The Mystery of “Mystery”

Types of mystery

• Detective- Edgar Allan Poe -1841- Auguste Dupin -Ellery Queen, Miss Marple, Perry Mason-amateur detectives

• Private Eye – Sherlock Holmes, Dashiell HammettSam Spade, Mickey Spillane - hard-boiled sub genre

features the “tough guy” protagonists /professional detectives– includes female characters such as

Kinsey Millhone, (Grafton) and V.I.Warsharski (Paretsky)

• Thriller• Hard-boiled• Cozy

Mystery continuum cont’d...

• Crime Story – told from criminal’s point of view – Donald Westlake’s Dortmunder

series – Elmore Leonard• Police Procedural – official police work

includes contemporary writers such as Ed McBain and John Sandford

• Psychological Suspense – emphasizes fear and dread which becomes increasingly pronounced as plot progresses – e.g. Psycho, Don’t Look Now,

More on the continuum

• The Thriller – tale of espionage, international intrigue, religious or medical adventure – includes Tom Clancy, John Grisham, Clive Cussler, James Patterson and Robin Cook

• Cozy – unlike the hard-boiled that tend to be directed mostly to males and include violence, bad language and sex these are aimed more toward female readers with direct violence being committed off-camera – includes Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Diane Mott Davidson, Joanna Fluke

What about Childrens’ Literature?

If Mystery constitutes a story that has:• An unsolved problem, crime or puzzle – plot is

all-important – an attempt to find out who and why?

would that not include all fiction?

And the mystery continues.....

Characteristics of Mysteryfrom Genre Gems

• At least 2 or 3 characters: problem-solver/protagonist, wrongdoer/antagonist; sometimes a victim

• Sleuth is usually an amateur (cozy) – usually teen protagonist

• An unsolved problem, crime or puzzle...• A motive and opportunity for the wrongdoer• Actions are resolved or explained by clues and

discoveries (physical clues and false clues – “red herrings”)

Characteristics cont’d...

• Usually has a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter

• A logical solution based on well-placed clues• Conclusion usually a surprise – author saving a

puzzle piece for last, leaves no loose ends for reader

OK – but that still includes lots of childrens’ fiction like Harry Potter – it is definitely a mystery – isn’t it?

Types of Mysteries For Children

• Crime/Detective mysteries – includes Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Nate the Great, Encyclopedia Brown, Harriet the Spy?

• Historical Mysteries – Janet Lunn’s Hollow Tree, Laura Ingalls Wilder’ Little House... Series and Avi’s Crispin

• Fantasy Mysteries – Jane Yolen’s The Sword of the Rightful King (not historical?) C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, JK Rowling’s Harry Potter

...and ...

• Problem-solving mysteries – that brings us back to fiction in general doesn’t it?

• What about ADVENTURE-MYSTERY?

• children’s literature is intertwined with fantasy, magic, make-believe

• draw on prior experience and knowledge, which for young readers – means fairy tales, fables, fantasy and fun

• Elise Primavera’s The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls, drew heavily on Wizard of Oz connections to set the tone for this mystery

BUT.....

• Genre Gems recognizes that stories have elements that place them in more than one category

• The intent is to inspire a love of reading by helping readers understand their own reading interests

• Duke Ellington once said, `There are two kinds of music: good and bad.' I would say that those are the categories of fiction that I would recognize. (Robert Parker) and so.....

Curricular Connections

• Why use mystery to teach? www.mysterynet.com

• They engage students with their intrigue, and hold their interest because they need to use deductive reasoning and research skills to solve the mystery

• Allows higher levels of thinking to be acquired through Bloom’s Taxonomy

• Once excited by reading – can inspire development of writing skills **

Curriculum Connections

• Genre studies are an excellent way to explore and sort information

• Literature circles, book talks, book clubs will allow discussion and understanding of literary forms

• The controversy over genres and categories could inspire rich discussion, comparison and debate as to which story belongs where – students have to defend opinion by researching and finding appropriate evidence

Curriculum Connections cont’d...

• Scavenger hunts, orienteering, could be used to introduce books/genres (P.E.)

• The genres can lead to further exploration of pertinent topics e.g. Historical fiction can lead to exploration of historical facts and findings related to book

• Writing, drama, creating comic strips, movie clips could all be used to convey understanding and create new mysteries

The Thriller

tales of espionage,

international intigue, religious or medical aventure

Tom Clancy,

John Grisham

Clive Clusser, James

Paterson

Crime Story

Told from the criminal’s point of view

Donald Westlake’s

Dortmunder

Elmore Leonard

Police Procedural

-official police work

Ed McBain

John Sandford’s

Lucas Davenport

Psychological Suspense

-emphasizes fear and dread which becomes increasing pronouncedPsycho

Don’t Look Now

Private Eye

“hard-boiled,

tough guy-includes females

Sherlock Holmes

Kinsey Millhone,

Children’s Literature??

Curriculum Connections

Crime Detective-includes Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown

Historical Mysteries-includes Avi’s Crispin, Janet Lunn’s The Hollow Tree and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s

Little House Series

Fantasy Mystery

-includes JK Rowling’s Harry Potter, C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, Jane Yolen’s The Sword of the

Rightful King (not historical?)

Curriculum Connections

Scavenger Hunt-search for clues related to book

Predict Book

Title/Topic Using clues

WHAT ABOUT ADVENTURE-MYSTERY?

What about

Adventure Mystery?

Detective-gifted amateur detectives

Edgar Allan Poe’s Auguste Dupin

(1841)

Ellery Queen, Miss Marple, Perry Mason

Problem-solving Mysteries

Wide open

Literature Circles Puzzles

Games

WritingExploring

Cross-curricular

Cozy-opposite to “hard-boiled” tough

guy-amateur, often female protagonist

Agatha Christie,

Dorothy Sayers

Diane Mott Davidson,

Joanna Fluke, - includes recipes

ConnectingQuestioning

Forming opinion

Reading for the

LOVE of it

The Mystery

Curriculum Connections

www.mysterynet.com

Authors

• Carl Hiaason – environmentalist –adult mystery writer, author of Hoot (made into a movie), Flush and Scat * Connect with Earth Hour/Environmental studies

• Philip B Kerr – writer of adult and children’s mystery – uses magic/fantasy as the theme for his series Children of the Lamp

• Cynthia Rylant – versatile writer of children and adult fiction – The Islander also mixes fantasy/magic with mystery

Of Mystery