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Guide to the Mystery Genre

Agatha Christie

Use this guide as you explore the genres of mystery and detective fiction with your students. Pair your study of mystery or crime novels, such as the Sherlock Holmes story The Hound of the Baskervilles and any of Agatha Christie's works, with this guide to both mystery books and film adaptations. Cross-curricular activities can be used to supplement your literature lesson and include the basics of DNA, comparing contemporary and old-fashioned ones mystery stories, and writing an original detective story. To purchase a copy of the Masterpiece Theatre presentation of The Hound of Baskervilles, or any other film in the PBS library, visit http://shop.wgbh.org. A Brief History of the Detective Novel Exploring the Genre Fun with Mysteries Related Resources

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A Brief History of the Detective Novel

Sherlock Holmes is considered the father of what is known as the classic “Golden Age” of English murder mystery. Writers such as Agatha Christie, Ellery Queen, and P.D. James went on to emulate this form, and today the vigorous lineage of the great detective is clearly evident in books, television, and film. Although Arthur Conan Doyle was by no means the first mystery writer, with his intelligent and cunning characters Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, he captured the public interest and imagination, and inspired many hundreds of authors to follow his lead.

The formula Conan Doyle helped establish for the classic English mystery usually involves several predictable elements: a "closed setting," such as an isolated house or a train; a corpse; a small circle of people who are all suspects; and an investigating detective with extraordinary reasoning powers. As each character in the setting begins to suspect the others and the suspense mounts, it becomes apparent that nearly all had the means, motive, and opportunity to commit the crime. Clues accumulate, and are often revealed to the reader through a narrator like Watson, who is a loyal companion to the brilliant detective. The detective grasps the solution to the crime long before anyone else, and explains it all to the narrator, periphery characters, and the audience at the end.

The Bold, Hard-Boiled Detective Debuts

At about the same time as the English murder mystery was establishing itself, a distinctly different school of detective fiction emerged in the U.S. This "hard-boiled" style of fiction took hold in the 1920s, the era of American Prohibition and gangster violence. Popularized through the accessibility of the "pulps" – cheaply produced, gaudy magazines that featured short, violent crime stories – the hard-boiled American detective contrasted distinctly with the classic English version. This detective is not a gentleman hero, but a hard-drinking, tough-talking "private eye," often an outsider to the world of upper- and middle-class values. The detective is a hero, but a flawed one. The classic setting is not a country house but the brutal and corrupt city, and the suspects might be anyone at all in such a vast and anonymous place. The action does not move in a series of orderly steps toward a logical solution, but, instead, careens from place to place and scene to scene.

The detective and mystery stories we read and watch on television and in film today can often be traced directly to one of these two original schools, or borrow from both traditions. The police officers of the long-running television series Law & Order are tough, gun-toting crime-fighters; the district attorneys charged with solving the cases are clever and cunning. The classic American television shows Murder, She Wrote, and Matlock, on the other hand, feature kinder, gentler heroes who are interested in justice alone – freeing the innocent and exposing the criminal. Contemporary writers continue to appropriate, adapt, and reinterpret the basic formula so that, more than 100 years since readers first met the great Sherlock Holmes, the detective story is as popular as ever.

Exploring the Genre

Mystery & Detective Stories

1. Why do people like to read mystery and detective stories?

2. Why are we so fascinated with crime, especially murder? List as many reasons as you can.

Traditional vs. Contemporary Mystery Stories

1. Ask students to brainstorm popular crime television shows, novels, movies, etc. Make a list of them.
2. Compare modern crime stories with the old-fashioned ones ("Sherlock Holmes-type" crime stories). How are they similar? Different? Include differences in evidence discovery, such as DNA evidence versus more subtle clues. Also include the differences between the roles and interests of the crime solvers (e.g., policemen, detectives, CSI agents, etc.) and the setting or atmosphere.
Some activities to use in the discussion of DNA include:
• What is DNA?
• The Evidence: DNA Fingerprinting
• The Mystery of DNA

Structure

1. How does the fact that detective stories have a predictable structure make them more or less enjoyable to read than other genres? Why?

2. Discuss the structure of detective stories and mysteries. Start with an explanation of basic story structure using the Five Elements of a Story graphic organizer, then move to the more specific structure of the mystery genre.

Fun with Mysteries

Mystery Opening

1. Have students try writing an opening to a mystery story that will be as atmospheric and mysterious as The Hound of the Baskervilles or another mystery story you might be studying. They should begin with the classic line, "It was a dark and stormy night." Ask them to write for ten minutes without stopping, then take turns reading their openings in a small writing group.

2. Discuss the openings. What descriptive, plot, and setting techniques seem to work best to create atmosphere? Why?

3. Students should outline the rest of the story, making sure they include all the necessary details, plus facts about how the case is solved. They will use the outline to continue with the project.

Continuing the Story

Give students a few options for continuing with the opening to their mystery story. Possible projects include the following:

1. Continue the story. Use the Detective's Log to keep track of the clues you plant and the suspects you describe. Include all the important elements of a mystery story.

2. Alternate Perspective. Write about the same mystery story plot from the criminal or villain's perspective.

3. Write an Article. Write a newspaper article assuming the entire mystery has been solved. Include important clues and points about the case. How was it solved? Was the criminal convicted in court? Use these journalism tips to help you.

4. Create a Movie Poster. If your story were made into a movie, what would the poster look like? Create your own advertisement for the film. The poster should include details about the mystery and characters.

5. Draw the Scenes. When writing a crime story, it's important to be extremely detailed so that the reader has the chance to crack the case at the same time as the detective or investigator. After recording these details, you should be able to picture the crime scene in your mind. Now draw it! Make sure you include all the important details, but don't make it too easy to figure out. Add a few "trick" clues into the scene. Then, choose another scene of your story to draw, such as one from the police headquarters, detective's office, etc.

After the projects are completed, students who have written stories should swap them to be proofread by their peers. Use the Student Proofreading Checklist as a guide. Those students who have drawn their stories or scenes should critique the others' artwork and give suggestions on how the piece can be more clear or detailed.

Related Resources

For more mystery, crime, and detective stories, view the resources below. We also have a collection of biographies of famous mystery writers, filmmakers, and characters that can supplement your study of various books. Try having students choose a specific figure in the history of the mystery genre and conduct research on that person. They can read the related works, analyze their style, and write a story in the manner of that figure.

More Mystery & Crime Literature Guides

• The Mousetrap and Other Plays by Agatha Christie
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Paper Towns by John Green

Biographies: Notable Figures in Mystery

• Agatha Christie
• Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• Sherlock Holmes
• Dr. Watson
• Robert Louis Stevenson
• Raymond Chandler
• Alfred Hitchcock
• P.D. James
• Edgar Allen Poe
• Dashiell Hammett