Miscellaneous Monday—Number Thirty-nine

WHEN IT COMES to thorough research, especially with regard to detective fiction, today's author has proven quite capable. Acting as a sort of literary archaeologist, he has unearthed information about detecfic that would otherwise have remained buried in history's catacombs. In this brief overview essay, Gruesser traces and explains why there was in the early 20th century a concerted push at . . .

"Codifying Detection — Collections of, Apologies for, and Criticism on Detective Fiction, 1900-1930."

By John Gruesser.

Sam Houston State University, Department Member.

Essay (7 pages).

Online at Academia.edu (HERE).

LIKE SCIENCE FICTION, which was to emerge as a distinctive genre a generation later, detective fiction had to work at gaining respectability. Detecfic had already achieved wide popularity with the public at large (unlike SF, which started out as a niche genre), and it only remained for the movers and shakers in the publishing world to secure it as a worthwhile pursuit.

  BETWEEN 1900 and 1930, steps were taken on both sides of the Atlantic to delineate, defend, organize, and popularize detective fiction through the publication of articles, introductions, collections, and anthologies, resulting in the construction of a genealogy for the genre.

  Scholars, editors, and collectors, including Brander Matthews, William Patten, Julian Hawthorne, and E. M. Wrong, were joined by writers, such as G. K. Chesterton, Arthur Reeve, Carolyn Wells, S. S. Van Dine, and Dorothy Sayers, in an effort to specify what detection was, when it arose, how it developed, who made significant contributions to it, and why it deserved to be read and studied.

  Anthologies began to appear at the turn of the twentieth century, and Edgar Allan Poe received credit for founding the form and influencing French and English authors, and, through them, American detective and mystery writers.

  The response to the appearance of hard-boiled writing in pulp magazines beginning in the early 1920s, however, subverted attempts to define detection narrowly, and by the end of the decade this upstart subgenre reached a significant peak with the publication of Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon at roughly the same time that many of the key practitioners of what would come to be known as classic detection were promulgating a strict code for the writing of such stories and actively attempting to police the form.

The next generation, however, was waiting for its chance to introduce its own set of standards:

  Assessing the genre of detective fiction at the middle of the twentieth century, Raymond Chandler celebrated its "fluid" and "various" nature, the form's inherent ability, as he saw it, to defy "easy classification."

  No fan of what he called the "deductive" variety of detection, Chandler, in his statement, takes aim, at least in part, at the previous generation of detective and mystery writers, who, while participating in the effort to establish detective fiction as a literary genre with a traceable history, sought to limit it by means of a rigid set of rules of "fair play."

References and resources:

Our author covers a lot of territory, so we offer just a few items for further research:

- "CONAN DOYLE didn't invent the modern fictional detective; that honor goes to Edgar Allan Poe. Doyle took Poe's template, however, and expanded it into new literary dimensions that Poe didn't explore . . ." (HERE).

- "Generations of detective story readers and writers owe a great deal to Edgar Allan Poe." (HERE).

- ". . . given the culture which the Victorians evolved, mystery and detective fiction as we've come to know them were inevitable . . . " (HERE).

- ". . .  if modern writers are going to ignore the existence of crime, as so many of them already ignore the existence of sin, then modern writing will get duller than ever." (HERE).

- "SUPERCILIOUS persons who profess to have a high regard for the dignity of 'literature' are loath to admit that detective stories belong to the category of serious writing." (HERE).

- The Long Arm and Other Detective Stories (HERE).

- Great Short Stories: A New Collection of Famous Examples from the Literatures of France, England and America (HERE).

- Library of the World's Best Mystery and Detective Stories (HERE).

- ". . . Poe's Dupin is the father of Sherlock Holmes; his 'analytical reasoning' is the forerunner of 'deduction.' If we re-imported Poe in the vastly inferior form of the dime novel from France, we re-imported him in a vastly better form as Sherlock Holmes from England." (HERE).

