1. Detective Quick Write
Create your own detective. Characterize her or him in two paragraphs, describing your detective both physically and mentally. You may also draw an illustration to accompany your response.
Aspects to consider:
Name, Age, Nationality
Personal history
Physical description
Habits and Personality
Strengths and Weaknesses
Unusual features
Common saying

2. From Edgar Allan Poe to Goosebumps
The History of Mystery
From Edgar Allan Poe to
Goosebumps

3. Edgar Allan Poe: The Father of Mystery
Born 1809, Died 1849
Introduced first fictional detective, Auguste C. Dupin, in his 1841 short story, “Murders in the Rue Morgue”
“Locked Room” mystery in which a murder victim is found inside an apparently sealed enclosure, and the detective’s challenge is to discover the murderer’s modus operandi (or method of operation)
Poe shifted emphasis from eerie setting to criminal mind
Other Poe detective short stories include “The Mystery of Marie Roget” (1842) which was sequel to Rue Morgue and “The Purloined Letter” (1844/1845)
Crime – “Inciting incident” – sometimes comes BEFORE the novel begins
Variety of Characters: What roles? Suspects, detectives, witnesses
Clues: Tangible objects, things people say or do; also includes the Red Herring (distractions or false clues)
Suspense & Tension: Developed over the course of the novel
Solution: The difference between a mystery and other fictional works is that the reader is involved in solving the problem. For example: The DaVinci Code. Can you think of an example of a mystery story you’ve seen or heard? 3

4. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: Sherlock Holmes Mysteries
Born 1859, Died 1930
Sherlock Holmes’s debut in novel, A Study in Scarlet
Holmes deduced clues to solve crimes
Solving of crimes became a science
"The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is the most famous example of a mystery style known as the locked room, in which "a murder victim is found inside an apparently sealed enclosure and the detective's challenge is to discover the murderer's modus operandi." 
Eerie setting: can you think of a story in which Poe uses an eerie story (Black Cat, Tell-Tale Heart, etc.) 4

5. Agatha Christie: The “Golden Age of Mystery Fiction” (1920s)
Born 1890, Died 1976
Wrote more than 80 novels
Christie’s most famous detectives: Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's brilliant detective, Sherlock Holmes, arrived on the mystery scene in the late nineteenth century in "A Study in Scarlet" (1887).  
Holmes had a style unlike any detective seen before. With his flair for deducing clues, Sherlock Holmes worked with his ever-reliable sidekick, Dr. Watson, to
figure out the clues and solve the crime.
The genius of Conan Doyle was reflected in his creation of a character whose intelligence was formidable, turning the solving of crimes into a science.   5

6. “The Shadow” brings Mystery to the Radio Airwaves
Originally named “The Detective Show”
On the air from 1930 to 1954 (24 years)
The Shadow was an invincible crime-fighter who could defy gravity, unravel any code, and “cloud men’s minds”
Never seen, only heard
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!"
The 1920s was known as the Golden Age of mystery fiction. A time of growing prosperity in both England and America, the popularity of mystery fiction was at an all-time high.
Crime in these stories strictly adhered to a prescribed format with little or no variation.
A writer emerged during this time whose name became synonymous with Golden Age fiction. 
Agatha Christie wrote more than 80 novels in 50-plus years, and is today probably the best-known female mystery writer in history.   6

7. Alfred Hitchcock: Mystery Hits the Silver Screen
Born 1899, Died 1980
Writer/Actor/Director of over 50 films, beginning with “Number 13” (1922)
Explored the notion of terror inflicted on the unknowing (and sometimes innocent) victim
Other topics: guilt, fear, redemption, obsession
One of the most popular radio shows in history debuted in August 1930 when "The Shadow" went on the air.
"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!" The opening lines of the "Detective Story" program captivated listeners and are instantly recognizable even today.
Originally the narrator of the series of macabre tales, the eerie voice known as The Shadow became so popular to listeners that "Detective Story" was soon renamed "The Shadow," and the narrator became the star of the old-time mystery radio series, which ran for 24 years, until 1954.
A figure never seen, only heard, the Shadow was an invincible crime fighter. He possessed many gifts which enabled him to overcome any enemy. Besides his tremendous strength, he could defy gravity, speak any language, unravel any code, and become invisible with his famous ability to "cloud men's minds."  7

8. Rod Serling’s “Twilight Zone”
Born 1924, Died 1975
Interest in mysteries from a young age
Wrote TV dramas in the early 1950’s
Left to create “The Twilight Zone,” a science fiction TV series, in 1957
Alfred Hitchcock ( ), author, showman and famed director, had a career spanning five decades and over 50 films He is considered by many as the Master of Suspense of modern times. 
Hitchcock's strongly religious childhood teachings encompasses all the themes Hitchcock would later put in his work-- terror inflicted upon the unknowing- and sometimes innocent victim; guilt (both real guilt and the appearance of it); fear, and redemption.  8

