...Crime Fiction: The Hard-boiled Detective In Raymond Chandler’s essay ”The Simple Art of Murder” (1944) he introduces the world to his personal definition of a true hero in a new branch of crime-fiction. The essay circulates around a new type of crime story, having the real world as its steppingstone. Contrary to the typical British so-called Golden Age Detective Fiction, this sort of crime story reflects itself in the real world, a decentred world. A world that undermines basic predicates, such as order, stability, causality and resolution. Writers who occupy themselves writing these stories strive against describing a centerless world, in order to capture reality and put it straight to paper. He describes it as, “…not a very fragrant world… but continues”…it is the world you live in.” (p. 197) Chandler singles out Dashiell Hammet as the one person who actually rescued crime fiction by bringing it back to the people, in a renewed version, that embodies life in the hard-boiled world. According to Chandler, the hero, solving crimes in a ruthless city containing only people with a perverse satisfaction of being corrupt, must be a man of certain character: “He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man.” (p. 197), saying that the detective, if necessary has to have the ability to identify himself with anyone, and simultaneously also be able to elevate himself from the general population, in order to create distance from the violence-torn local society. With...
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...2f Assignment 4 Choose either A or B ”A Chess Problem” “A Chess Problem” from 1920 is one of Agatha Christie’s classic crime stories in which Hastings narrates the story of how Poirot uses his logical powers to solve the mystery of an incomprehensible crime. This plot defines the different main characters such as the head detective, the detective’s friend and the material for plots which characterize “The Golden Age” of crime fiction. As readers we all know that we’re playing the same role as the detective’s friend, because we’re asking the same questions as the detective’s friend, in this case, Hastings. This essay will take a closer look at the main characters and how they characterize “The Golden Age.” This paragraph represents the classic roles in a partnership from “The Golden Age” of crime fiction: “Poirot examined the table with what seemed to me quite unnecessary attention.” (Page 50, l. 19 – 20) According to Hastings, Poirot is paying unnecessary attention to the table. Hastings doesn’t think that Poirot’s examination has any relevance for the detection of the case, but Poirot was exactly on the scent of a very important clue. This paragraph testifies the roles between the omniscient detective and the detective’s friend, because Hastings doesn’t discover the importance of the chess table. The author exhibits Hastings as the less intelligent person in the partnership, and thereby he makes Poirot’s brilliant intelligence shine through even more. This partnership...
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...Essay om krimiens popularitet _______________________________ A crime is in many ways one of the most important genres. It's usually about a man or woman who is on quest to find the truth of an event or an issue. In the thriller it will be good almost always lined up against evil.In the beginning when the first crime novels were written around the beginning of 1800, they were mostly written for sheer entertainment without having put special types of criticism up, or a particular message. There is and has always been a kind of crime to be solved by the given detective. This criminal is, thus committing the crime, is almost always first get to know who is towards the end of the thriller. It is one of the elements that appear in a crime, like tightening torque, which helps to build a mood for the reader.In crime fiction is typically a lot of social criticism involved. It may be because the author clean'd like to build a social explanatory framework. All this because the perpetrator often breach the rules. There are the novels used a lot of different investigators, for example, an anti-bureaucratic detective who themselves often and often break the law to solve a case. Some crime genre looks and you experience the story from the detective's point of view, which one follows his investigation of the crime. However, there are a few crime novels, which instead follows the perpetrator's point of view, and thus it is an entirely different view of history you...
