Detective Fiction
Reasons to doubt Richard III guilt
1. He did not stand to benefit; there were nine other heirs to the house of York, including three males 2. There is no contemporary accusation 3. The boys mother continued to be on friendly terms with him till his death 4. He showed no fear of the other heirs of York, providing generously for their upkeep 5. His own right to the crown was unassailable; the boys (by act of parliament) were no longer a danger to him 6. If he had been nervous about disaffection, then he would have had the real person next in succession killed (young Warwick)
The Specled Band - Clues
1. Whistle 2. Locked Room mystery 3. metallic sound 4. repairs going on in house 5. bell pull 6. Snake Loop 7 Bowl of milk
Victorian Era (years)
1860-1920 Characterized by atmospheric detail placing the stories in a gas lamp lit London
Poe
=Dupin
Author + Published Year
Agatha Christe: 1934
Mary Rhinehart (1908)
American Agatha Christie. First "Had I But Known" whodoneit
Modern and Hard-Boiled Age (WW2 to present)
American dominated. cynical, violent
Father Knox Decalogue
Basically a joke of the rules of detective fiction
Gaston Leroux
Best known for Phantom of the Opera. Created First locked room mystery
Charles Dickens
Bleak House
Golden Age (1911-1930s)
British dominated, plot driven, used ingeniuty and puzzle-solving
Herman McNiele
Bulldog Drummond
Poor because he gambled away his inheritence.
Bunny
Author
Carolyn Keene
Creator of Holmes
Doyle
Holmes is more respectable than...
Dupin
Jean Monette - Summary
Emma - rich family. Boyfriend secretly wants to rob her. Monette suspicious, has friend spy on her boyfriend. Monette forbids Emma to see him. Resembles Romeo and Juliet
THE MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGET
Features Dupin. First real-life crime turned into a detective story about a girl murdered in New York
Mary Braddon (1860s)
First woman writer. Crime stories based on current cases. Murders of men by women
Detective Fiction...
Focuses on the solving of a crime. concerned with detectives. concerned with motives
Who is Mackenzie?
Gentlemen and Players. He is the detective who tries to catch the burglars. Raffles helps him out when he is shot.
Who is Miss Melhuish?
Gentlemen and Players. She tells Bunny that Lord Amersteth is on to the burglars plot.
Author + Year
Georges Simenon; 1931
Why weren't the Princes killed differently than all the other heirs to the thrown?
Grant and Carradine realize Henry VII had all the potential heirs to the thrown Judicially murdered except for the two princes in the tower because they were too young to be judicially murdered
Ancient and Global Foundations of Detective Fiction
Greek: Oedipus Rex Arabian: The Three Apples - Thousand and one nights Chinese: Gong An Stories
Why does Brent Carradine come into the story?
He was invited by Marta
Who was Mr. Wilson?
He was the red headed store owner who was tricked into leaving his store for the Red-Headed League
Eugene Francois Vidocq
Head of French Surete. Basis for Scotland Yard, FBI.
Why was Thomas More wrong?
Hearsay, (he was 5 at the time of the murder), probably written by John Morton
What legal action did Henry VII do against Richard III that was weird?
Henry brought a Bill of Attainder against Richard III in parliament after his death, and mentioned him being a tyranny and cruelty but not MURDER!
Used Adductive reasoning to come up with hypothesis
Holmes
Baroness Orczy (1903)
Hungarian born baroness who came to England. Created Scarlet Pimpernel
What quote does Grant say in favor of Richard III?
If the boys were murdered in July, and the Woodville Lancastrian invasion took place in October, why didn't they use the murder of the children as a rallying call?
Arthur Conan Doyle (1888)
Invented Sherlock Holmes.
Why should John Morton not be trusted?
It was in John Morton's best interest that Richard didn't become King because he would surely strip Morton of his numerous livings and reduced to his plain priest's frock. If he helped Henry Tudor to a throne then he might still become not only Archbishop of Canterbury but a Cardinal. Richard III didn't like him because he made dishonorable trust with France.
