1. Mystery Unit Intro

2. What is the mystery genre?
Also known as crime fiction
Centered around trying to solve a strange or unknown situation
Most often a theft, a disappearance, or a murder
Questions what it is to be human and raises issues of personal identity
Reflects cultural and social values of when it was written
Often reflects society’s greatest fears
Focus on logic and power of human intellect

3. When and how did mystery begin?
Edgar Allen Poe
“Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841)
Focus on individual detective named C. Auguste Dupin (became series)
“Armchair detective”
Great intelligence & skills of observation
Mistrust of police and certain aspects of society
Highly analytical

4. The Characters The Suspect: a person thought to be guilty of a crime
The Victim: someone who is harmed or suffers loss
The Witness: someone who saw or who can offer a firsthand account of an event
The Detective/Sleuth: person brought in to solve the mystery/crime
Sidekick: Assists the detective, offers comic relief

5. Important Vocabulary
Alibi: excuse that accused person uses to show that he/she was somewhere else than scene of crime
Clue: fact or object that helps solve mysteries
Deduce: to infer/come to a conclusion based on reason
Evidence: an object or witness statement used as proof
Intuition/Hunch: a guess or feeling not based on facts
Motive: a logical reason to have committed the crime
Red Herring: false clue; details meant to lead the reader in the wrong direction

6. Choose the word you know LEAST from the previous slide, and map it
Choose the word you know LEAST from the previous slide, and map it! (5 min.)

7. Conventions & Tropes Reader involved in solving of the mystery
SUSPENSE! The reader is kept uncertain and “in the dark” until the end
Several tempting possibilities introduced before mystery solved
Must go through the same thought process as the detective
Solution is uncanny/unexpected (not presented as a possibility until the very end)
This is part of the appeal! It feels like a riddle or game!

8. What do you notice? Stop & Jot!
Clue Observations:
Sherlocke Holmes Observations:
matter-of-professional-integrity/

9. Recipe
Create the recipe for the perfect mystery story. Include the vocabulary and elements we discussed today.
Ingredients
gram, kilogram, ounce, pound
teaspoon, tablespoon, cup
milliliter, liter
pinch, dash, handful,
Steps
add, incorporate, sprinkle, pour
blend, whip, mix, stir
melt, knead, roll, pound
bake, roast, fry, sautee, sear,