- "There is, however, between a good detective story and a bad detective story as much, or, rather more, difference than there is between a good epic and a bad one. Not only is a detective story a perfectly legitimate form of art, but it has certain definite and real advantages as an agent of the public weal." (HERE).

- "I am perfectly willing to admit that the pure detective story is extremely rare . . ." (HERE).

- "Brief comments about Brander Matthews's then-new article about Poe, and the rules of the game, if there are any, when it comes to detective fiction." (HERE).

- "We have read and enjoyed mystery and horror for years, and the faint air of apology with which people show the title of a detective story when asked what they are reading seems to us an affectation, and a confession of the most poisonous form of pseudo-intellectual snobbism." (HERE).

- Masterpieces of Mystery in Four Volumes: Detective Stories (HERE).

- "The argument that incredible situations and amazing coincidences are the commonplaces of everyday life will not avail. Truth is stranger than fiction; but fiction dare not be as strange as truth." (HERE).

- We've already considered John Gruesser's "Illustrating Poe's Detection" (HERE).

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"This Kind of Thing Robs Detective Work of All Its Intellectual Charms"

TIME AFTER TIME H. G. Wells demonstrated that he was far more capable as a literary man than a political reformer and lay preacher. One early example of what we mean would have to be . . .

"The Thumbmark."

By H. G. Wells (1866-1946; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDb HERE; the SFE HERE; and the IMDb HERE). 

First appearance: Pall Mall Budget, 28 June 1894.

Reprints page (ISFDb HERE).

Short story (12 pages as a PDF).

Online at Roy Glashan's Library (RGL) (HERE).

   "You know we scientific people are rather fond of problems of evidence."

A POLICE INSPECTOR'S house goes up in flames, and the first thing people think of is that it must be the work of Anarchists. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the violent activities of Anarchists are on almost everybody's mind. A mild-mannered chemistry prof sets out to prove how the arson was done, but it doesn't seem to occur to him that his scientific investigation could make him a target . . .

Principal characters:

~ Professor Somerset Smith and his chemistry class: Chabôt, Wilderspin, Porch, Askin, and Mason; Inspector Bulstrode (in absentia); and a very unwelcome intruder.

References and resources:

- "Great Anarchist outrage!":

  "Anarchists employ diverse approaches, which may be generally divided into revolutionary and evolutionary strategies; there is significant overlap between the two. Evolutionary methods try to simulate what an anarchist society might be like, but revolutionary tactics, which have historically taken a violent turn, aim to overthrow authority and the state. Many facets of human civilization have been influenced by anarchist theory, critique, and praxis." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "phosphorus dissolved in carbon bisulphide":

  "The name Phosphorus in Ancient Greece was the name for the planet Venus and is derived from the Greek words (φῶς = light, φέρω = carry), which roughly translates as light-bringer or light carrier." (Wikipedia HERE and Wikisource HERE.)

- "a far better physiognomist":

  "Physiognomy (from the Greek φύσις, 'physis', meaning 'nature', and 'gnomon', meaning 'judge' or 'interpreter') or face reading is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "a bottle of starch mucilage":

  "Mucilage is a thick gluey substance produced by nearly all plants and some micro-organisms." (Wikipedia HERE.)

  "Psyllium has been used as a thickener in ice cream and other frozen desserts. A 1.5% weight/volume ratio of psyllium mucilage exhibits binding properties that are superior 

to a 10% weight/volume ratio of starch mucilage." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "You may have heard of Professor Galton":

  "In a Royal Institution paper in 1888 and three books (Finger Prints, 1892; Decipherment of Blurred Finger Prints, 1893; and Fingerprint Directories, 1895), [Sir Francis] Galton estimated the probability of two persons having the same fingerprint and studied the heritability and racial differences in fingerprints. He wrote about the technique (inadvertently sparking a controversy between Herschel and Faulds that was to last until 1917), identifying common pattern in fingerprints and devising a classification system that survives to this day. He described and classified them into eight broad categories: 1: plain arch, 2: tented arch, 3: simple loop, 4: central pocket loop, 5: double loop, 6: lateral pocket loop, 7: plain whorl, and 8: accidental." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "He has published a book of his prints":

