Alison

 **ALISON CROWLEY ** **June 16, 2010 ** **** NEW REVISION ** ** **Classic Detection Fiction vs. Hard-boiled Detective Fiction ** Detective fiction is probably one of the most exciting genres of literature. From the works of classic detection stories to hard-boiled detective stories, the reader is taken from one great mystery to the next. Although these types of detection basically follow the same plot line involving; problems, crimes, and puzzles that need to be solved, they are very different. The differences between the two genres such as, how the detective solves a case, the ‘unrealistic’ events versus the unnatural events, and the importance of what point of view the story is told in, are all key components that distinguish the two genres apart.  Classic detective stories evolved with modern society in the 1840’s when Edgar Allan Poe wrote, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” told from the narrator’s point of view. This story opens with the narrator giving somewhat of a lengthy but informative description of certain qualities a detective should have and what the reader should expect while reading this type of detective story: “The mental features discoursed of as the analytical, are, in themselves, but little susceptible of analysis. . . enjoyment. As the strong man exults in his physical ability, delighting. . . which //disentangles.// He derives pleasure from even the most trivial. . . mathematical study, and especially. . . as if //parexcellence,// analysis”(2). The discourse of analysis, presented by the narrator, informs the reader of certain characteristics a detective should possess while solving a crime, puzzle, or problem. It gives the reader a brief description of how the detective will solve the case using a notion of amusement and that competition plays an important role in detective fiction. More importantly, by using the word “disentangle” the narrator is telling the reader how detective fiction always refers to untangling something. On the other hand, hard-boiled fiction is told from the third person point of view such as Dashiell Hammett’s __The Maltese__ Falcon. When the story begins, the reader is given a detailed description describing what, private eye, Sam Spade looks like, “Jaw was long and bony, his chin a jutting v under the more flexible v of his mouth. His nostrils curved. . . His yellow-grey eyes. . . thickish brows. . He looked rather pleasantly like a blond satan” (1). Having the novel narrated by the third person allows it to become objective and the reader is able to look at the situation unbiased. The leading detectives in classic and hard-boiled detection have different morals, ethics, and personality traits which set the two genres apart. The classic detective uses logical thinking, analytical ability, and imagination to solve a case. For instance, Detective Dupin, the detective in “Murders,” does not rely on the police authority to gather evidence and determine “whodunit.” Instead, he competes with the police and solves the murders himself. By analyzing the crime scene thoroughly he finds evidence the police had overlooked, he thinks logically about the evidence and was able to establish “whodunit,” and uses his imagination to trick the sailor into claiming his ape who was responsible for murder. On the other hand, hard-boiled detective Sam Spade never looks at the body of his former partner, Miles Archer. He is a man of action not a puzzle solver and operates on his own. The hard-boiled detective is considered to uphold the “tough guy” attitude, one of the main character traits Spade portrays when he tells Brigid, “I won’t play the sap for you” (213) after he realizes he cannot benefit from her.    Another difference between the two types of genres is the unrealistic events versus the unnatural events that occur in the story. In most cases when a reader picks up a book or short story about mystery he/she expects to read about human beings. However in “Murders,” this is not the case at all. When Detective Dupin picks apart the crime scene he notices a clump of hair that does not belong to the victims. Based on the texture of the hair “tuff and tawny” (24) and logical thinking they assume that, “this hair is most unusual- this is no //human// hair” (23) and begin to look at the evidence presented to them differently. Later, Dupin discovers that this hair belongs to an Ourang-Outang who is responsible for the death of the two women. Meanwhile, when reading __The Maltese Falcon__ the reader is presented with crimes of deception, corruption, and dilemmas brought on by human beings themselves. In this novel, Detective Sam Spade’s partner, Miles Archer, is killed. Feeling guilty about having an affair with his partner’s wife Spade is determined to bring the criminal responsible to justice. Through a series of twists and turns Spade becomes emotionally attached to the criminal, Brigid, something a classic detective would never do.  Although there are many differences between classic and hard-boiled detective stories it does not signify the weaknesses or strengths within the story itself. Whether or not the story is told from the first or third person point of view, the detectives are observant or tough, or certain events may appear to be a bit more realistic than others does not give them proper credentials to base such an opinion on. It is solely based on the personal opinions of the reader himself/herself and whether or not the story meets his/her expectations.  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">

