Introduction
This seminar paper will be focused on the work of 2 famous detective novel authors Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. First there will be a brief introduction to the history of detective genre and its characteristics.Then the 2 authors will be introduced together with their work concentrated specifically on the 2 characters – Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and Christie’s Poirot. Thereafter there will be comparison of these two characters. At the end their methodology and unique behavior will be described and conclusion of this paper will be made
Brief history of detective genre
The first detective stories are dated to the begining of the 19th century where first novels can be seen. The stories of E.A.Poe are considered to be the first of detective genre. No other author was able to write detective story which would achieve international popularity. Then there were Harrison Ainsworth with his immediately successful Rookwood and then in 1837 Charles Dickens with his novel Oliver Twist. But the critics response wasn’t very positive on this new growing style so the whole genre went underground. Dickens was fascinated by crime so he put it in a lot of his novels. (FIDO 2005: 105-106) These authors were the base of the genre but the first who were considered the “Great” authors, such as Arthur C. Doyle, Agatha Christie and Ellery Queen, came between 19th and 20th century. At the same time the british murder mystery genre began to form. Then in America “The Hard-Boiled” style caught up in 1920’s. They were short little murder stories and they were very famous because the prohibition, gangster violence and because they were popularized in cheap and available magazines. (pbs.org – A Brief History of the Detective Story)
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FICTIONWRITING. Top 10 Rules for Mystery Writing. [online] Ginny Wienhardt [cit. 2012-12-01] Retrieved from WWW:
< http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/genrefiction/tp/mysteryrules.htm>
SHERLOCKHOLMESONLINE. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Biography. [online] Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate [cit. 2012-12-01] Retrieved from WWW: < http://www.sherlockholmesonline.org/Biography/index.htm>
NOTABLEBIOGRAPHIES. Agatha Christie Bibliography [online] Advameg, Inc. [cit. 2012-12-01] Retrieved from WWW: < http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ch-Co/Christie-Agatha.html>
BRITANNICA. Detective story [online] Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.[cit. 2012-12-01] Retrieved from WWW: < http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/159456/detective-story>
Today people such as Agatha Christie have carried on the crime genre which in my opinion is successful. The use of technology in the art of forensic science in Doyle’s books is why, in my opinion, they are successful because in those days the technology had just started and they were intrigued by it.
The birth of classic detective fiction was originated just in the mid nineteenth century, and was producing its own genre. Classical detective fiction follows a set of rules called the ‘Ten commandments of detective fiction’. The genre is so popular it can bee seen by the number of sales in any good book stores. Many of these books have been created a long time ago and there is still a demand for these types of books. The popularity is still ongoing because it provides constant entertainment, and also the reader can also have a role of detective trying to solve the crime/case committed. Classical detective fiction has a formula, the detective story starts with a seemingly irresolvable mystery, typically a murder, features the astute, often unconventional detective, a wrongly accused suspect to whom the circumstantial evidence points, and concludes with a startling or unexpected solution to the mystery, during which the detective explains how he or she solved the mystery. Formula that includes certain elements such as, a closed location to keep the number of suspects down, red hearings spread around the stories to keep the reader entertained yet interacted.
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most celebrated literary authors of all time, known for writing very suspenseful, dramatic short stories and a poet; is considered as being a part of the American Romantic Movement, and a lesser known opinion is he is regarded as the inventor of the detective-fiction genre. Most recognized for his mystery and macabre, a journey into the dark, ghastly stories of death, deception and revenge is what makes up his reputation. The short story under analysis is a part of his latter works; “The Cask of Amontillado”, a story of revenge takes readers into the mind of the murderer.
Craft: Original Essays on Detective Fiction and Contemporary Literary Fiction. Ed. Ronald G. Walker and June M.
While analyzing this essay call “The Enduring Appeal of Agatha Christie”, I can see that it effectively follows basic essay structure. This is based on the facts that in the introduction it goes from a general ideas starting off with a broad question, which also helps introduces the topic too. As we proceed through the introduction, the general ideas starts to narrows down, focusing on what is important. Once we reach the ending sentences of the introduction, the thesis shows up with its three supports evidence there too. For this essay, the thesis is Agatha Christie is the best crime fiction writer ever. This theses is good because it’s an opinion of the writer and can be argued by other people who have the same mentally or vice versa. Lastly,
First, Holmes is the first scientific detective. Second, all of his cases ended up solved so therefore there are no flaws in his method. Well after researching in and out of books and web sites, I finally found the "true" way Holmes solved crimes. The site I found such spectacular information is Sherlockian.Net. This sight was helpful and it made me understand most of the stories by Conan Doyle.
Mysteries have always held great fascination for the human mind, not least because of the aura that surrounds them and the realm of the Unknown into which they delve. Coupled with the human propensity of being particularly curious about aspects which elude the average mind, the layer of intrigue that glosses over such puzzles makes for a heady combination of the literary and the popular. In the canon of detective fiction worldwide, no detective has tickled the curious reader’s imagination and held it in thrall as much as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. The 221-B, Baker Street, London ‘amateur’ detective combines a rare blend of intellectual prowess and sharp wit to crack a series of baffling riddles.