  Galton's book saw print two years before our story:

  "Using statistical methods, he [Galton] showed that the possibility of fingerprints of two different people being identical is nearly zero. This result made it possible to identify a person from his fingerprints. This method of identifying criminals was accepted in the judiciary." (Wikipedia HERE and galton.org HERE.)

- "bowled over a Bunsen burner":

  "A Bunsen burner, named after Robert Bunsen, is a kind of ambient air gas burner used as laboratory equipment; it produces a single open gas flame, and is used for heating, sterili-zation, and combustion." (Wikipedia HERE.)

(Click on image to enlarge.)

- "a bottle of sulphuric acid":

  Bad news if it's hurled in your direction:

  "Sulfuric acid is capable of causing very severe burns, especially when it is at high concentrations. In common with other corrosive acids and alkali, it readily decomposes proteins and lipids through amide and ester hydrolysis upon contact with living tissues, 

such as skin and flesh." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "A small bottle of hydrochloric acid":

  What goes for a bottle of sulphuric acid goes for this as well:

  "Being a strong acid, hydrochloric acid is corrosive to living tissue and to many materials, but not to rubber. Typically, rubber protective gloves and related protective gear are used when handling concentrated solutions. Vapors or mists are a respiratory hazard, which can be partially mitigated by use of a respirator equipped with cartridges specifically designed to capture hydrochloric acid. Airborne acid is an irritant to the eyes and may require the use of protective goggles or a facemask." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "that most unendurable gas, sulphuretted hydrogen":

  "Hydrogen sulfide is a highly toxic and flammable gas (flammable range: 4.3–46%). It can poison several systems in the body, although the nervous system is most affected . . . Although very pungent at first (it smells like rotten eggs), it quickly deadens the sense of smell, creating temporary anosmia, so victims may be unaware of its presence until it is 

too late." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "the ammonium sulphide":

  "Aqueous solutions of ammonium sulfide, also known as diammonium sulfide, are commercially available, although the composition of these solutions is uncertain as they could consist of a mixture of ammonia and [NH4]SH. Ammonium sulfide solutions are 

used occasionally in photographic developing, to apply patina to bronze, and in textile manufacturing." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "white clouds of ammonium chloride":

  "Ammonium chloride was used in pyrotechnics in the 18th century but was superseded by safer and less hygroscopic chemicals. Its purpose was to provide a chlorine donor to enhance the green and blue colours from copper ions in the flame. It had a secondary use to provide white smoke, but its ready double decomposition reaction with potassium chlorate producing the highly unstable ammonium chlorate made its use very dangerous." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- The works of Herbert George Wells have caught our notice from time to time:

   - The Poison Belt, with updated links (HERE)

   - The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, and The War of the Worlds (all HERE)

   - "The Man Who Seemed to Know Too Much" (HERE)

   - "A Contemporary Reaction to THE TIME MACHINE" (HERE)

   - "The Chronic Argonauts" (HERE)

   - "The Stolen Bacillus: A Tale of Anarchy" and "The Hammerpond Park Burglary" (both HERE)

   - and The War of the Worlds, the deluxe RGL Edition (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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"If I Told Them the Truth, They Would Simply Lock Me Up As Insane"

IT WAS Robert Heinlein, if memory doesn't fail, who asserted that the main difference between science fiction and fantasy is the difference between Karl Marx and Groucho Marx: similar in name but very different in substance. In today's story, our author threads that line between Karl and Groucho with . . .

"Martie and I."

By Miriam Allen deFord (1888-1975; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDb HERE; the SFE HERE; and the IMDb HERE).

