Mystery & Suspense

Agatha Christie

Arthur Conan Doyle

Saki

Dashiell Hammett

Background

Mystery• A mystery is a fictional tale that tells how a puzzling mystery is

solved. The leading character in a mystery is often a detective or sleuth who matches wits with someone who has committed a crime.

• The conflict of the story usually lies in the criminal’s attempts to avoid discovery and the detective’s attempt to uncover the clues that will solve the mystery.

• The conflict is resolved when the detective proves the identity of the criminal.

Background

• Mystery writers know that readers enjoy playing detective as they read. We often try to guess the solution to the mystery, to solve the mystery, identify the evidence (or proof,) and to draw conclusions about the person who committed the crime.

• However, keep in mind, that some details are intentionally included to mislead the reader.

• As you read the mystery stories, keep track of the evidence as you read and use your power of observation and logical reasoning to make predictions and solve the mystery.

BackgroundSuspense

• Suspense is a feeling of uncertainty about the outcome of events, which keeps you interested in a story’s plot. Writers create suspense by hinting at an outcome or delaying an event that you know is coming. In other words, suspense is a kind of game that writers play with you, showing you some things and hinting at others.

• Take note of the details the narrator gives you and those he/she holds back.

• You’ll enjoy the suspense in a plot if you continually predict what will happen next. This kind of guessing is what involves you in the story. It’s not important to be right every time, but it is important to keep predicting and to base your predictions on details found in the story.

Literary Terms• Suspense: The building of tension in the story that generally makes

the reader want to continue reading. • Irony• Verbal: When the author says one thing, but means something else.• Situational: The discrepancy between what the reader thinks will happen

and what actually happens.• Dramatic: The audience knows something that another character does

not.

• Characterization: The way an author creates a believable character. This can be done directly or indirectly.• Round character: A major character in a work of fiction who

encounters conflict and is changed by it• Flat character: A minor character in a work of fiction who does not

undergo substantial change or growth in the course of a story.

Lit terms continued

• Motivation: The reason why a character thinks, acts, feels, or says what they do.

• Archetype: A character, setting, elements of plot, or image that reoccurs in different works of literature.

• Symbolism: When something stands for another thing beyond itself.

• Setting: The time and place in which the story takes place.• Theme: a perception about life or human nature that the writer

wants to share with the reader.• Allegory: A story in which all elements (character, plot, setting,

etc.) have a literal and symbolic meaning.

Lit terms continued• Allusion :A casual reference to a well known literary work,

person in history, or event. Each allusion usually has a connotation, which is the implied meaning that accompanies a term.

• Dialogue: When characters speak. This is usually set off by quotation marks.

• Flashback: A way for the author to present material that happened earlier before this point of the story.

• Foreshadowing: The author gives hints about future events.• Simile: A comparison between two things using “like” or “as”• Metaphor: Comparison between two dissimilar things • Conflict: A struggle between opposing forces.

Lit terms continued• Protagonist: the main character• Antagonist: The character who opposes the protagonist• Foil: A character that has traits which are opposite from ones of

the main characters, in order to highlight various features of that main character's personality.

• Point of view: the vantage point from which the story is told.• First person: The narrator is a character in the story, and he/she

uses first person pronouns such as I.• Third person limited: The narrator is looking in observing the

action of the story. Narrator does not refer to himself or herself.• Third person omniscient: The narrator is looking in observing the

action of the story. Narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters; readers get insight into several characters.

Agatha Christie

• Christie is the world’s most famous mystery writer.• She wrote plays, short stories, and novels.• At first she wrote under the penname Daniel Miller.• By 1910, she was submitting short stories to magazines. She was

inspired to write detective stories by the Sherlock Holmes stories.• Christie continued to write during WWII.• Christie often has her characters say things that can be taken in

multiple ways.

Background

Agatha Christie• In 1890, Agatha Christie was born Agatha Miller in Torquay,

England. • Her family was part of the upper class and she was raised and

educated at home.• Christie met her husband Archie, who joined the Royal Flying

Corps.• As WWI began, Archie did not want to marry Agatha due to his

deployment and possible death.• During this time, Agatha volunteered as a hospital maid and aided to

the wounded. There she also worked in the pharmacy and learned how medications and poisons affected the human body.

About Christie’s life

Agatha Christie

• While Archie was on leave, he and Agatha married on Christmas Eve despite the objections from Agatha’s family

• In 1926, she disappeared. 10 days later, she was found with amnesia because she was under so much stress.

• In 1927, she and Archie divorced due to his infidelity.• Christie late married archeologist Max Mallowan and traveled the

world with him.• She died in 1976.

About Christie’s life

Agatha Christie

• As you read Agatha Christie’s work and try to solve her mysteries, keep in mind that the suspect always has a good motive. Be aware that Christie will try to make you rule the person out because of lack of evidence or opportunity. Christie’s characters have also been know to fake their own deaths to mislead the reader.

• Most of the time, more people than just the suspect have guilty secrets that may give them motive to be the criminal.

• Many times, the characters who are in the story focus on minor details, which are meant to mislead you, the reader and on looking detective.

• Focus on who is present and absent from particular scenes in the story and be aware that some characters may be in disguise.

Hints to remember while reading