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...he film Saw V is within a series of films all directed by David Hackl. Saw can be put into many genres, but I feel if i had to pick any particular genres they would be Thriller (Psychological Thriller), Mystery and Crime Fiction. In this essay, I will be discussing these genres and their conventions in order to support my views in deciding what genre of film Saw is. Various genres will also be discussed throughout the rest of my essay. The low key lighting is conventional in a Saw V as the dark shadows help to create the mysterious scenes and the tension as we as the audience feel shadowed and unaware of what is going to happen. It is used multiple parts of the film, so it emphasises their constant danger in the specific situations that they are in, which creates a higher suspense level and makes the audience in a continuous vulnerable position which is how a thriller is aimed to make them feel. Another convention to Saw V, is innocent victims are made vulnerable, and either made to be murdered or go through a series of unfortunate events. It is natural to expect many murders or jumpy scenes in Saw V to make the scenes more terrifying and heart stopping. In the movie we see many of the victims in the "survival of fitness" trying to fight for their life's. At the end of this specific scene one man is horrifically blown up, therefore murdered. The victims are made to look like normal everyday people, which makes the scene to be more relatable to real life, as the aim is to...
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...Lady in the Lake” by Raymond Chandler and “The Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins? Both ‘The Lady in the Lake’ by Raymond Chandler and ‘The Woman in White’ by Wilkie Collins portray the theme of secrets in various ways. There is a repetitive theme of secrets created from beginning to end. Both authors triumphantly create secrecy and suspicion for both the characters and the readers. People keep secrets from one another throughout both of these books. E.g. In ‘The Woman in White’, Marian keeps it a secret from Laura that there is a woman (Anne Catherick) who looks exactly like her. These novels fit into the genre of crime fiction which automatically connects to secrets due to the style of the genre. Due to the fact that the authors have to keep information from the reader’s means that they do not deduce the mystery before the end of the book. As it is a crime fiction, the authors keep major plot points hidden from the readers. The main body of secrecy in both texts are presented via the characters interactions. Despite being introduced to a wider array of characters in ‘The Lady in The Lake’, the characters in ‘The Woman in White’ appear to conceal more from the reader. In ‘The Lady in The Lake’ extract, we are introduced to Muriel Chess who reveals that she is Mildred Haviland. Throughout ‘The Lady in The Lake’ extract, Chandler uses dialogue to present the theme of secrecy through the characters. He writes a conversation between Crystal Kingsley and Marlow in Kingsley’s apartment...
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...239, this statement is obviously true. In this essay I will be discussing the devolution of the detective’s role. The most amazing detectives can be found in the earlier pieces of literature. In traditional mysteries there are a few notable authors which were covered in English 239. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe are these two authors. When the mystery genre was created by Edgar Allen Poe, the detectives were made out to be amazing. Edgar Allen Poe’s short story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” begins with a scene that should engrave faith into the detective. The reader is introduced to detective Monsieur C. Augueste Dupin as an unimaginable genius. Dupin was so intelligent it was almost like Dupin could read your mind. As the narrator stated “how was it possible you should know I was thinking of ___?” Another example of detective Monsieur C. Augueste Dupin talent is towards the end of the story. When they find the finger prints Dupin automatically knows it was not a murder conjured by a human rather a monkey and he even knows the breed of this monkey. These statements show my point that Edgar Allen Poe created a detective who was amazing and could do more than anyone else. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle followed the same scheme as Edgar Allan Poe. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created a detective, probably the most famous one yet. Sherlock Holmes, was smarter than everyone, he could place together crimes that were unsolvable to anyone...
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...question to allow for a fuller explanation and understanding of the recent occurrences involving the disappearance of Crystal Kingsley. We learn much about both characters in this extract, allowing us to form a good idea of their personalities and mannerisms. “The Lady in the Lake” is a detective fiction novel, and elements of this genre shine through within this extract alone, from the almost interrogation-like scenario by which Bill pours out his story to Marlowe. In this extract we find Marlowe taking almost a step back from the scenario and acting essentially as a pair of ears tuned in on the monologue presented from Bill - the kind of subtle yet acute manner you would expect from a detective, and this lends itself towards the confirmation of the genre of detective fiction. This confirmation is heightened through the organisation of the extract; secrets are subtly unearthed by the detective, with the possibility of a death having occurred with the discovery of Muriel Chess’ note reading “…I’d rather be dead than live with you any longer. Muriel.” This deepening in severity of the situation opens multiple possibilities as to where the plot could lead the reader; in true detective fiction manner. With the narrative perspective being that of Marlowe’s, we see through his eyes the event’s occurrences and thus may be presented with a bias. Despite this however, Marlowe is renowned for having a keen eye, proved throughout earlier points in the book, and is...
