Jaclyn

Essay 3 – June 14, 2010 Two-Fold Detective Fiction Although both classic and hard-boiled detection appeal to and target the same audience, they are different in a number of ways. Classic detection is a slower paced puzzle which focuses on plot over character. On the contrary, hard-boiled fiction is a faster paced maze which focuses on character over plot. Although, the differences mentioned above display the contrasts between the two genres, the most notable ways in which the genres differ are less obvious. The focus on women in classic detection is as victims but in hard-boiled detection, the women play a dangerous femme fatal. Also, the view on sex is not really apparent in classic detection but is extremely prominent in hard-boiled fiction.

One of the most notable differences between detective and hard-boiled fiction is the perspective on sex. Classic detection really downplays the notion of sex. Most of the focus is on the plot and not the characters themselves which does not leave a lot of room for sexuality and seductive. However, in hard-boiled detection much more focus and importance is placed on the development of several individual characters. Therefore, sex is often very involved in these mysteries. This is also impacted because women play a bigger role in the stories. The detectives often find themselves facing moral dilemmas which include attempts at seduction. For example in Chandler’s __The Big Sleep__, Phillip Marlowe who is the detective on the case is challenged by both of his client’s daughters because they are trying to seduce him and sleep with him. The detectives in classic detection do not face these kind of sexual problems and therefore have an easier time concentrating on the case.

The role that women play in the stories/novels aids in characterizing weather the work is one of classic or hard-boiled detection. The women in classic detection usually play the role of the victims. For example, in Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue”, which is an example of classic detection, the women are brutally murdered and victimized. According to M. Dumas who is the physician who reports on the deaths of the women in the story: “‘The corpse of the mother was horribly mutilated. All the bones of the right leg and arm were more or less shattered. The left //tibia// much splintered, as well as all the ribs of the left side. Whole body dreadfully bruised and discolored’”. The inclusion of this text in the story depicts the horrible condition that the women are in when their bodies are found. However, in hard-boiled detection, the women have the chance to become private eyes themselves as well as to be involved in the cases. There are many instances in which the woman takes on the role of the femme fatal, and although they initially appear to be innocent, the readers see that the women play a large role in the mystery. For example, __The Maltese Falcon__ by Dashiell Hammett, introduces the readers to the the first femme fatal, Brigid O'Shaughnessy. Although, initially the readers do not know what to think about Brigid, it quickly becomes clear that she lies and is very involved in the case. The femme fatal role of Brigid greatly differs from the role of women as victims in classic detection.

In conclusion, both classic detection and hard-boiled detection are important subdivisions in the genre of detective fiction. Each one has its own strength and importance and appeals to many readers. Classic detection is less of a maze which focuses on one main mystery. Women are usually the victims and have no other role in the story. Also, the idea of sex is present in some works of classic detection but it is downplayed. Hard-boiled detection juxtaposes classic fiction. The women do not always play the victims, but instead play the sexual femmes fatal who are involved in the mystery. The notion of sexuality becomes one of the main focuses of the book. Both classic and hard-boiled detection still play a large role in today’s literature.

REVISION- June 14, 2010

Missing Aspects in Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue”

While Edgar Allan Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue” may have set the standard for detective fiction; it left many important aspects out. The story falls short of what detective fiction should be in a couple different ways. Firstly, the story does not start with a mystery or a dead body, or something that grabs the reader’s attention. Additionally, the story lacks the very important element of fair play, meaning that the reader does not have the opportunity to solve the mystery themselves. Finally, the end of the story brings about no justice for the women. However, even though these three elements are lacking, many other substantially important aspects set the bar high for other authors of detective fiction.

Readers expect an opening that grabs their attention immediately. The lengthy discourse on analysis and introduction of the brilliant detective Dupin do not seem to be necessary to the story. While the introduction is necessary to ensure that the readers understand the detective’s personality, the discourse on analysis may have been omitted. Poe should have begun his story by placing the newspaper article with the murders at the opening of the story. The reader begins to lose interest when reading the first few pages on the discourse of analysis. The information seems unnecessary to the story, and readers find themselves wondering when the mystery will take place. Readers want to know up front when the detective will be needed and why.

Another key element that is missing in Poe’s short story “Murders in the Rue Morgue” is the illusion of fair play. The readers are supposed to have all of the same information as the detective in the story. Therefore, the readers are given the chance to compete with the detective to see who is really cleverer. However, the way the text is written makes the readers believe that they are looking for a person who has viciously killed the woman. Dupin has held back his information about the hair that is found in the dead woman’s hand. The hair is not that of a human, but that of an animal. Also, the several different accounts of the voices heard by the killer being in a language other than what all of the witnesses knew, led the readers into more suspicion of what nationality the murder was of. Dupin states: “The witnesses, … in regard to the shrill voice, the peculiarity is—not that they disagreed—but that, while an Italian, an Englishman, a Spaniard, a Hollander, and a Frenchman attempted to describe it, each one spoke of it as that of a foreigner. Each is sure that it was not the voice of one of his own countrymen. Each likens it—not to the voice of an individual of any nation with whose language he is conversant—but the converse” (wiki). This alerts Dupin that since no one can understand the language enough to classify it as an actual language, that it is something different, such as the voice of an animal. Lastly, the title “Murders in the Rue Morgue” leads the reader into believing just from the title alone that the mystery must have to do with the concept of murder by another human. However, the murderer turns out to be an orangutan. Therefore, the readers are tricked by all of this withheld information.

At the end of any detective story, the reader is looking for some sort of justice or restoration of order. “Murders in the Rue Morgue” lack the sense of closure that the reader anticipates. The women who are killed receive no justice because their killer is not a human. While there may be a restoration of order by selling the animal to the zoo and getting him off the streets, it is not a satisfying ending. Many readers may wish for more of a just outcome. Also, the sailor to whom the orangutan belongs is able to sell the animal and make a hefty profit. Considering that the sailor is responsible for the animal and its action, the sailor should have had to suffer some consequences.

In conclusion, “Murders in the Rue Morgue” does not necessarily fall short of what is expected in detective fiction. As the first modern detective story, it served as the first of its kind should. Poe opened the door and started a malleable form that could evolve into detective fiction that readers are familiar with today. Of course, in today’s society to catch the reader’s attention, action needs to occur right from the beginning. Also, readers are interested in the notion of fair play so that they can attempt to play along and read all of the clues but be amazed by the true genius of the writer who outsmarts them. Lastly, readers want to see justice serve.

REVISION- June 13, 2010

Essay Number 2: Male vs. Female Sleuths

Rational vs. Irrational

Even dating back to Plato, women were viewed as irrational and prone to emotional outbursts. Women openly expressed themselves and their emotions even in public. Men who let any emotion show were viewed as not being “manly”. In today’s ever changing and adapting society, the beliefs are the same. Perhaps this is why in detective fiction that the main identifiable difference between male and female detectives is the use of their feelings and emotions to solve a case. Female detectives often let their emotions lead them into the case and cause them to look out for others and to become concerned in the quest for justice. Lastly, women use their knowledge to identify with the people involved in the mystery.

In “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell, the men seem to believe that the women are incompetent and focus only on trifles and would not even notice a clue if they stumbled upon one. Mr. Hale stated, “…You women might come upon a clue to the motive--and that's the thing we need… But would the women know a clue if they did come upon it”. However, the woman prove that they are of equal ability to solve the case and can even be above the men, because they find several different clues such as the unfinished business in the kitchen, the bird with the broken neck, as well as the uneven stitching. The women also are also smart and intuitive enough to know that these “trifles” are actually incriminating pieces of evidence that the women take the time to hide and destroy. The women begin to do something that none of the men detectives have ever done, and that is to protect their sex.

Also, female detectives often seem to become more personally invested in the case, the men often times distance themselves from the crime and the particulars. The women get into the mindset of the killer or criminal; they use their knowledge of other woman and their duties to solve the case. For example, in “A Jury of Her Peers,” Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters spend all the time while in the house trying to imagine what Minnie Foster/Mrs. Wright was thinking: “Mrs. Hale was looking at the fine, even sewing, and preoccupied with thoughts of the woman who had done that sewing”. What the two women learn and succeed in hiding is that Minnie Foster is guilty and the women learned this truth through thinking like Minnie. For example, the women find a bird with its neck wrung in a pretty box by Minne’s sewing basket. The women begin to speculate that Mr. Foster, who they both know to be a mean man, is responsible for the death of the bird. The women know that they have found a clue and hid the dead bird, “Minnie’s motive” from their husbands.

Additionally, a woman can also put herself into a man’s mind to think like him. Violet Strange, the female sleuth in “The Missing Page Thirteen”, attempts to put herself in the mindset of the last person who had page thirteen, and that person was a man. Violet Strange states, “‘I should like to hold his thesis in my hand and be interrupted in my reading by Mr. Cornell offering his glass of cordial; then I should like to nod and slip off mentally into a deep sleep. Possibly in that sleep the dream may come which will clarify the whole situation. Will you humour me so far?’ “. It is through this method which at the time seems silly that Violet Strange solves the mystery. Also, it is not to say that a man could not have been capable of solving the case, but it seems that the female sleuths identify more easily with people no matter what their sex is. On the contrary, a man will not take the time to try and place himself into the mind of a woman and to use the mere “trifles” and clues that are scattered around to find the truth.

It is hard to select a preference between male and female sleuths because it really depends on the author as well as the story. For example, I find it very hard to like Poe’s male detective Dupin because he seems cold and calculated. On the other hand, I love Doyle’s male detective Sherlock Holmes because I find him to be extremely cunning. In addition, Holmes is a detective that readers can relate too because he is flawed and does make mistakes. A woman, Irene Adler, is able to outsmart him, which shows that even the great Sherlock Holmes has some imperfections. However, with this being said, I do find that I do prefer to read works by female authors. The female authors often use more emotion in the stories and usually incorporate more of a story line than just a murder, the hunt for clues, and how the case is solved. For example, in “The Purloined Letter” by Edgar Allen Poe, Dupin solves the story, and then must tell the readers how it is that he solved it. The story within a story helps to grab and keep my attention.

In conclusion, male and female sleuths differ from each other in many ways. The most obvious difference, which is that females are more prone to express their emotions, seems to have existed from the times of Plato up until present day. Also, females are able to more easily identify with other people and to use their knowledge of daily life, especially of women’s lives to help solve the mystery. Lastly, females are more attached and invested in the case in terms of their feelings and often seem to feel more sympathetic for those who are injured or whose lives may be at stake.

Essay Number 2: Male vs. Female Sleuths Rational vs. Irrational Even dating back to Plato, women were viewed as irrational and prone to emotional outbursts. Women openly expressed themselves and their emotions even in public. Men who let any emotion show were viewed as not being “manly”. In today’s ever changing and adapting society, the beliefs are the same. Perhaps, this is why in detective fiction that the main identifiable difference between male and female detectives is the use of their feelings and emotions to solve a case. Also, female detectives often let their emotions lead them into the case and persuade them to look out for others and to become concerned in the quest for justice. Lastly, women use their knowledge to identify with the people involved in the mystery.

In “A Jury of Her Peers” by Susan Glaspell, the men seem to believe that the women are incompetent and focus only on trifles and would not even notice a clue if they stumbled upon one. “ …You women might come upon a clue to the motive--and that's the thing we need… But would the women know a clue if they did come upon it ”. However, the woman prove that they are of equal ability to solve the case and can even be above the men, because they find several different clues such as the unfinished business in the kitchen, the bird with the broken neck, as well as the uneven stitching. The women also are also smart and intuitive enough to know that these “trifles” are actually incriminating pieces of evidence that the women take the time to hide and destroy. The women begin to do something that none of the men detectives have ever done, and that is to protect their sex.

Also, female detectives often seem to become more personally invested in the case, the men often times distance themselves from the crime and the particulars. The women get into the mindset of the killer or criminal, they use their knowledge of other woman and their duties to solve the case. For example, in “A Jury of Her Peers” Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters spent all the time while in the hose trying to imagine what Minnie Foster/Mrs. Wright was thinking. “ Mrs. Hale was looking at the fine, even sewing, and preoccupied with thoughts of the woman who had done that sewing ”. What the two women learned and succeeded in hiding was that Minnie Foster was guilty and the women learned this truth through thinking like Minnie. Additionally, a woman can also put herself into a man’s mind to think like him. Violet Strange, the female sleuth, in “The Missing Page Thirteen” attempted to put herself in the mindset of the last person who had page thirteen, and that person was a man. “ ‘I should like to hold his thesis in my hand and be interrupted in my reading by Mr. Cornell offering his glass of cordial; then I should like to nod and slip off mentally into a deep sleep. Possibly in that sleep the dream may come which will clarify the whole situation. Will you humour me so far?’ “. It is through this method which at the time seemed silly that by pretending to be a sleeping man that Violet Strange could solve the mystery, but this is exactly how she did solve it. Also, It is not to say that a man could not have been capable of solving the case, but it seems that the female sleuths identify more easily with people no matter what their sex is. On the contrary, a man will not take the time to try and place himself into the mind of a woman and to use the mere “trifles” and clues that are scattered around to find the truth.

It is hard to select a preference between male and female sleuths because it really depends on the author as well as the story. For example, I found it very hard to like Poe’s male detective Dupin because he seemed cold and calculated. On the other hand, I loved Doyle’s male detective Sherlock Holmes because I found him to be very relatable and rather cunning. However, with this being said, I do find that I do prefer to read works by female authors. The female authors often use more emotion in the stories and usually incorporate more of a story line than just a murder, the hunt for clues, and how it is solved. The story within a story helps to grab and keep my attention. In conclusion, male and female sleuths differ from each other in many ways. The most obvious difference which is that females are more prone to express their emotions seems to exist throughout the entire male and female sex dating from the times of Plato up until present day. Also, the females are able to more easily identify with other people and to use their knowledge of daily life, especially of women’s life to help solve the mystery. Lastly, females are more attached and invested in the case in terms of their feelings and often seem to feel more sympathetic for those who were injured or whose lives may be at stake.

Missing Aspects in Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue” While Edgar Allen Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue” may have set the standard for the elements that detective fiction should entail, it left many of those important aspects out. The story falls short of what detective fiction should be in a couple different ways. Firstly, the story did not start with a mystery or a dead body, or something very attention catching. Additionally, the story lacks the very important elements of fair play meaning that the reader has the opportunity to solve the mystery themselves. Finally, the end of the story brings about no justice for the women. However, even though these two elements are lacking, there are many other substantially important aspects which do set the bar high for others who followed in Poe’s footsteps and write detective fiction.

The beginning of a story is anticipated to be the attention grabbing element that will hook the readers to ensure they will continue reading. The lengthy discourse of analysis and introduction of the brilliant detective Dupin did not seem to be necessary to the story. While the introduction was absolutely necessary to ensure that the readers understood the detective’s personality, the discourse on analysis could have been omitted. Poe should have begun his story by placing the newspaper article with the murders as the opening of the story. The reader begins to lose interest when reading the first few pages of the discourse of analysis, the information seems unnecessary to the story, and the reader finds themselves wondering when the mystery will take place. Readers want to know up front when the detective will be needed and why?

Another key element that is missing in Poe’s short story “Murders in the Rue Morgue” is the notion of fair play. The readers are supposed to have all of the same information as the detective in the story. Therefore, the readers are given the chance to compete with the detective to see who is really cleverer. However, the way the text is written makes the readers believe that they are looking for a person who has viciously killed the woman. Dupin has held back his information about the hair that was found not being that of a human. Also, the several different accounts of the voices heard by the killer being in a language other than what all of the witnesses knew, led the readers into more suspicion of what nationality the murder was of: “ The witnesses, … in regard to the shrill voice, the peculiarity is—not that they disagreed—but that, while an Italian, an Englishman, a Spaniard, a Hollander, and a Frenchman attempted to describe it, each one spoke of it as that //of a foreigner//. Each is sure that it was not the voice of one of his own countrymen. Each likens it—not to the voice of an individual of any nation with whose language he is conversant—but the converse” (wiki). Lastly, the title “Murders in the Rue Morgue” leads the reader into believing just from the title alone that the mystery must have to do with the concept of murder by another human. However, the murderer turns out to be an orangutan therefore; the readers are tricked by all of this withheld information.

At the end of any detective story, the reader is looking for some sort of justice or restoration of order. In “Murders in the Rue Morgue” this story lacks some form of justice. The women who are killed receive no justice because their killer is not a human. While there may be a restoration of order by selling the animal to the zoo and getting him off the streets it is not a solid ending. Many readers may wish for more of an outcome. Also, the sailor to whom the orangutan belonged was able to sell the animal and make a hefty profit. Considering that the sailor was responsible for the animal and its action’s, the sailor should have had to meet some consequences.

In conclusion, “Murders in the Rue Morgue” did not necessarily fall short of what is expected in detective fiction. As the first modern detective story it served as the first of its kind should. Poe opened the door and started a form that was malleable and could be tweaked into the format of detective fiction that readers are familiar with today. Of course, in today’s society to catch the reader’s attention, action needs to occur right from the beginning. Also, readers are interested in the notion of fair play so that they can attempt to play along and read all of the clues but be amazed by the true genius of the writer would outsmart them. Lastly, readers want to see justice be served.