First appearance: Fantasy and Science Fiction, February 1956.

Short story (11 pages).

Online at SFFAudio (HERE).

   "I know—I keep putting off telling it. It's so weird I wouldn't believe it myself if somebody else told me about it. But it did happen, and I'm not crazy."

WHENEVER someone goes missing it's usually resolved with a rational explanation, such as, but not limited to, kidnapping, amnesia, skipping out on big debts, an unhappy marriage, or, saddest of all, death. When Martie disappears, though, only her grandmother knows that there's no way an ordinary, rational explanation is going to account for it . . .

Main characters:

~ Mrs. Newcomb, the narrator ("But nobody, nobody on earth would believe me"), Martie ("What worries me is, I know too much"), the chief ("That's not the girl!"), and the man with the pistol ("don't open your mouth or I'll shoot").

References and resources:

- "Leghorn hat":

  "leghorn: fine plaited straw. Leghorn hat: a hat made of leghorn."

"The Leghorn Hat" by Roswell T. Weidner

- "You can see how long ago it was!":

   When this story first saw print deFord was 68.

- "white slavers":

  "Noun (archaic): A person who tricks or forces a white woman into prostitution."

  "White slavery (also white slave trade or white slave trafficking) refers to the enslavement of any of the world's European ethnic groups throughout human history, whether perpetrated by non-Europeans or by other Europeans." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "a single closed car":

  "The vintage era lasted from the end of World War I (1918) until the Wall Street Crash at the end of 1929. During this period, the front-engine car layout dominated, with closed bodies and standardized controls becoming the norm. In 1919, 90 percent of cars sold were open; by 1929, 90 percent were closed." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "my silver chatelaine watch":

  "A chatelaine is a decorative belt hook or clasp worn at the waist with a series of chains suspended from it. Each chain is mounted with useful household appendages such as scissors, thimbles, watches, keys, smelling salts, and household seals." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "it was a trap":

  "A trap, pony trap (sometimes pony and trap) or horse trap is a light, often sporty, two-wheeled or sometimes four-wheeled horse- or pony-drawn carriage, usually accommodating two to four persons in various seating arrangements, such as face-to-face or back-to-back. In the eighteenth century, the first carriage to be called a trap was a gig with a hinged trap door, under which was a place to carry a dog. In late nineteenth century USA, four-wheeled dog carts with convertible seats also started to become known as traps." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "two ladies who visited Versailles, in France":

  "The Moberly–Jourdain incident (also the Ghosts of Petit Trianon or Versailles, French: les fantômes du Trianon / les fantômes de Versailles) is a claim of time travel and hauntings made by Charlotte Anne Moberly (1846–1937) and Eleanor Jourdain (1863–1924).

  "In 1911, Moberly and Jourdain published a book entitled An Adventure under the names of 'Elizabeth Morison' and 'Frances Lamont.' Their book describes a visit they made to the Petit Trianon, a small château in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, where they claimed to have seen the gardens as they had been in the late eighteenth century, as well as ghosts, including Marie Antoinette and others. Their story caused a sensation and was subject to much ridicule." (Wikipedia HERE.) This explains the editor's headnote comments.

- Luckily for her, Mrs. Newcomb didn't have this problem:

- Miriam Allen deFord had the knack that all writers cherish, the ability to hold the reader's attention. Previous deFord appearances on ONTOS: "The Eel" (HERE), as well as "The Absolutely Perfect Murder" and "Murder in the Transcontinental Tunnel" (both HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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"You've Been Reading Too Many of Those Nero Wolfe Stories"

AS WE'VE TOLD you several times already, the success of a parody or a pastiche depends largely on the reader's familiarity with the author and/or the works being parodied or pastiched. If, therefore, you're not familiar with the author who invented Nero Wolfe or his oeuvre, you might not get as much as you could from . . .

"The Woman Who Read Rex Stout."