Classic detective stories evolved with modern society in the 1840s when Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” which is considered by critics to be the first detective fiction story written and I agree. “Murders” lives up to the expectation of detective fiction should be by following the plot line of; crime, puzzle, and/or a problem that needs to be solved, supplying a well-rounded detective to play the role of the logical and analytic thinker with a competitive edge and incorporating unrealistic and unnatural events within the plot that keep the reader interested. This story opens with the narrator giving somewhat of a lengthy but informative description of certain qualities a detective should have and what the reader should expect while reading this type of detective story, “The mental features discoursed of as the analytical, are, in themselves, but little susceptible of analysis. . . enjoyment. As the strong man exults in his physical ability, delighting. . . which //disentangles.// He derives pleasure from even the most trivial. . . mathematical study, and especially. . . as if //parexcellence,// analysis (2). The discourse of analysis, presented by the narrator, informs the reader of certain characteristics a detective should possess while solving a crime, puzzle, or problem. It gives the reader a brief description of how the detective will solve the case using a notion of amusement and that competition plays an important role in detective fiction. More importantly, by using the word “disentangle” the narrator is telling the reader how detective fiction always refers to untangling something. The personality traits of Detective Dupin also live up to the expectation of how a true detective should appear and solve a case to the reader. Dupin practices his logical thinking and his ability to analyze a crime scene several times throughout the story. When the crime is first presented to Dupin he manages to overlook the crime scene thoroughly, analyzing every possible detail. He thinks logically in an attempt to trick the owner of the Ourang-Outang to come forward and claim the animal held accountable for the murders. Afterwards, Dupin shows off his brilliancy when he pokes fun at the police officials who were unable to solve this crime due to their lack of imagination and getting inside the mind of the murderer. The events that occur in “Murders” keep the reader interested due to the unrealistic and unnatural events also play an important part of forming a good detective mystery. When Dupin describes the unnatural way which the women are killed, “the corspse thrust, with the head downwards, up the chimney; the frightful mutilation of the body of the lady” (16), captures the attention of the reader enticing him/her to continue reading the story to discover the main question, “whodunit.” Once the reader learns that an Ourang-Outang unrealistically commits the murder of the two women the story makes a little more sense and he/she the missing pieces of the puzzle start to come together. All in all, I feel “Murders” follows the formula of what is expected in a detective story. It definitely met my expectations based on the personality traits of detective Dupin, the plot, and the unnatural and unrealistic events that kept me intrigued. All these positive qualities leaves me to believe that “Murders” should be considered as one of the best modern day detective stories written.

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Classic Detection Fiction vs. Hard-boiled Detective Fiction ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Detective fiction is probably one of the most exciting genres of literature to be composed. From the works of classic detection stories to hard-boiled detective stories, the reader is taken from one great mystery to the next. Although these types of detection basically follow the same plot line involving; problems, crimes, and puzzles that need to be solved, they are very different. The differences between the two genres such as, how the detective solves a case, the ‘unrealistic’ versus the real, and the importance of what point of view the story is told in, are all key components that define the two genres apart.

Classic detective stories evolved with modern society in the 1840’s when Edgar Allan Poe wrote, “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” told from the narrator’s point of view. This story opens with the narrator giving somewhat of a lengthy but informative description of certain qualities a detective should have and what the reader should expect while reading this type of detective story, “The mental features discoursed of as the analytical, are, in themselves, but little susceptible of analysis. . . enjoyment. As the strong man exults in his physical ability, delighting. . . which //disentangles.// He derives pleasure from even the most trivial. . . mathematical study, and especially. . . as if //parexcellence,// analysis (2). The discourse of analysis, presented by the narrator, informs the reader of certain characteristics a detective should possess while solving a crime, puzzle, or problem. It gives the reader a brief description of how the detective will solve the case using a notion of amusement and that competition plays an important role in detective fiction. More importantly, by using the word “disentangle” the narrator is telling the reader how detective fiction always references untangling something. On the other hand, hard-boiled fiction does not give the reader such information. The detective is primarily the narrator and he/she, in most cases, only gives the reader a brief description of himself/herself. For instance, Dashiell Hammett’s __The Maltese Falcon__ Private eye, Sam Spade is the lead detective and also the narrator. He informs the reader of how he operates in a couple of sentences, “My way of learning is to heave a wild and unpredictable monkey-wrench into the machinery. It’s all right with me,. . . will hurt you” (86). This brief description offers nothing to the reader, which can be somewhat confusing.

