanity at its worst; is cynical, grumpy, or just plain mean A tough, no-nonsense man of action who doesn't give a damn what anyone thinks of him. Tough, stubborn, and usually a little intimidating. Probably carries a gun and a few carry other useful tools (flashlights, Swiss army knives, a notebook) Also likes to smoke, drink, and chase “dames”—tends to fall for the wrong woman.

Sam Spade As Archetype Tends to be techno-phobic and relies on old fashioned tools of the trade Lives in the City—specifically, the seedier parts of the city. Has office in run-down buildings on the bad side of town and lives somewhere even worse. Friends and relatives consists mostly of normal, everyday blue collar types, with a few criminal informants, police contacts, and colorful oddballs thrown into the mix.

Sam Spade As Archetype Tough, stubborn, and usually a little intimidating. Prefer an (American) sedan to fancy / foreign cars Vengeful ex-wives and under-appreciated secretaries are also popular support characters. 

American writers The American writers who are best known for setting the standards for the American Mystery format during the 1920s are Dashiel Hammett and Ray Chandler.