BASIC PLOTSTRUCTURES
Literary Conventions of the Detective Story
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ROMANTIC COMEDY
Boy meets girl
Boy falls in love
Boy loses girl
Boy gets girl back
Variations on this theme- girl meets boy- girl meets girl
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TRAGEDY
Hero with a tragic flaw
Faces internal/external conflict
Ultimately defeated,but wiser.
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JOURNEY (TRADITIONAL ROAD MOVIE)
A
BJourney from point A to point B- usually with a companion
- protagonist learns
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JOURNEY
Home
Protagonist must go on a
quest
Series of adventures
/tests
Returns home victorious/
changed
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SLICE OF LIFE
Ordinary life of a
seemingly conventional character or group of charactersNarr
ative
Usually shows that there is no such thing
as an ordinary/conventional person.
Everyone is unique (and potentially
interesting).
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COMING OF AGE
Young/Immature
Protagonist
Major life crisis (tests of character)
Overcomes adversity toemerge intoadulthood
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MYSTERY
Crime/mystery to be solved
Series of clues/red herrings
Mysterysolved
Reader findsout how
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Problem Solution
Conflict Peace
Danger Safety
Confusion Order
Dilemma Decision
Question Answer
Ignorance Knowledge
Mystery Solution
Mystery can fit into any of these basic
structures/patterns
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The mystery is presented (almost) at the beginning of the narrative.
If someone dies, it has to be at the beginning (so that the reader hasn’t had time to form an emotional attachment to the victim).
The mystery must unfold gradually.
The narrative shouldn’t be presented from the perspective of the perpetrator of the crime (or there would be no mystery).
Narrative is often told by another character (Watson being the most famous example) who serves as a sidekick to the main investigator (and a stand-in for the reader).
The scene is extremely important.
CONVENTIONS OF THE DETECTIVE STORY
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SCENEWhere the clues are
Often there is an/several incongruent clue(s)
The number of characters who conceivably could have been in the space limits the number of possible suspects.
Locked Room Mystery
Space in which the crime took place makes the crime seemingly impossible.
The text becomes a puzzle that the reader, along with the detective, tries to put together.
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The mystery must be intriguing enough that the reader will not be easily able to resolve it.
The reader is given only enough information to keep him/her interested in trying to solve it.
There has to be more than one person who conceivably could have committed the crime.
There should be some clues pointing to all the possible suspects.
Some clues are intended to point the detective/reader in the wrong direction. [Red Herrings]
The “detective” is always a unique individual (eccentric, unusual, unique, off-putting, etc.).
Even when s/he is a cop, the “detective” somehow stands apart from the rest (not trusted, unconventional, or simply not in a profession where s/he would be expected to be a good investigator).
CONVENTIONS OF THE DETECTIVE STORY
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ADRIAN MONK
Former (disgraced) cop
Extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder
Smarter/More astute than all the other cops put together.
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ADRIAN MONK
Former (disgraced) cop
Extreme case of obsessive-compulsive disorder
Smarter/More astute than all the other cops put together
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BRENDA LEE JOHNSON (THE CLOSER)
Head of the Major Crimes Division
Only woman on the team
Others find her abrasive/offensive
Addicted to sweets
More intelligent and insightful than everyone else put together.
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BRENDA LEE JOHNSON (THE CLOSER)
Head of the Major Crimes Division
Only woman on the team
Southerner in L.A.
Others find her abrasive/ offensive
Addicted to sweets
More intelligent and insightful than everyone else put together
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SHAUN SPENCER (PSYCHE)
Freelance consultant to the police who pretends to be a psychic
He’s annoying to others because he’s always joking and refuses to take anything seriously
Exceptional powers of perception
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SHAUN SPENCER (PSYCH)
Freelance consultant to the police who pretends to be a psychic
He’s annoying/obnoxious to others because he’s always joking and refuses to take anything seriously
Exceptional powers of perception
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COLUMBO
Member of the police force, but works alone and is extremely unconventional
Appears sloppy, absent-minded, clumsy
He’s really very astute and knowledgeable
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COLUMBO
Member of the police force, but works alone and is extremely unconventional
Appears sloppy, absent- minded, clumsy
He’s really very astute and knowledgeable
On the show, the mystery is usually not who committed the crime (viewer already knows), but how Columbo is going to catch the person
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MISS MARPLE
Sweet old lady
Nobody expects her to be able to solve crimes
Always solves the crime before the police do
Has to inform the police about the mistakes they’re making in their investigation
Her distinguishing characteristic as a detective is her keen knowledge of human psychology
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MISS MARPLE
Sweet old lady
Nobody expects her to be able to solve crimes
Always solves the crime before the police do
Has to inform the police about the mistakes they’re making in their investigation
Her distinguishing characteristic as a detective is her keen knowledge of human psychology
Model for Jessica Fletcher (Murder She Wrote)
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The characters reveal themselves through dialogue, mannerisms, behavior (things that can be observed by the detective).
Something always occurs during the course of the investigation that makes it more difficult for the detective to solve the mystery.
There may be numerous subplots, and these may somehow in the end tie into the central mystery.
The characters who at first seemed unlikely suspects are often in the end the actual culprits.
The detective always solves the mystery before the reader.
There is a suspenseful pause between solving the mystery and the revelation to the reader of how it was solved.
Resolution takes the reader through the entire deductive process.
The mystery must have a rational explanation. (Paranormal or supernatural explanations are not allowed.)
CONVENTIONS OF THE DETECTIVE STORY
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TERROR/HORROR/
GHOST STORY
Has a supernatural explanation for the
mystery
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SUSPENSEThe bad guy/gal is already known.The question is whether or not s/he will catch the good guy/gal.
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