Fictional amateur detectives

Since the age of Sherlock Holmes, detective fiction has been admired by millions. For over a century scholars and the general public alike have been debating on what makes detective fiction so popular. There is no one “correct” explanation pertaining to why it is so widespread. For example, there are literary, historical, psychological, and religious reasons explaining the genre’s popularity. One of the more interesting aspects of detective fiction is its affiliation with Greek tragedies. As…

Matthew Southworth and the audio podcast Nick Carter: Master Detective starring Lon Clack portray the different roles of gender in detective fiction. Nick Carter was on the radio from 1943 to 1955, and represents more traditional roles of gender. Although the character Nick Carter was chronicled in books and a movie, the most well- known installment of his story was the radio show. Over the many episodes, the radio show followed detective Nick Carter and his female assistant, Patsy on different…

1. Susan Glaspell’s Trifles meets the credentials for Aristotle’s Unit of Action by the story being focused on the investigation of the murder. The investigation is the only thing the characters mention and if they do go on a tangent it is because it is related to the investigation. The story is not told before or after the investigation, the reader only knows what the characters in the play know at this specific time. The actual murder is not mentioned only the process to find out what happened…

In the opening of Poe’s tales we are introduced to detective Dupin through a description of his character in ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue’, and by a description of his character’s actions in ‘The Purloined Letter’ by the narrator, the detective’s partner, who in this case remains nameless. Immediately after that we are made aware that a crime has been committed. To solve the crime one must have the ability to put oneself in the criminal’s mind and understand things from their perspective. In…

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson was published on June 26, 1948. Some of her other works include “The Haunting of Hill House”, “Hangsaman”, And “The Sundial”. Jackson is known for many things but mostly for her Horror/Mystery stories as they are known to captivate the reader. Shirley Jackson is a very prolific author because she to brings a unique form of writing to her readers. This is seen through her many novels and short stories as the reader is greeted with something new in each one. “The…

Conan Doyle, and Hercule Poirot, created by Agatha Christie, are both famed intellectual detectives and share many aspects, there are also many distinctions that distinguish their characters from one another, the most prominent examples being their appearance, their…

Sherlock Holmes, the greatest detective in the world, is one of the most recognizable literary characters. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legacy has been immortalized many times throughout the years in various small and big screen adaptations. One of the more recent and positively reviewed is the 2009 mystery action flick simply titled Sherlock Holmes, directed by Guy Ritchie. Robert Downey Jr. steps into the shoes of the great detective and is set on the momentous task of hunting down Lord Henry…

Tell Tale Heart, the insane story of a self assured sane man. This short story was published during 1843 by the eccentric author Edgar Allan Poe. In this short story, the frantic narrator diligently tries to convince the reader that he is a sane man, while providing contradicting details for his quest to murder an innocent old man. His reasons behind it? Simply because he is agitated by the old man’s eye and finds it distasteful. In this short story “The Tell Tale Heart,” Edgar Allan Poe depicts…

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one of the pioneers of the English detective fiction and he created a new trend in detective fiction through his Sherlock Holmes stories. He is the inspirational force behind many modern sleuths, who still show the traces of Sherlock Holmes, the first scientific detective of the world. Many writers of the later centuries were greatly influenced by Doyle. Isaac Asimov, the popular American mastermind, is one of those writers, who were attracted by Doyle. Though he once…

The Da Vinci Code is a murder-mystery story set in Paris, France and is about the mysterious murder of a museum curator and member of a secret society. The main characters are Robert Langdon, an american professor and Sophie Neveu, a french cryptologist and the granddaughter of the curator. While investigating the murder they get pulled into the word of secrets, lies, and power. Leading to a revelation about Jesus and the Holy Grail. The book deals with a lot of hidden messages in world-famous…