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 Cain & Abel, Hamlet, Much Ado about Nothing, 1001 nights, etc…

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: Evidence must be available to the reader The solution must be reasonable (not impossible) No surprises at the end; ex. the number of suspects must be finite Crime should be significant 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