The acclaimed authors, Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle, formulate the characters of Auguste Dupin and Sherlock Holmes respectively, to be similar in the way that they analyze, deduce, and connect segments of desperate and often-thought “unsolvable” detective cases. Through their comparable techniques and system of deduction, Dupin and Holmes never fail to trace back their evidence to the scene of the crime. However, due to the vast difference in the writing styles of Poe and Doyle, the audience observes the main characters not as clones, but rather an analogous pair that think alike, but do not act alike. The personalities of Auguste Dupin and Sherlock Holmes, although present are recognizable differences in their actions, continue to
Crime Fiction is a genre which deals with elements of criminal activity and the investigators who solve the crime. This genre engages the audience by allowing them to solve the puzzle and put the clues together to find a criminal. The story ‘Upon the flesh’ by John Franklin is about a murder that occurred in an alleyway. It is told through the point of view of the private investigator, this is how we see the crime being solved. Another short story that would fit into this genre would be ‘fresh bait’ written by Sherryl Clark. This story tells us about a hitchhiker trying to investigate into a crime committed some time ago. He/she is nervous and doesn’t know how to approach each question without seeming like he/she is an undercover
Murder is the most sinister of any crime you can commit as you are taking life away from someone who isn't ready to go. It is especially irrational when murder is carried out with no motive. This could only be the work of a madman. With crime people seek justice and will make their best efforts to achieve it. In the ABC Murders by Agatha Christie we explore the mystery of not one, but four murders carried out meticulously and with proper planning. In this novel we get to see the solving process of an interesting murder case through two private detectives who have gotten back together after some time apart in retirement. We get to see how they are able to think like a murder and determine the motives and planning behind the crimes.
The categories associated with the means of means of characterization are considered to be explicit vs. implicit characterization, auto- vs. alterocharacterization and figural and narratorial as the foci of characterization. The use of certain means of characterization depends upon the preference of the author: his style, intentions and choice of focus. The characters are characterized by 1) what they say themselves, 2) what they do, 3) what the narrator says about them and 4) what other characters say about them. One should not, however, take for granted what is said by other characters since they might not be reliable, especially if one notices certain inconsistencies. This essay focuses on a story called Witness for the Prosecution written by the famous writer of detective stories, Agatha Christie. The plot centers around a crime (the murder of Miss Emily French) and starts with the discourse between Mr. Mayherne, the solicitor, and Mr. Vole, the accused person who swears being innocent of the crime. Later in the story appears Mr. Vole's wife and, acting extremely skillfully, plays the major role in acquitting her husband. The essay attempts to analyse Mr. Mayherne's (Agarha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution) characterization according to the aforementioned characterization parameters.
People tend to like a good mystery, and authors know that. That’s why they have an abundance of tricks up their sleeves used to fool and engage their readers. Mystery writers are able to catch the attention of their audience by using literary elements introduced by pioneers of the genre like Agatha Christie. Christie is known as one of the first authors to publish popular mystery stories and establish techniques that have evolved into today’s modern mysteries. She used these techniques to hook readers and create suspense in her novels.
The essay “Enduring the Appeal of Agatha Christie” presents readers with great insight of Agatha Christie’s novels, using a strong introduction followed by arguments that are supported by evidence and leave readers with a conclusion that keeps them thinking. An interesting hook attracts the reader’s attention from the very beginning with a compelling question: “Who does not enjoy a good mystery story?” The introduction then provides interesting background information of mystery novels. Then it delves into more specifics and introduces Christie. The thesis statement includes the topic along with the opinion of the writer and the arguments.
Poirot is known as a world famous detective for the vast amount of crimes he has successfully solved, but not nearly as much for his character and appearances. In the beginning of the novel, Hercules Poirot is introduced by the author as a “small lean man, muffled up to the ears of whom nothing was visible but a pink tipped nose and the two points of an upward curled moustache”(Christie 3). Agatha Christie gives detailed imagery of Hercules appearances which portrays the detective as a small and reserved person, not capable of doing anything impressive due to lack of confidence and his physical character. The author also gives a vivid description of a specific part of his body, like Poirot’s mustache, which implies that the detective is more conscious about himself and his body than caring for others. Further into the story, the author gives an insight of Poirot’s character by revealing his emotions and expressions.
Detective fiction is read and has been read for going on 200 years, simply because the stories are entertaining. The authors are truly what help to draw people back to the genre. This appeal of reading for fun is one that would strike any literate person as intriguing, and that’s exactly what detective fiction does. Because there are no serious moral or social values to be derived from reading these mysteries, people keep coming back! I have enjoyed reading detective fiction for eight years now, and it’s the simple escape from the “required” or educational readings that keep me coming back, and that’s the most likely reason that detective fiction has managed to stay around and so popular for such a long time.