The leading detectives in classic and hard-boiled detection have different morals, ethics, and personality traits which set the two genres apart. The classic detective uses logical thinking, analytical ability, and imagination to solve a case. For instance, Detective Dupin, the detective in “Murders” does not rely on the police authority to gather evidence and determine “whodunit.” Instead, he competes with the police and solves the murders himself. By analyzing the crime scene thoroughly he found evidence the police had overlooked, he thought logically about the evidence and was able to establish “whodunit,” and used his imagination to trick the sailor into claiming his ape who was responsible for murder. On the other hand, hard-boiled detective, Sam Spade never looks at the body of his former partner, Miles Archer. He is a man of action not a puzzle solver and operates on his own. The hard-boiled detective is considered to uphold the “tough guy” attitude, one of the main character traits Spade portrays when he tells Brigid, “I won’t play the sap for you” (213). If Spade showed emotion towards Brigid and fell for her deceitful acts he would have appeared weak, not living up to the hard-boiled detective standards and personality traits.

Another difference between the two types of genres is the unrealistic versus the real. In most cases when a reader picks up a book or short story about mystery they expect to read about human beings. However in “Murders,” this is not the case at all. When Detective Dupin and the narrator pick apart the crime scene they notice a clump of hair that does not belong to victims. Based on the texture of the hair “tuff and tawny” (24) and logical thinking they assume that, “this hair is most unusual- this is no //human// hair” (23) and begin to look at the evidence presented to them differently. Later, Dupin discovers that this hair belongs to an Ourang-Outang who is responsible for the death of the two women. Meanwhile, when reading “The Maltese Falcon” the reader is presented with crimes of deception, corruption, and dilemmas brought on by human beings themselves. In this novel, Detective Sam Spade’s partner, Miles Archer, was killed. Ironically Spade and Archer’s wife, Iva, were having an affair which could lead the reader to believe that Spade killed Archer. Through a series of twists and turns the reader soon discovers that Brigid O’ Shaughnessy is responsible for the death of Miles Archer.

Although there are many differences between classic and hard-boiled detective stories it does not signify the weaknesses or strengths within the story itself. Whether or not the story is told from the first or third person point of view, the detectives are observant or tough, or certain events may appear to be a bit more realistic than others does not give them proper credentials to base such an opinion on. It is solely based on the personal opinions of the reader himself/herself and whether or not the story met his/her expectations.