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...Your E-Book is Reading You Alexandra Alter's "Your E-Book is Reading You" appeared in The Wall Street Journal in 2012. In the essay Alter aims to explain to readers that publishers are compiling vast data repositories containing information on a wide array of statistics on how and what we read. He explains the possibility of using these analytics to provide a more directed approach towards the reader’s desires. "Now, e-books are providing a glimpse into the story behind the sales figures, revealing not only how many people buy particular books, but how intensely they read them." Enumeration, anecdotes, and a hint of propaganda are techniques the author employs to sway the reader and develop a convincing essay. Alter opens the essay with a couple of numbers and statistics about reading speed and passages highlighted passages in a particular book. This enumeration technique immediately establishes the tone of the essay and has a “scientific” feel about it. It is an effective way to project the author’s legitimacy and gain the reader's trust that the writer has done their research and knows what they are talking about. Also, this paragraph uses an extremely popular novel named “Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins, which is the first in a trilogy, to illustrate how the data is used. “The first thing that most readers do upon finishing the first ‘Hunger Games’ book is to download the next one.” Almost immediately after peaking the reader's curiosity with the statistics of their...
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...I'm beyond excited that I was given the opportunity to interview one of my favorite authors, Ruta Sepetys. I was able to meet her at the North Texas Teen Book Festival, and she's extremely sweet and an overall lovely person. Without further ado, let's get to the interview! Hi Ruta! Before we get started, can you talk about the books you've written so far? I've written three historical novels: Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy and Salt to the Sea. They are all published through Philomel which is a division of Penguin Young Readers Group What inspired you to go into writing? Specifically, historical fiction? I am drawn to hidden history and stories of strength through struggle, so I look for topics that contain those elements. Writing historical fiction is like being a detective. I love discovering secrets and lost heroes. Sometimes history can...
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...complete with wildly successful career, perfect home, a husband who showers her with love and affection, and a very sophisticated lifestyle. Excepting for a stalker who sends her expensive gifts, nothing was wrong or could ever go wrong. So it seemed. The next chapter opens with her lying in the hospital, rescued from an accident where the police inform her that her husband Logan was missing. The story flashes back to the previous morning, when Logan goes off to their future home in the mountains, with Leigh to follow after the matinee show. The police finally find Logan’s body in the car up in the mountains, and Leigh becomes prime suspect. The story proceeds and in comes Valente, Logan’s business partner who appears to have a violent crime history. The police shift their suspicion from Leigh to Valente, and Lt. McCord is assigned on the case primarily because there is a chance that Valente might be the culprit. Valente and Leigh come closer, and Leigh discovers who Valente’s love interest for the last fifteen years was: Liegh herself. Apparently Valente was an old acquaintance from her pre-stardom days and he had been in love with her since then. Meanwhile the police dig deeper in Logan’s life and it appears that the marriage had not been as successful as Leigh had believed. Logan was having an affair with his counselor Sheila, who had been the couple’s family friend since the beginning of the story. After many loose ends and blind spots and number of suspects, the killer...
