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History of Mystery
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First Fictional Detective - "Murders in the Rue Morgue"
Edgar Allan Poe creates mysteries first fictional detective, August C. Dupin, in the short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."
This story is one of the most famous examples of a "Locked Room" mystery, which is a subgenre that has remained popular throughout all branches of mystery literature. -
Wilkie Collins & Charles Dickens
Dickens work greatly influenced Edgar Allan Poe; Collins wrote many popular titles in the 1850's through the 1870's. -
"The Moonstone"
Considered the first TRUE English detective novel. -
"The Mystery of Edwin Drood"
Considered an unfinished masterpiece; Dickens died before he finished it, which means it is an unfinished murder left forever unsolved. -
Anna Katherine Green
First woman to write a detective novel. -
Arthur Conan Doyle & Sherlock Holmes
"A Study in Scarlet" is the first Holmes mystery (1887). Doyle created the detective archetype that inspires every other detective to follow. Holmes turns crime solving into a science; he uses the art of deduction. -
Golden Age Begins
Popular until WWII. Driven by private detectives or amateur sleuths. Mystery stories all follow the same basic pattern that make the reader feel comfortable and involved. -
Rise of the Cozy
Takes place in small village setting; hero usually has some sort of high class family background. Safe environments and no real violence or gore or sex. -
Hardboiled Fiction
Became popular in bigger cities in America. A loner takes on a murder or massive by himself. Set in a corrupted; betrayal and untrustworthy characters. The lead detective is often gruff or works outside of the law. -
Agatha Christie
Most popular mystery author of all time. She created Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple. Perfected the art of the Cozy Story. -
Dorothy L Sayers
Introduced the detective Lord Peter Wimsey. One of the most popular of her time; helped define the Golden Age genre. -
Pulp Magazines and Hardboiled Mysteries
Black Mask emerges as a big Mystery fiction magazine. Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. -
Joseph Thompon Shaw
Editor of Black Mask that helped create a revolution for dective fiction. These stories reflect the reality of American Life at the time. -
Ellery Queen
American detective fiction reaches its high point in the 30's and 40's with the emergence of Ellery Queen. A detective named Ellery sovles crimes with dad Queen. Represents the change from Golden Age to American scene. -
Rise of the Quirky Detective
Unusual or eccentric personalities. Subgenre called Comic Mystery or the Bumbling Detective. -
Charlie Chan Mysteries
A detective who uses Orient knowledge to solve crime. -
Perry Mason first Introduced
Crime solving attorney (Perry Mason) who takes on court room dramas. -
Allen Lane creates Paperback books
Paperbacks increased the availability of books; lower costs = more readers. Easily accessible to the public. These books were called Penguins. -
Television Becomes Popular
Radio mysteries like "The Shadow" emerge. Popular shows include "The Saint" "Rockford Files" "Colombo" "Murder She Wrote" and "Perry Mason." -
Police Procedural Gains Popularity
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The Maltese Falcon
Popular Hammett novel about Sam Spade turned into a movie that started Film Noir. -
Mickey Spillane
"I, the Jury" and Mike Hammer. Strong focus on sex and violence. Subgenre that emerges is Noir Mystery. -
Techno Thriller becomes Popular
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Forensic Mystery Subgenre Emerges