Crime Writers Association (1953)
John Creasey's becomes most popular crime writter of all.
Dashiell Hammett (1914)
Joins Pinkerton's Detective agency. Modern Age
Author + Year of Book
Josephine Tey; 1951
Victor Hugo (1862)
Les Miserables. Inspector Javier
Dine's Tweanty rules
Little more serious than Knox
Dr. Joseph Bell
Man that Holmes was based off of
Agatha Criste (1930)
Murder at the Vicarage
Author + Year
Ngaio Marsh; 1935
Edgar Allan Poe (1841)
Originated the detective story with his character Dupin
Tales of Raciocination
Poe. Interest in problem not in the detective himself
Unity of effect
Poe. Writer must know the ending before beginning. story should be read in 1 sitting for younger readers
"If you want to be a good criminal, be in the public eye as much as possible"
Raffles
Is a socialist.
Raffles
Name of main character and narrorator in Gentlemen and Players.
Raffles and Bunny
Gentlemen and Players - Summary
Raffles and Bunny go to Lord Amersteth's to steal a necklace. Other burglars present also. Successfully get necklace.
E.W. Hornung
Raffles, an aristocratic burglar-hero. Who is the author
William Russell (1856)
Recollections of a Detective Police Officer "Waters". Fictional memoirs of London Police Detective
Hard-Boiled
TYPICALLY American; detective is more cynical, books are spare and violent, told in first-person, originated in BLACK MASK MAGAZINE ed. Joseph T. Shaw: Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler
Author and Book Background
Tey was quiet about her background. Scottish and was a gym teacher. 1990 - selected by Crime Writers' Association (British) as best crime novel of all time 1995 - selected by Mystery Writers of America as 4th best mystery of all time "Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority" - Francis Bacon Response to the characterization of Richard III presented by William Shakespeare: a. Hunchbacked b. Withered arm c. Murderer of two princes d. Murdered of brother George e. Usurper of kingdom
Raymond Chandler (1939)
The Big Sleep. Private Eye
Erie Gardner (1933)
The CAse of the Velvet Claws. Lawyer as crime solver
Freeman Crofts (1920)
The Cask. First police procedural
Allingham (1928)
The Crime at Black Dudley
Holmes killed off in...
The Final Problem
John Carr
The Hollow Man. Considered Greatest Locked-room mystery
Chesterton (1911)
The Innocence of Father Brown. Uses inuition and not deduction
Anne Green (1878)
The Leavenworth Case. Detective Ebenezer Gryce of the New York Metropolitan Police Force.
Ellery Queen (1929)
The Roman Hat Mystery
What books does Grant look at?
The Rose of Rasby, Tanner's Constitutional History of England, Thomas Moore accounts of Richard III
John Buchan (1915)
The Thirty Nine Steps. Man on man amature detective
Wilkie Collins (1859)
The Woman in White. Involve crime and police but not like crime novels as we know them
Who is Spaulding (aka John Clay)?
The assistant to Mr. Wilson in the Red-Headed League that tricks him into leaving his shop. Apperently the 4th smartest person in London.
Agatha Criste (1920)
The mysterious affair of styles
Fergus Hume
The mystery of a Hansom Cab. Sold 350,000 copies in UK by 1900
Why wasn't Tyrrel the murderer of the boys?
The story about Tyrrel murdering the Princes in the Tower is false. Henry VII made up the story after he had Tyrrel executed for trying to help a fellow York escape to Germany.
Who are Peter Jones and Mr. Merryweather?
They are Scotyard detective and the bank manager who help Holmes and Watson cath Spaulding in the Red-Headed league
Murder in the room Morgue - Summary
Think
What act gave Richard the III power to the thrown?
Titulus Regius
E.C. Bently
Trent's Last Case. Golden Age
Who is Lord Amersteth?
