Detective fictionDetective fiction is a subtype of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as speculative fiction and other genre fiction in the mid-nineteenth century and has remained extremely popular, particularly in novels.
John Dickson CarrJohn Dickson Carr (November 30, 1906 – February 27, 1977) was an American author of detective stories, who also published using the pseudonymsCarter Dickson, Carr Dickson, and Roger Fairbairn. He lived in England for a number of years, and is often grouped among "British-style" mystery writers. Most (though not all) of his novels had English settings, especially country villages and estates, and English characters.
Agatha ChristieDame Agatha Mary Clarissa Mallowan, Lady Mallowan (née Miller, 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976), usually known by her first married name, Agatha Christie, was an English author known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short-story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot (with the novel debut being The Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1920), Tommy and Tuppence (with the novel debut being The Secret Adversary in 1922), and Miss Marple (with the novel debut being The Murder at the Vicarage in 1930).
Raymond ChandlerRaymond Thornton Chandler (July 23, 1888 – March 26, 1959) was an American-British novelist and screenwriter. In 1932, at age 44, Chandler became a detective fiction writer after losing his job as an oil company executive during the Great Depression. His first short story, "Blackmailers Don't Shoot", was published in 1933 in Black Mask, a pulp magazine. His first novel, The Big Sleep, was published in 1939.
Fabula and syuzhetIn narratology, fabula (Russian: фабула, IPA: [ˈfabʊlə]) refers to the chronological sequence of events within the world of a narrative and syuzhet (Russian: сюжет, IPA: [sʲʊˈʐɛt] ) refers to the time of its telling, the sequence of events as they are presented to the reader. Vladimir Propp and Viktor Shklovsky originated the terminology as part of the Russian Formalism movement in the early 20th century.
DetectiveA detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads them to arrest criminals and enable them to be convicted in court. A detective may work for the police or privately.
ProtagonistA protagonist (from Ancient Greek πρωταγωνιστής (prōtagōnistḗs) 'one who plays the first part, chief actor') is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles and choices.
Climax (narrative)The climax (from Ancient Greek (klîmax)'staircase, ladder') or turning point of a narrative work is its point of highest tension and drama, or it is the time when the action starts during which the solution is given. The climax of a story is a literary element. As a literary element, it is a stage where the protagonist finally faces the greatest challenge or the ultimate obstacle, leading to the resolution or transformation.
Plot (narrative)The plot is the series of related events in a narrative. So, each event (except the final one) affects at least one other. Plot may be synonymous with storyline. Simple plots, such as in a traditional ballad, can be linearly sequenced, but plots can also exhibit complex interwoven structures, with each part sometimes referred to as a subplot.
CrimeUnlawful act punishable by an authorityHuman civilisations throughout history have universally considered murder to be a crime.In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term crime does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition, though statutory definitions have been provided for certain purposes.
Deductive reasoningDeductive reasoning is the process of drawing valid inferences. An inference is valid if its conclusion follows logically from its premises, meaning that it is impossible for the premises to be true and the conclusion to be false. For example, the inference from the premises "all men are mortal" and "Socrates is a man" to the conclusion "Socrates is mortal" is deductively valid. An argument is sound if it is valid and all its premises are true.ElisionIn linguistics, an elision or deletion is the omission of one or more sounds (such as a vowel, a consonant, or a whole syllable) in a word or phrase. However, these terms are also used to refer more narrowly to cases where two words are run together by the omission of a final sound. An example is the elision of word-final /t/ in English if it is preceded and followed by a consonant: "first light" is often pronounced "firs' light" (/fɜrslaɪt/).perpetratorRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.