Alison Crowley REVISION ESSAY # 2 **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Male vs. Female Roles in Detective Fiction ** <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Upon reading different works of detective fiction the reader is introduced to both male detectives and female sleuths. It is apparent that great differences exist between the male and female detective roles. The typical male detectives are portrayed as competitors, analyzers, and logical thinkers. On the contrary the women detectives are sympathetic, emotional, knowledgeable about the lives of women (since they are women), and use their women’s intuition to acquire an understanding as to why crimes occur. The differences between the males and female roles become fairly obvious when reading Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” where the reader is introduced to detective Dupin, and Susan Glaspell’s “A Jury of Her Peer’s” in which the reader meets Mrs. Hale, a neighbor of Mrs. Wright, and Mrs. Peters, the wife of the town Sheriff. In “A Jury of Her Peers,” Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters use different characteristics to uncover why the murder of Mr. Wright took place. While in the Wright household, the women primarily focus on the little things, also referred to as “trifles,” while the men laugh, make jokes, and criticize Minnie as a housewife. The women in this story are able to relate to Minnie and her caged life due to their own experiences. They notice the little things that men don’t like the broken hinges on the bird cage. Mrs. Hale’s women’s intuition kicks in as she recalls how much Minnie enjoyed singing. Mrs. Hale states, “Looks as if some one must have been - rough with it” (169), insinuating that Mr. Wright must have been an abusive man. Shortly after noticing the broken bird cage, the women stumble upon a beautiful small box and are astonished at it’s contents, Minnie’s dead bird. Mrs. Peters sympathizes with Minnie as she reminisces about her childhood kitten who was harmed by a young boy. She says, “If they hadn’t held me back I would have – hurt him” (173). The women then place themselves in Minnie’s position. They think of how unhappy they would be if they had to cook everyday on a broken stove, wear ugly clothes, and live under the same roof with Mr. Wright. They relate to her emotionally as women in a male dominated society. Meanwhile, in “Murders” we are introduced to Detective Dupin who only solves murders for his own personal amusement. After reading about the mystery in the newspaper, Dupin says to the narrator, “As for these murders, let us enter into some examinations for ourselves, before we make an opinion respecting them. An inquiry will afford us amusement”(14). Dupin likes to analytical ability however he lacks the ability, however, he lacks the ability of becoming emotionally attached to the victims and seems to prefer logic over anything else. When investigating the crime scene “Dupin scrutinized everything – not excepting the bodies of the victims” (15), allowing him to steer clear of having to feel sympathy and passing up tiny details. Aside from analyzing important details, Dupin uses logical reasoning to form a relationship with the investigation and the natural world. Dupin’s ability to analyze and think logically about key pieces of evidence helps him when he notices a knotted ribbon. Dupin discovers a relationship between the knot and the natural world. He notes that he has seen this type of knot before and it is commonly used by sailors, “Moreover, the knot is one of which few besides sailors are so fond” (25). The use of logical reasoning, pertaining to the knotted ribbon, enables Dupin to use his imagination. He plans to manipulate the sailor in claiming ownership of the ourang-outang by placing an ad in the newspaper. When the sailor comes forward to claim his ape, Dupin’s competitive side is displayed. He starts to poke fun at the police officials stating that they have been unable to solve the mystery due to their lack of ability to uncover a relationship between the little things and the natural world surrounding them. Although there are many distinct differences between female sleuths and male detectives, the stories they belong to remain basically the same. Mostly all of the detective fiction pieces I have read seem to follow the same plot, troubles, crimes, and ‘puzzles’ that must be solved. It is the readers who determine what his/her personal preference is while he/she reads the story acquiring a personal and emotional feeling towards the characteristics of each role the character portrays. One reader may be able to relate to the emotional and sympathetic female sleuths who mainly solve cases by using their knowledge of other women in order to solve the crime. On the other hand, another reader may enjoy a competitive detective who scrutinizes every detail when analyzing all possibilities of the crime. I personally enjoy each type of detective equally.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-align: right;">Alison Crowley **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">RESPONSE 1 REVISION ** <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">What Modern Detection Means To You <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Some critics believe Edgar Allen Poe’s, “Murders,” is considered to be the first modern detective story to be written. After reading this story I was neither disappointed nor surprised with the outcome. The plot of this story corresponded with my prediction that there will either be a problem, puzzle, or crime that would need to be solved. Poe also created a well-rounded character, Detective Dupin, to play the role of a logical and analytical thinker with a competitive edge to solve the murders of two lonely and quiet women. When I first began reading “Murders,” I will have to admit, I became rather bored. I had no idea what was going on and I felt lost and confused. However, once the murders the murders were mentioned, the story began to become very interesting. Some readers may argue that Poe’s use of gory realistic details describing the murders of the two females is gruesome and gory; I beg to differ. Poe uses descriptive detail describing the murder scene to be gruesome, awful, and gory because that //is// typically what most murder scenes look like. Such a detailed description of the murder scene signals readers that in order to solve this murder mystery they too must pay attention to details as they uncover the mystery as to “whodunit.” Poe’s typical modern day detective, Detective Dupin, possesses traits that can be compared to modern detectives that we hear and read about in today’s society. These traits are extremely necessary for a detective to possess and are touched upon several times during the story. Dupin carefully analyzes unimportant details that become crucial for solving the crime that has been committed. He looks at the murder scene thoroughly rather than getting caught up in the “whodunit” idea. When Dupin notices the tied ribbon, he points out that the particular knot is generally used by sailors: “Moreover, the knot is one which few besides sailors are so fond” (25). By observing the crime scene thoroughly, Dupin is able to eliminate certain suspects and uses the knot as a necessary piece of evidence to solve the case. Knowing that a sailor only ties knots in such a way described in the story; enables Dupin to use his imagination. He formulates a plan to manipulate the sailor to claim ownership of the ourang-outang by placing an ad in the newspaper. When the sailor comes forward to claim his ape, Dupin’s competitive side is displayed. Dupin begins to poke fun at the police officials, stating that they have been unable to solve the mystery due to their lack of ability to use their imaginations, “Nevertheless, that he failed in the solution of this mystery is by no means that matter for wonder which he supposes it;. . . our friend the Perfect. . . In his wisdom is no //stamen//” (29), inferring that the police were unsuccessful putting their mind into the mind of the murderer. All in all, I feel that “Murders” met my expectation of what detective fiction should be. The story followed a “whodunit” outlook of solving crimes, puzzles, and/or problems using Detective Dupin to play the role as a modern day detective. The use of descriptive details kept readers in suspense, as they followed along trying to solve the crime which was committed.