By William Brittain (1930-2011; Wikipedia HERE and HERE; Mike Grost's megasite HERE).

First appearance: EQMM, July 1966.

(Note: Immediately followed by Stout's "The Dazzle Dan Murder Case" on page 99.)

Reprinted in The Misadventures of Nero Wolfe (2020; for sale HERE; GoodReads reviews HERE).

Short short story (6 pages).

Online at The Luminist Archives (HERE; go to text page 93.)

(Note: Text faded but legible. May need magnification.)

   "What kind of a screwball would murder a girl like Lili and leave a message like that?"

THE SNAKE CHARMER in a traveling carnival is strangled, and there isn't a suspicious-looking boa constrictor in sight. One of the carnies decides to adopt the sleuthing methods of a well-upholstered Montenegrin and ferret out the murderer. While it seems like a long shot, remember what Yogi said: It isn't over until the You-Know-Who sings—or, in this case, nails the perp . . .

Principal characters:

~ Robert Kirby, the narrator ("I only tip the scales at 75 pounds"), Gert ("I'm going on the assumption that the murderer is one of us"), Mel ("flipped the metal plate over in his hand"), Lili ("our snake charmer"), Ferdie ("our strongman"), Zeno ("The sword swallower"), Cal ("our Flatbush-born Swami"), and Sammy (the fire-eater).

References and resources:

- "Over My Dead Body":

  "In Over My Dead Body Rex Stout begins to explore Wolfe's Montenegrin background. By 1939, of course, the Wolfe/Goodwin books had become an established series, but Wolfe's youth had yet to be clarified. Stout starts to do so in this book by bringing in a number of European visitors, including some from Montenegro; the backdrop is the maneuvers of the Axis and Allied powers to dominate Yugoslavia." (WARNING! SPOILERS! Wikipedia HERE.)

- "a carnival side show":

  "In 1893, the Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition (also called the Chicago World's Fair) was the catalyst for the development of the modern traveling carnival. The Chicago World's Fair had an area that included rides, games of chance, freak shows, and burlesque. After the Chicago World's Fair, traveling carnival companies began touring the United States. Due to the type of acts featured along with sometimes using dishonest business practices, the traveling carnivals were often looked down upon." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "Fer-de-Lance":

  "In his seminal 1941 work, Murder for Pleasure, crime fiction historian Howard Haycraft included Fer-de-Lance in his definitive list of the most influential works of mystery fiction." (WARNING! SPOILERS! Wikipedia HERE.)

- "the Ten-in-One had to stay behind":

  "The Ten-in-One offers a program of ten sequential acts under one tent for a single admission price. The ten-in-one might be partly a freak show exhibiting 'human oddities' (including 'born freaks' such as midgets, giants or persons with other deformities, or 'made freaks' like tattooed people, fat people or 'human skeletons'- extremely thin men often 'married' to the fat lady, like Isaac W. Sprague). However, for variety's sake, the acts in a ten-in-one would also include 'working acts' who would perform magic tricks or daredevil stunts. In addition, the freak show performers might also perform acts or stunts and would often sell souvenirs like 'giant's rings' or 'pitch cards' with their photos and life stories. The ten-in-one would often end in a 'blowoff' or 'ding,' an extra act not advertised on the outside, which could be viewed for an additional fee. The blowoff act would be described provocatively, often as something deemed too strong for women and children, such as pickled punks." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "the ring-toss concession":

  "Ring toss is a game where rings are tossed around a peg. It is common at amusement parks." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- We have bumped into Mr. Stout and his work a few times on ONTOS:

  (1) A Family Affair (HERE)

  (2) "Grim Fairy Tales" (HERE)

  (3) "The Christmas-Party Murder" (HERE)

  (4) "An Interview with Rex Stout" (Item 4 HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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"I Don't Know Whether They Are Supposed To Keep Things Out, or Us In, or Both"

"The Sharpies."

By John Murphy (?-?).

First appearance: Astounding Science Fiction, November 1953.

Illustration by Frank Kelly Freas (as by Freas) (1922-2005; ISFDb HERE).

Reprints page (ISFDb HERE).

Short story (9 pages).

Online at SFFAudio (HERE).

   "The advantage of trading with a crook is that he is in no position to ask questions. And sometimes he'd be much happier if he didn't!"

MAKING a living is beset with a multitude of difficulties, as Hugh and George, "businessmen" on the shady side of commerce, well know. In their precarious situation, it's best not to inquire too much about their "customers"; just take the money and run. So when two mysterious individuals show up and make an offer they can't refuse, concerns about making rent payments are looking to be a thing of the past. Hugh and George are predisposed to ignore that proverb about something seeming to be too good to be true. And it's almost certain they're not considering what the Bard told the world: "He that dies pays all debts" . . .

Main characters:

~ Senor Perez ("the late lamented"), Hugh Corr ("felt a wonder even through the terror that gripped him"), George Hanley ("What happened?"), John and Jesse Smith ("Gold. We have here about four hundred pounds"), and five men ("completely bald").

Resource:

- We couldn't find anything about this "John Murphy"; "The Sharpies" is his only credit on FictionMags and the ISFDb.

The bottom line:

  "Some of these pre-utopian worlds, not malignant but incapable of further advance, were left in peace, and preserved, as we preserve wild animals in national parks, for scientific interest."

   — Star Maker

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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Miscellaneous Monday—Number Thirty-eight

THE VALUE of academic analysis of any genre lies in its DESCRIPTIVE power, telling us, like an engine repair manual, HOW the thing works—with the limitations of any dissection, that the subject under study will almost certainly not survive being pulled apart. Any attempts to be PROSCRIPTIVE about a genre, trying to tell us WHAT it should be saying, fall well within the area of opinion and should be regarded with caution. You might or might not agree with an academician's opinions, which is everybody's unalienable right to do so, but you're in the wrong lane when the two of you decide WHAT any particular genre should look like. In any event, grab a dictionary (preferably unabridged) and follow today's author as he DESCRIPTIVELY surveys the rather large field of analysis involving the . . .

"Grammar of the Detective Genre."

By Dejan Milutinović, University of Niš, Faculty of Philosophy, Serbian Department, Niš, Serbia.

2020 Review Paper (15 pages).

Online at Academia.edu (HERE).

THE WORLD OF THE ACADEMY does another deep dive into detective fiction, surveying a multitude of theories and theoreticians.

Excerpts follow:

ABSTRACT

The paper describes the grammar of the detective genre. This is done on the 

basis of formalist-structuralist poetics, by extracting the actants of detective syntax. It involves: the plot, enigma, secret, solution, crime, and the detective. The plot is determined both on the basis of the main stages of the detective narrative (crime, investigation, explanation) and depending on the reader's reading experience. An enigma is the absence of information about someone/something, but it is also part of the plot - it hides events which led to a specific crime. The secret is connected with the enigma and concerns both the crime and the detective. The solution is considered by many to be the most important feature of the detective genre, which has a distinctly ideological character. A crime is a motive, not a goal - it happens outside the text, and is transmitted through the text. The detective is a distinctive figure of this genre, determined by intellectual and scientific abilities, but also by eccentricity and fragmentation.

1. INTRODUCTION

Analyzing Conan Doyles stories, Shklovsky outlines aspects characteristic of the 

genre as a whole. These include expectations, referring to previous work, analysis; client appearance, the business part of the conversation; the introduction of clues, which are material for logical reasoning so that essential facts are not noticed by the reader; a bureaucratic (police) detective giving a false dismissal, and if there is none, the newspapers do so; unexpected untangling; detective data analysis.

2. THE PLOT IN DETECTIVE FICTION

One of more significant studies is by Julian Symons (1975), who identifies eight 

constituent elements of the detective genre. The Events (realized through a locked room or missing verbal segment and related to forensic medicine or ballistics), a detective (amateur or professional, the central figure of the story, who notices details which went unnoticed), the method (most often in the form of ingenious or confusing procedures), the clues (the essential elements by means of which the detective and the readers come to a solution), the characters (whereby only the detective's characterization is shown in detail, while other characters are simplified to the level of functionality in the plot and to complete expectation and recognition), a chronotope (mostly related to the time and place of the crime, that is, to the period before the crime) and the riddle (the most valuable segment of the text, because detective creations are remembered by the detective and the puzzle).

3. THE ENIGMA IN DETECTIVE FICTION

Volsky emphasizes that the detective's puzzle is special because it is not just the 

absence of information about something/someone – it is also the subtlety, i.e. it hides a series of events which lead to a concrete one – for example if a corpse is found on the street and one does not know who performed the killing and with what motive, it is not enigmatic, but if a corpse was found with a knife in its back in a locked room, then it is. The puzzle should also have a solution because, in the end, the detective has to solve everything. The riddle must be based on thought and logic, i.e. its solution must be present, but in hidden and encrypted form. If there is no solution, there is no puzzle – that is the rule of classic detective fiction.

4. THE SECRET IN DETECTIVE FICTION

Glenn W. Most (1983, 341–365) associates the mystery of the genre not with crime but with the detective. She believes that the real mystery in a mystery novel is not related to the crime committed at the beginning and resolved at the end, but rather that the problem depends on the personality of the detective. Crime is always mysterious, either for its bizarreness or simplicity, and the plot of the novel ranges from a lack of answers to the puzzle, through a series of wrong answers, to the final true answer. The essence of the genre is that this response causes the reader to wonder how he could not have come to the same conclusions. Although murder, the most common crime in the detective genre, is mysterious, the biggest mystery is the detective himself, especially the things he does between two incidents. In any case, he is a marginal figure: his profession is to examine the affairs of others, he is able to move through all walks of life, though in no sense does he feel it like his own; he is mostly single, unmarried or divorced, his parents are never mentioned and he is irreparably childish.

5. THE SOLUTION IN DETECTIVE FICTION

A considerable number of works imply that the solution is the most important for the detective genre and that all other characteristics are built on it. Julian Symons (1975) states that for most critics, the detective genre is singled out as central and the one based on which other crime stories and thrillers make variations. Therefore, they sought to set strict rules about what is and what is not a detective story. In this sense, two characteristics are imposed as necessary. The first is that there is a problem, and the second is that it has to be solved by an amateur or professional detective through the deduction process.

The postmodern antidetective fiction emphasizes the significance and effect of the 

detective's hermeneutic act through a provocative lack (or suspension, or parody) of the solution. Postmodern detectives apply hard-boiled epistemological and moral skepticism to the literary medium itself. To show this, Stefania Ciocia uses Bart's picture from “The Literature of Exhaustion”, in which Dariasada realizes that the key to the treasure is the treasure itself. In this sense, the solution in the postmodern detective genre is not achieved by connecting pieces of the puzzle, but through imagination. Calvino calls it a mental model through which events are lived, that is, a mental model through which events are ascribed meaning (Calvino 2001, 141). The act of detection becomes an act of invention, both in the epistemological sense of retrieval as well as in the sense of ex novo: the task of the detective/writer is not to reconstruct the existing order. On the contrary, he has to let reality pass through his own narrative filters which make life understandable and therefore possible to live.

6. THE CRIME IN DETECTIVE FICTION

Interestingly, although the detective genre has something to do with crime, it is never viewed separately, but always in the context of a mystery and/or solution. Also, almost everyone agrees that homicide is primary among other crimes. For example, Lyubov Romanchuk believes that the detective genre depicts the process of exposing a crime. Ernest Bloch (1970, 421–426) singled out the development of the judiciary as essential to the emergence of the detective genre: before the introduction of indications, it was tried “by feel” or by duress. It was only with the inclusion of the judiciary which insisted on proper procedure that the arrest warrant and the court proceedings were created. Therefore, even an account of the detective's work on indications cannot be older than the indicative procedure.

7. THE DETECTIVE IN DETECTIVE FICTION

From the beginning of detective fiction, the detective has been singled out as a 

distinctive figure of the genre. As part of his basic background, the first authors-critics (Chesterton, Van Dine, etc.) cited intellectual (and scientific) abilities. Although he did not stand out in anything (Sayers spoke of the tendency of producing detectives striking only in their ordinary ways), Holmes' eccentricity was taken as the dominant characteristic.

8. CONCLUSION

Formalist-structuralist grammars take into account actants, i.e. central elements of the detective genre syntax: the plot, enigma, mystery, solution, crime, detective. These elements are viewed as interdependent – due to the relationships they establish in the text. The role of the reader and the context has only been mentioned and everything stems from and comes down to the detective. Turning to the discourse – contextual and cognitive aspects of the detective genre will bring post-structuralism and post-classical narratology, which will complete the aforementioned research and open the way to new domains: phylogenetic (gender, racial, colonial) and ontogenetic (mental and emotional).

REFERENCES.

Typos: "Hemmett"; "Holms"; "does not excludes".

References:

- "Boileau-Narcejac":

  They were responsible for two novels that, when turned into films, made considerable money:

  "Boileau-Narcejac is the pen name used by the French crime-writing duo of Pierre Boileau (1906–1989) and Pierre Ayraud, also known as Thomas Narcejac (1908–1998). Their successful collaboration produced 43 novels, 100 short stories and 4 plays. They are credited with having helped to form an authentically French subgenre of crime fiction with the emphasis on local settings and mounting psychological suspense. They are noted for the ingenuity of their plots and the skillful evocation of the mood of disorientation and fear. Their works were adapted into numerous films, most notably, Les Diaboliques (1955), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, and Vertigo (1958), directed by Alfred Hitchcock." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- "Lacanian discourse":

  A psychoanalyst's interpretation of speech:

  "Four discourses is a concept developed by French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan. He argued that there were four fundamental types of discourse. He defined four discourses, which he called Master, University, Hysteric and Analyst, and suggested that these relate dynamically to one another." (Wikipedia HERE.)

- There seems to be a definite distinction when it comes to sleuths; see "Detective Fiction — Private Detective vs. Private Eye" (HERE).

- We must never forget the guy who kickstarted this whole thing (HERE).

- A nice list of non-fiction books about detecfic is (HERE).

- Sometimes it's necessary to shrink meanings; see what we mean (HERE)—and, my, how times have changed since 1960.

- The classic mystery story flourished in a period known as GAD; see Jon Jermey's essay (HERE).

  "The detective story is easier to recognise than describe. . . . Detective stories are not about mysteries; they are about solutions."

- R. Austin Freeman knew whereof he spoke when he commented on detective stories (HERE). Just to prove the point, the first seven Dr. Thorndyke adventures are on exhibit (HERE).

- Raymond Chandler, also being an authentic practitioner of the trade, had his own ideas of what constitutes detective fiction (HERE) and (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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All-time Hits (2)

(11) J. Lane Linklater's "The Perfect Victim" (HERE).

(12) Anonymous's "Forerunners of Sherlock Holmes" (HERE).

(13) Frederick Irving Anderson's THE PURPLE FLAME AND OTHER DETECTIVE STORIES (HERE).

(14) Milton Kaletsky's "X-Ray Murder" (HERE).

(15) Robert Louis Stevenson's "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (HERE).

(16) Emillion's "Circumstantial Evidence: A Tale Founded on Fact" (HERE).

. . . and the posting with the most hits:

(17) Two book chapters about Melville Davisson Post and Mary Roberts Rinehart (HERE).

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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