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...which eventually helps them out when the men that are chasing them come to their inn and disclose the information about the conspiracy. Pamela is in position to hear all this and relays it to Hannay which helps them resolve the plot promptly. Whereas, Hannay did not utilize espionage readily to resolve the plot and instead relied on working with other British officials to solve the puzzle of the “39 Steps” which would be more intelligence rather than espionage. Ultimately, Alfred Hitchcock’s version is most representative of what espionage would be in twentieth-century popular culture. Espionage would be suspenseful on the basis of paranoia and fear of nefarious forces that seek to conspire among the masses. Those involved in espionage fiction would be relatable in terms of having everyman characters that would deal with these great forces. The tactics involved would utilize deception and social interaction to gain information to overcome the enemy as presented in the film. Thus, espionage through those elements crystalized in Alfred Hitchcock’s version of The 39 Steps would define the image of the spy for the twentieth-century. ...
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...non-conventional ways. Despite this, the anti-hero is relatable to the reader since he is not seen as a typical hero, but rather a flawed moral character. Ambiguity is a key characteristic of noir and surrounds the love triangle of the anti-hero, femme fatale, and the crime committed. Noir is a genre of hard-boiled crime dramas, which originated in America in the 1930s and 1940s, during and post WWII. The films and novels that were associated with this genre reflected how the world was viewed during and after the war⎯cold, heartless and cruel. A noir anti-hero is the main character of a story that lacks the characteristics of a typical hero, but is relatable to the audience. He usually functions outside social norms and challenges the system. Hardboiled detective is a tough, cynical style of writing that brought an aspect of realism to the genre of detective fiction. It is often a gritty detective story set in a world overrun with violence and corruption. The way that Cain describes depression-era Los Angeles is a reflection of society during that time period. The anti-hero is morally compelling because he does whatever it takes to find justice. Anti-heroes are often morally ambiguous low-lifes that have a first person perspective of crime and corruption. Double Indemnity by James M. Cain, takes place in depression-era Los Angeles. Throughout the novel, Huff struggles to survive in the external landscape of post-depression era Los Angeles. The insurance company that Huff works for is...
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...is teaching Marlowe how to react in a situation that he doesn’t have control of, and Marlowe is teaching Breeze what a challenging client feels like. Both of these characters have similar and different traits that make them the detectives that they are. If both of these characters combined their intelligence and worked together, rather than questioning each other, they could solve this case. As of now, both have too much pride to ask for help from the other. Neither of these two characters are expendable. They make this story what it is because of their different personality traits and their different ways of solving their cases. The main difference between the two detectives is that Marlowe wants to see the right person go down for the crime, while Breeze wants to put his name down for solving a case. ...
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...In The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin creates a detective who has the traits of any professional detective such as bravery, intelligence, and keeping things confidential. The text proves that Turtle is a professional detective. All below has proof\evidence that shows Turtle is a professional detective.. The first way that Turtle is a successful detective is her bravery. In The Westing Game Turtle made a bet on how long she can stay in the home of the dead Sam W. Westing (2003), “Make it two dollars for each minute I stay in there and your on” (8). The evidence from the text proves that Turtle is brave. The second way that Turtle is a successful detective is her intelligence. In The Westing Game Turtle figures out that Sydelle has a crutch for attention...
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...Introduction Mystery is defined as something that is a secret, something where there is no clear explanation, something difficult to understand or explain or something unexplainable or unsolvable. Some of the example of mysteries are the location of your Christmas presents, whether there is proof that God exists., how exactly people came to be., a situation where it is unclear who committed a crime. And so on. In the content will explain the importance of mystery, how to write good mystery story and Crisp Information about the content: The following paragraph contains information about how to write a good mystery stories: Write out the plot of the story. If you have more than one plot at first, don't worry about it. Choose one like the best and go with it and put the others aside for later. Include a red herring. This is when you make it appear that one of your suspects is the criminal when it was actually somebody else. You must also make your readers believe it was the red herring who did it, until it has been made clear who the real criminal was. (Note: Many people think a red herring is a misleading clue. This might not be right.). Secret codes and languages can provide an interesting addition to your tale, especially if you develop a special language for some of the characters. Think of some good main characters. You don't need a lot of characters--sometimes just two or three works well. Try to develop distinct personalities. Write the first draft and it is just to get...
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