9. Today’s Mystery Writers
Joan Lowery Nixon (Nightmare)
Lois Duncan (I Know What you Did Last Summer)
R.L. Stein’s Goosebumps series
John Grisham (Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer)
Dan Brown (The DaVinci Code)
Sue Grafton (The Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series)
True Detective
Rod Serling was born and grew up in New York.
From an early age, he and his older brother, Robert, immersed themselves in mystery movies and magazines such as Astounding Stories and Weird Tales. 
From 1951 to 1955, Serling wrote television dramas for Playhouse 90. 
In 1957, he shocked his fans by leaving to create a science-fiction series he called The Twilight Zone.  9

10. Historical Factors and Detective Fiction
First modern police forces organized in late 1700s/early 1800s “responsible only to the law” and not to some wealthy patron
Rise of democracy (especially in America) gives rise to the belief that law/police are on side of the people
Genre shift: before, criminal could be seen as heroic (i.e. Robin Hood), but not in this genre
While some characters might question efficacy of justice (or even possibility of justice through law), ultimately, authors of this genre always side with the ideal of law and order
Crime – “Inciting incident” – sometimes comes BEFORE the novel begins
Variety of Characters: What roles? Suspects, detectives, witnesses
Clues: Tangible objects, things people say or do; also includes the Red Herring (distractions or false clues)
Suspense & Tension: Developed over the course of the novel
Solution: The difference between a mystery and other fictional works is that the reader is involved in solving the problem. For example: The DaVinci Code. Can you think of an example of a mystery story you’ve seen or heard? 10

11. 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)
Crime – “Inciting incident” – sometimes comes BEFORE the novel begins
Variety of Characters: What roles? Suspects, detectives, witnesses
Clues: Tangible objects, things people say or do; also includes the Red Herring (distractions or false clues)
Suspense & Tension: Developed over the course of the novel
Solution: The difference between a mystery and other fictional works is that the reader is involved in solving the problem. For example: The DaVinci Code. Can you think of an example of a mystery story you’ve seen or heard? 11

12. 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.
Crime – “Inciting incident” – sometimes comes BEFORE the novel begins
Variety of Characters: What roles? Suspects, detectives, witnesses
Clues: Tangible objects, things people say or do; also includes the Red Herring (distractions or false clues)
Suspense & Tension: Developed over the course of the novel
Solution: The difference between a mystery and other fictional works is that the reader is involved in solving the problem. For example: The DaVinci Code. Can you think of an example of a mystery story you’ve seen or heard? 12

13. Elements of Mystery Writing
mysterious/scary setting, eerie atmosphere, and suspense/tension
a crime
a determined sleuth (detective engaged in catching criminal or getting information that is not easily available to solve a mystery)
a sidekick (sometimes) to help solve the mystery
obstacles to solving the crime
clues
a solution

14. What’s a Mystery without Clues?
When reading a mystery, make a list of clues you may use to solve the mystery. ONE needs to be a CRUCIAL clue--the one piece of information that helps the sleuth finally solve the mystery
Example – Stan says he received a strange phone call at eight o’clock at night.
Later in the story, the main character researches where all the “suspects”
were at eight o’clock, remembers what Stan said, and realizes a phone call
to him at that time was impossible… so Stan lied – and is the criminal !

15. Red Herrings
Consider “red herrings” or false clues designed to mislead the readers by making them suspect the wrong characters.
The phrase means “camouflage” and comes from the process of curing a herring (type of fish). When a herring is salted and smoked slowly over a wood fire, it turns a dark reddish brown color and gains a strong flavor and scent. The smell is so strong that it overwhelms other scents. According to some old tales, red herrings were pulled across the trail of hounds to confuse and throw them off the trail.
Example – Maybe you want to cast suspicion on Stan’s brother, who is seen
throughout the story nibbling on cotton candy. The main
character might find a set of “sticky” fingerprints on the doorknob
of the murder room, leading the readers to suspect Stan’s brother.

16. The Detective’s Vocabulary
Alibi: An excuse that a suspect uses to show that he or she was somewhere other than at the scene of the crime
Breakthrough: A development that advances/solves a case
Deduce: To derive at a conclusion from something known or assumed; infer
Evidence: Something that helps prove who committed the crime (may be concrete or circumstantial)
Motive: The reason(s) why a person commits a crime
Victim: Someone who is harmed or suffers some loss due to the crime
Witness: Someone who saw the crime being committed and can provide some information
Atmosphere: the dominant mood or emotional tone of a work of art, as of a play or novel:
when the reader knows something scary
is going to happen,
but they don’t know what or when    
To build or develop suspense, the characters take (sometimes foolish) chances or risks
that set up new obstacles or situations  
Often the author has the main character make
a mistake that puts them in greater anger
or causes new problems to solve
A sleuth is a detective, employed or engaged in catching a criminal or
getting information that is not easily available to solve a mystery. 
5. Obstacles- problems for the character to solve; an obstacle can be increased or complicated by a decision a character makes under pressure or in a panic  
6. CRUCIAL clue – the one piece of information that helps the “sleuth”
finally solve the mystery 
7. “red herrings” – bits of information that are designed to mislead the readers by
making them suspect the wrong characters. 
8. “Sidekick”- a character that assists the detective in solving the case   16