ELEMENTS OF A MYSTERY “Now this is the point. You fancy me a madman. Madmen know nothing. But you should have seen me You should have seen how wisely I proceeded – with what caution – with what foresight – with what dissimulation I went to work!” -Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings

FAMOUS MYSTERY & SUSPENSE STORIES Frankenstein, Mary Shelley “The Tell Tale Heart,” Edgar Allen Poe The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle Dracula, Bram Stoker “The Landlady,” Roald Dahl “The Monkey’s Paw,” W.W. Jacobs “The Most Dangerous Game” Richard Connell

19 th Century Poet/Writer Changed literature into what it is today Thought of as the creator of certain modern genres -science fiction -detective fiction -psychological horror Edgar Allan Poe Award EDGAR ALLAN POE

THE PARTS Structure refers to the way that a story is set up. Most mysteries have a structure like this: Introduction -Learn about the problem -Meet the characters Body of the Story -Someone is working to solve the mystery Conclusion -The mystery is solved -Loose ends are tied “True, nervous, very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am, but why will say that I am mad?! The disease had haunted my senses, not destroyed, not dulled them. Of all the sense of hearing acute.” ― Edgar Allan Poe, The Works of Edgar Allan Poe Volume 5: The Raven

THE PARTS Setting is the place, time, environment, and surrounding circumstances of a story. ”’It moved,’ he cried, with a glance of disgust at the object as it lay on the floor. ‘As I wished, it twisted in my hand like a snake.’" - W.W. Jacobs, The Monkey’s Paw

TO CREATE SETTING, AUTHORS CAN… Directly tell the reader… -where/when the story takes place -what people look like -how people act -what the surrounding circumstances are OR they can… -use dialog to reveal important information -use sensory/descriptive language to create the right mood “There was one great tomb more lordly than all the rest huge it was, and nobly proportioned. On it was but one word, DRACULA.” ― Bram Stoker, Dracula

THE PARTS Plot is the story of any narrative. It is the way that important incidents or events are arranged. In a mystery the plot usually contains: -a problem or puzzle to solve -something that is stolen or missing -a secret -an event that seems impossible to explain “One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold…” -Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart and Other Writings

THE PARTS Most mystery plots use suspense. This means that the reader does not know the solution while she/he is reading the mystery. Suspense creates a feeling of anxiety or nervousness in the reader. It can make the reader worry about what will happen to the characters in the story. “The world is made up of two classes - the hunters and the huntees.” ― Richard Connell, The Most Dangerous Game

THE PEOPLE Mysteries usually include specific types of characters. “Listen to me, Frankenstein. You accuse me of murder; and yet you would, with a satisfied conscience, destroy your own creature. Oh, praise the eternal justice of man!” ― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein The most important character types are: -Detectives or Sleuths who gather clues & try to solve the mystery -Victims who are harmed or suffer some kind of loss -Suspects who are the people accused or suspected of committing a crime -Witnesses who can give firsthand accounts of the problem or mystery

MYSTERY/SUSPENSE NOVELS FOR YOUNG ADULTS The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard Paper Towns, John Green The Maze Runner, James Dasher The Book Thief, Markus Zusak The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Mark Haddon Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher Nancy Drew Series Sherlock Holmes Series Encyclopedia Brown Series Edgar Allen Poe Stories and Poems

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curios volume of forgotten lore – While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As if someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door, ‘Tis some visitor,’ I muttered, ‘tapping at my chamber door – Only this and nothing more.” -Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven