What makes a good mystery? Using three of the classical mysteries read in class as examples, explain what makes a good mystery.

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Abbas Tejani

What makes a good mystery? Using three of the classical mysteries read in class as examples, explain what makes a good mystery.

Short fictional mystery stories were very popular in the 19th century, especially in the Victorian era. They often appeared on the back of newspapers or in magazines because they were so cheap. Although not read as much now, one does receive pleasure in reading these fascinating mystery stories. Nowadays we have television, radios, films and many other modern media technologies. As the world advanced, science was beginning to explain the unexplainable and answer unanswerable questions. There were huge scientific breakthroughs and discoveries, that it seemed as if it could solve anything. These stories were original, unique and unexplainable, which is why the Victorians liked them, because it was a break from science proving everything. The mystery story genre developed by characteristics in the way these stories were created.

Most of these stories were quite typical, for example setting the scene with pathetic fallacy. The writer uses pathetic fallacy, to help create the mysterious mood of the scenes, as this device was used to assimilate the weather to show how a character was feeling. We can see this in 'The Red Room', as it helps make the character feel uneasy, and, as he pursues down the corridor, his mind begins to play tricks on him, as if there is somebody round the corner, “I was about to advance… Hiding from me by the corner of the wall, its shadow withGave me the impression of someone crouching to waylay me…. I then held my revolver In “The Man with the Twisted Lip,” the narrator speaks as if he leaves the real world, and goes down into the dark, gloomy, eerie and unnatural world, “…is a vile alley lurking behind.” This creates a sense of a vile and unnatural world lurking behind the true city. This creation of a new world is vital for a good mystery story.

‘The Twitch’ begins with a description of the setting, and then goes onto describe the guests that come in. The man and his daughter are described as almost cold among a warm atmosphere. This suggests a contrast to ordinary happenings, and it is this effect that makes the central characters in this story seem peculiar. The first sense of mystery and dread enter when the man’s hair is described to be “White, too white…” This creates a sense of eerieness and something from out of this world, and also begins to introduce questions in the mind of the reader as to why this man is so different. The man is described in such a way, that he stands out from the rest of the dinner guests. The word “grave” is also used to describe him, which, after reading the story until the end, makes sense, and is, in effect, ironic. It also gives an impression of something from the dead. The girl is described as having: “the pale beauty of a ghost,” which immediately gives us the idea that these two people are something out of the ordinary. She is also described as being having “terrible slowness as if she was virtually unable to move her arms.” This gives us a pretty obvious impression that she is something from the supernatural, and is like a zombie, or the living dead. The father has a “most peculiar nervous twitch… his hand described a snake’s tongue.” Snakes are venomous and can kill, and the fact that his hand moves in the motion of a snake’s tongue, a “crazy zig-zag,” suggests some type of evilness, as snakes are evil (looking at the example of the Garden of Eden, where the snake sweet-talked Adam and Eve to eat the apple). This embroils the reader into the tension created by the writer. This shape could also imply that he is making motions like that of a lightning bolt, as lightning bolts are the same shape, and, in most horror stories, zombies jolt to life after a spell of lightning. Finally, the woman is noted as always wearing “one glove on her left hand.” This creates a sense of mystery, leading on from her earlier description, and make it seem as if she is something from the supernatural. This helps the reader build an image of the people and from this the reader may start to feel a little scared because often people relate pale people to be similar to the “living dead.” They also help us make a fair assumption as to what is going to happen in the story. It is with this technique that mystery stories differ from normal stories, as mystery stories are designed so that prediction is also indulged into the story, and therefore, the reader can slowly predict what is going to happen. ‘The Twitch’ is set in a health spa and a hotel restaurant, which is almost described as gloomy, “the gloominess of the health spa.” The author uses the sense of sight to build a picture in the readers' mind, which adds to the effect of the story. When the two people approach the narrator, they are walking at a “slow pace,” which makes the readers feel scared and uneasy about what they will do to the man. The man then begins his story as to why he has a nervous twitch and why his daughter wears a glove. As he begins to tell the story, the narrator switches from the original narrator to the man with the twitch. This now turns into a story within a story, or a frame tale/narrative. Because of this, the audience is made clear of his feelings and emotions at different points during the story. This affects the way we read the story and the way we feel towards the characters, as the reader tends to feel closer to the man and therefore, makes an effort to understand him. After the girl is buried alive, the man, who is now the new narrator, describes the atmosphere of that night as particularly frightening. He uses descriptive words, such as: “It was cold… and the wind, a winter wind, a frozen wind, a great wind full of ice, knocked the windows with a sinister repetitive sound.” This sets the scene for something scary to happen, as the atmosphere is now very cold and scary indeed. The repetitive description of the wind emphasises how cold it actually was, and it makes the reader more engrossed into the story, and much more on edge. The man then “started so suddenly that the seat cracked.” This shows that he is so tense that even his seat has cracked. This also increases the readers tension too. As the daughter enters the house, the man describes her as a “phantom” and a “ghost.” This choice of wording makes the reader feel uneasy and nervous and also tense as to what the “phantom” will do. After the story ends, the writer, once again, introduces pathetic fallacy. The narrator has now switched back to the original narrator and the setting is a “lonely, sad little valley,” which is similar to the lives of the father and daughter – they are sad and lonely, following that story. This is an example of pathetic fallacy, which makes the setting and the characters more vivid, and helps make a good mystery story. In third-person objective, we have no entry to anyone's thoughts or feelings. The author simply describes, without emotion or editorialising, what the characters say and do. The author's persona here is almost non-existent. Readers may be unsure whose fate they should care about, but it can be very powerful precisely because it invites the reader to supply the emotion that the persona does not. Almost all of them are in first person narrator, which draws us into the story. These stories were well written with escapist literature, when there is relief from reality and a different approach, which is what attracts us as well. The narrator is the person who is describing the story to you. This makes you feel as if someone is talking to you physically and individually, creating the feel and setting the scenes in the story as you read it. This gives it a more personal mood to it. We can also understand their thoughts, emotions and feelings as they describe them and we can get right inside the narrator’s head. Other stories might not have these inner sensations; therefore, this point is vital in making a good mystery story. All the stories are in first person singular, and this implies to us that they have had the experience. They are sharing the event with us and have survived their fascinating encounter. It makes it a lot more believable too, and also creates a 'mise en scene'. This also makes it easier to read and comprehend. It is easier to relate to the character in understanding what's going on. This is why they are written in first person singular, and is certainly what draws us into the stories. This also makes it stand out as an excellent mystery story.

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A good mystery story needs a scary setting like a Castle, Monastery, graveyard or somewhere that is spooky and is quite old, with a scary history. This is because it adds emphasis to the frightening atmosphere that the author is trying to create, and helps build tension. Also, a good mystery story has to make the reader feel like they are present and it needs to have suspense to make the reader want to keep reading. Furthermore, a good ghost story has to make you feel like you are there and know what the characters are feeling. It also ...

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