Wealthy fine looking man who invites Raffles and Bunny over for a game of cricket. Gentlement and Players
Dorthy Sayers (1923)
Whose Body. Brings humor into genra
E.T.A Hoffman (1819)
Woman solves a mystery by asking witnesses and suspects
Raffles and Holmes have something in common...
both think of crime as a game
Capers
criminals are the protagonists relating the details of the commission of a crime, usually a heist or a con; the criminals are often the heroes: Eric Ambler
A major componant of solution
forensics
John Morton was part of a ____ against _____
murder plot; Richard III
Whodunit
plot-driven, clues and red herrings ( false clue) are given to the reader, often can be solved by the reader
Jean Monette is one of the first...
police procedurals
INVERTED DETECTIVE STORY (HOWDHECATCHEM)
the perpetrator is known from the beginning, readers watch as the detective unfolds the story: Roy Vickers
The purloined Letter - Summary
think
Cozy
usually British, very little violence, solved by amateurs usually: Agatha Christie's Miss Marple series
Author Background
• 13 February 1903 - 4 September 1989 • 76 novels and 28 short stories featuring Maigret - 59 take place in Paris • Over 350 books, also articles and short stories • Most prolific author of the 20th century - not taken seriously by many as a result • Mystery Writer's of America Grand Master Award - 1966 • Began writing at 16 - journalism and novels - own column by 17 - began as a crime reporter • Wrote using 18 different names • Maigret appears in 1930 • More than 170 film and television versions of his stories • Books translated into more than 50 languages - sold hundreds of millions of copies • Well-read in Poe, Vidoqc, and Doyle • Published 11 Maigrets in 1930, 4 in 1932, 2 in 1933, then 19 more - took 6 year hiatus, then wrote 57 more in the next 33 years • Final book was a Maigret
A Man's Head and Maigret
• 5th Maigret, all written in the same year - 1930 - Published in 1931 • Idea used by Patricia Highsmith for Strangers on a Train • Maigret exemplified Simenon's personal motto, Comprendre et ne pas juger (To understand without condemning) • Both Maigret and Radek have autobiographical links to Simenon • Had spoofed Holmes in earlier works - this book uses forensics, but relies on INTUITION • Maigret already middle-aged, middle-class, and important • One of the first to be made into a film • Maigret allows suspects to prove themselves through actions - not trusting in words alone • Maigret often acts outside the law, in conflict with the authorities • Focuses on psychology
History
• Created by Edward Stratemeyer, who started The Hardy Boys series (1927) • Mildred Wirt - first author - Carolyn Keene is the name all are written under • First 4 stories published in 1930 • By 1934 she was the bestselling book for children • No author was allowed to collect royalties or have his/her real name attached to the book • All stories are plotted (storyboarded) then written to specifications by the owners
The Crumbling Wall: New vs. Origonal
• Floriana (original) - Juliana (revision) • Mehearty (original) - Salty (revision) • Nancy finds a more valuable pearl in the original • Nancy's purse is stolen by a young boy in the original, and by a man in the revised • Jeddy Hooker (original) - Teddy Hooper (revised) • Nancy tends to work more alone in the newer text. • Dangerous venomous snake is missing from the revised text. • Nancy flies a plane in the original • Nancy is told to talk to a black custodian at the hospital who uses the stereotyped language • A policeman pretends to have a limp in the original; he just has a bad cough in the revised • There's a warrant out for Nancy's arrest in the original text. • George uses a police whistle in the original; it's a police woman in the revised
Personal Author Life
• Gambler, drinker, womanizer - boasted of having sex with thousands of prostitutes • Lavish lifestyle, expensive cars, boats, clothes • Vichy sympathsizer - had to leave France after the war to avoid prosecution • Lived in the US, Canada, Switzerland and other places • Greedy, unconventional, fame and thrill seeker • Multiple marriages and many mistresses who often shared home with his wives • 4 children - 1 dead by suicide
Murder on the Orient Express background info
• Hercule Poirot • Based on the Lindbergh kidnapping case - 1932 • Based on Christie's train being rain and flood bound for 24 hours - Mrs. Hubbard based on a person on the train • Most adaptations omit some of the characters • 1971 movie considered the best
Author background work
