6 Key Elements Of Detective Fictions
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1. The detective must be memorable 1. The detective must be memorable.
Fictional detectives have to be both clever and a bit out of the ordinary that sets them apart from the crowd. 2. The crime must be significant.
Detective novels are constructed around crimes that are worth the detective's and the reader's time and efforts to solve. 3. The criminal must be a worthy opponent.
The mind of the criminal is often intellectually equal of the detective's. This creates conflict between the detective, his/her opponent, and the reader's intellect. 4. All the suspects, including the criminal, must be presented early in the story.
The excitement of reading a good detective story comes from the mental contest between the reader and the detective in a race to solve the crime. Therefore, the reader must be able to assume that the perpetrator of the crime is one of the main characters in the story, not someone the detective will touch on in the last chapter. 5. All clues discovered by the detective must be made available to the reader.
In a wellwritten story, the reader gets the same evidence at the same time is it made available to the detective. 6. The solution must appear logical and obvious when the detective explains how the crime was solved.
In the end, the reader must be able to piece together the little bits of information and come to exactly the same conclusion as the detective. 1. Detective must be memorable.
● Expected to be clever, with greater powers of observation and superior mind
● Usually a bit out of the ordinary has a small habit, mannerism, eccentricity, interest, or talent to set them apart from the crowd
● Generally has a foil character as a friend or assistant, who frequently misleads the readers and
1. The detective must be memorable 1. The detective must be memorable.
Fictional detectives have to be both clever and a bit out of the ordinary that sets them apart from the crowd. 2. The crime must be significant.
Detective novels are constructed around crimes that are worth the detective's and the reader's time and efforts to solve. 3. The criminal must be a worthy opponent.
The mind of the criminal is often intellectually equal of the detective's. This creates conflict between the detective, his/her opponent, and the reader's intellect. 4. All the suspects, including the criminal, must be presented early in the story.
The excitement of reading a good detective story comes from the mental contest between the reader and the detective in a race to solve the crime. Therefore, the reader must be able to assume that the perpetrator of the crime is one of the main characters in the story, not someone the detective will touch on in the last chapter. 5. All clues discovered by the detective must be made available to the reader.
In a wellwritten story, the reader gets the same evidence at the same time is it made available to the detective. 6. The solution must appear logical and obvious when the detective explains how the crime was solved.
In the end, the reader must be able to piece together the little bits of information and come to exactly the same conclusion as the detective. 1. Detective must be memorable.
● Expected to be clever, with greater powers of observation and superior mind
● Usually a bit out of the ordinary has a small habit, mannerism, eccentricity, interest, or talent to set them apart from the crowd
● Generally has a foil character as a friend or assistant, who frequently misleads the readers and