Mystery Fiction
“The Whodunit”
Invented by Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
Elements of Mystery Fiction / Detective Stories
Creepy Settings
 Forests or desolate
natural places
 Dark places or night-time
atmospheres
 Run-down buildings
Elements of Mystery Fiction / Detective Stories
Mysterious Characters
 Super detectives as
protagonists—can solve
crimes the police can’t
 Detective’s friend often
serves as narrator
 Criminals as antagonists
Elements of Mystery Fiction / Detective Stories
Suspenseful Plots
 Crime is committed (usually murder)
 Suspects are identified and investigated
 Expert detective examines evidence, deduces solution
 Solution is revealed to the characters and reader
Elements of Mystery Fiction / Detective Stories
Specialized Themes
 Good will triumph over evil.
 The truth will always come out.
 People get their just rewards.
 Crime doesn’t pay.
 Even the smallest detail is important.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Born 1859 in Scotland
Studied Medicine and became a
doctor in 1885
Began writing in 1887, A Study
in Scarlet– 1st Sherlock Holmes
story
Wrote dozens of Sherlock
Holmes stories for the Strand
magazine
Killed off Sherlock Holmes in
1893 because he was tired of
writing that kind of fiction
Brought Holmes back ten years
later due to fan outrage
Knighted in 1902 by Edward VII
Works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes Fiction
A Study in Scarlet (1887)
The Sign of Four (1890)
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
(1892)
Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1893)
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902)
Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905)
The Valley of Fear (1915)
His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences
of Sherlock Holmes (1917)
Case-book of Sherlock Holmes
(1927)
Other Works
Fiction
The White Company (1891)
The Great Shadow (1892)
The Lost World (1912)
The Poison Belt (1913)
Non-Fiction
The Great Boer War (1900)
The War in South Africa: Its
Cause and Conduct (1902)
The British Campaign in France
and Flanders (1916-1920)
Sherlock Holmes
Amateur Detective
Based on Dr. Joseph Bell
Solves crimes by using
deduction—looks at clues
Knowledgeable in Chemistry,
Botany (poisons), Criminal
cases, Anatomy
Can tell where people are from
and what their occupation is
by looking at them
Sherlock Holmes
Plays the violin badly
Smokes pipe & at times, opium
When goes out wears hunting cap
and cape
Partner is Dr. Watson
Some people believed he was a
real person
Chief antagonist is Dr. Moriarty
Avoids romantic attachments
Excerpt from A Study in Scarlet
Website
http://www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk/
The Adventure of the
Speckled Band
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Terms
Clue—anything that serves to guide or
direct in the solution of a problem,
mystery, etc
Red Herring—something that diverts
attention from the actual facts of a case; a
misleading clue
Motive—reasons to commit the crime
Means—resources to commit the crime
Opportunity—chances to commit the crime
Clues from Connection to the
Helen’s Story story / red-herring
Clues from Connection to the
Stoke Moran story / red-herring
Deduction (How do you think Julia’s murder occurred?)
SUSPECT:
Person suspected
of committing the
crime
MOTIVE:
Reason to commit
the Crime
MEANS:
Resources to
commit the Crime
OPPORTUNITY:
Chance to commit
the crime
Stoke Moran
Wing of the
house in use
Dr. Roylott’s
Room
Julia
Stoner’s
Room
Helen
Stoner’s
Room
Setting
Julia Stoner’s Room
Dr. Roylott’s Room
Stoke Moran
Wing of the
house in use
Helen
Stoner’s
Room
Julia
Stoner’s
Room
Dr. Roylott’s
Room