• One of the "Queens of Crime" - Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Margery Allingham (although none of her books are on the top 100 in the USA or UK - the others are all represented) • April 23, 1895 (New Zealand) - February 18, 1982 • 34 detective novels (1934-1982) - all with Roderick Alleyn (pronounced Allen) • 1955 - Crime Writers Association's Red Herrings Award • 1978 - Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America • 1948 - Marsh was awarded an Office of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to literature and the theatre • 1967 - she was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
Nancy's changes through the years
• Originally 16, but changed to 18 • Originally mother died when Nancy was 3 changed to 10 • Rich, sophisticated, educated • Starts off bold and assertive, by the 1940s she is more sweet and feminine • 1959 - all the books are revised to eliminate racist stereotypes and to modernize them - racism avoided by changing all non-white characters to white • Her character is made less smart, less aggressive, more church-going, and more ladylike through the 1970s
About the Author
• September 15, 1890 - January 12 1976 • The Queen of Crime • 66 detective novels & 15 short story collections • Detectives: Hercule Poirot - Belgian ex-police; Miss Jane Marple - elderly village woman; Tommy and Tuppence - 20s youths who age with the series • Best-selling novelist of all time - 4 billion copies • Most translated author • First recipient of the Mystery Writers of America's award • Married Archibald Christie in 1912 • The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920 USA- 1921 UK) - first Hercule Poirot book - most books about him • The Secret Adversary (1922) - first Tommy and Tuppence book - only a few books • The Thirteen Problems (1927) - first introduction of Jane Marple (based on her grandmother) - short stories - favorite detective, but about half as many as Poirot • Went missing for 10 days in 1926 - never explained totally • Divorced in 1928 after her husband's infidelity was made public • Remarried 1930 - Max Malloween - archeologist • Poirot - only fictional character ever given an obituary in The New York Times • Had final book for both Poirot and Marple to be published upon her death
Nancy Drew Variations
• The Classic Series: original 56 books from The Secret of the Old Clock to The Thirteenth • Pearl • The Files Series: debuted in the mid-1980s and lasted for 124 volumes, over 10 years. Nancy is more modernized, more romance entangled with mysteries, and murders • Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys Super Mysteries: teamed Nancy up with the Hardy Boys • The On Campus Series: debuted in the mid-1990s and lasted for only 3 years and 25 volumes. Nancy went to Wilder University and solved very few mysteries • The Nancy Drew Notebooks: Nancy and her friends Bess and George in elementary school, age 8 • Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew: replaced the old Nancy Drew Notebooks series and has the same format • Nancy Drew: Girl Detective: picks up where the digest series left off at volume 175. Starting over at volume 1, Without a Trace, Nancy is more real than she has ever been and the series is now written in first person • Nancy Drew: Girl Detective Super Mysteries: The Super Mysteries spin-off features volumes that are a little bit longer than the regular series • TV, movies, video games
Plot Devices
• Whodunits • Middle and upper classes are main focus • Detective stumbles upon case or is brought in as a favor • Interrogation of suspects is main approach - allows the reader to try to solve the story • A suspect usually dies • Unreliable narrators and witnesses are prevalent • 6 stories allow the perpetrator(s) to go free • Used racial stereotypes • 35 film versions of her work • Longest running play in history - The Mousetrap - began in 1952 -based on a short story that she asked not be published until after the play's run ended - still not published in the UK
Roderick Alleyn
• born around 1892-1894 • graduated from Oxford around 1915 • served in the army for three years in World War I • spent a year (1919-1920) in the British Foreign Service • joined the Metropolitan Police as a constable in about 1920 or 1921 • first novel, A Man Lay Dead (1934) Alleyn is 40 and a Detective Chief Inspector • son of a Baronet • books follow him as he ages, gets married, has a son
The Nursing Home Murder background
• third Roderick Alleyn book • In Agatha Christie's Murder in Mesopotamia, one of the characters, Nurse Leatheran, is reading the book
