Mystery fiction a genre of literature
Detective stories are usually referred to as cheap entertainment yet they are read and written by talented people. These stories are often grouped as "crime stories," "mystery stories," and "detective stories" as if they were all one. You might ask what distinguishes these stories from one another to satisfy one's literary taste. It is not enough that one of the characters in the story be called a detective- nor is it necessary. What is required is that the main interest of the story should consist of finding, from physical circumstances, the time order and meaning of events that have been partly disclosed and partly concealed.
This use of "mystery" can be used/seen portrayed in stories, riddles, mathematical tricks, puzzle-pictures, enigmas, acrostics and stories which make us afraid. Since so many kids love riddles, I will introduce "Wrapped in Mystery" by presenting and discussing this riddle/problem:
A boy is hurt in a bicycle accident. The ambulance driver rushes the boy to a hospital and calls the child's father, Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith meets the ambulance at the emergency room and becomes hysterical when he sees his injured son. In the operating room, where the boy is taken for surgery, Dr. Smith gazes into the child's face, then says, "I'm glad this is not my son."2
In this classic riddle the puzzle is explained by the fact that there are two Dr. Smith's: one is the father, and the other is the surgeon. Students may or may not figure this out. The important point to make is that the riddle, or mystery, for the reader is based on mistaken identity and the placement of language. Mistaken or confused identity is at the core of many mysteries.
Drawing on students previous experiences, I will invite the class to discuss mystery stories they have enjoyed recently. Students may first mention examples from television, computer games, or movies. It is important to ask:
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What is the problem that had to be solved?
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Who were the suspects?
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What were the clues that led you to suspect more than one character?
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Did you figure out the correct solution before you reached the end of the story?
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Looking at the plot, does the solution make sense? Why, or why not?
Ask similar questions about mystery stories in books that students are likely to be familiar with, such as one of Donald Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown adventures. For example, in Sobol's, "The Case of the Missing Ring," clues about the typewriter and about Mr. Bevan's cane are given early-on in the story. Discuss how a reader, looking back, can see how these clues were "planted" by the writer to help identify the perpetrator; and how, unless one picked up on these clues, many other characters in the story might be suspected. Students will have to carefully analyze what they've read in order to predict the outcome of this story. Students need to read carefully and go back to look for clues. This helps students to apply and analyze what they've read.
Elements classic to mystery fiction should be introduced at this time. Students can identify five basic elements that most mysteries contain:
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1) Characters
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2) Setting
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3) Clues
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4) Distractions
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5) Plot
Red herrings are also important to introduce at this time. They are clues given to deliberately mislead the reader. Helping students to recognize these elements in future readings can be beneficial. Students can also use the following activity to assimilate new mysteries to their repertoire of understanding.
This activity requires a short time to complete, and can be done at home as well as at school. It can also be used as an assessment tool for future mystery stories students will read. Some other helpful suggestions for using this activity is to partner students up or if being done at home students can get family members involved.
Help students to put the elements of mystery into a graphic organizer they can follow. A web is easy to do and most students are familiar with this graphic organizer.
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(a) While enjoying a mystery story, critique it carefully, using the web as guide. Take notes.
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(b) The mystery can be one you listen to via radio or oral reading, one that you see on television or on film, or one read independently.
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(c) Be ready to tell the class
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*the title of the mystery;
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*the medium in which it was presented (i.e., book, T.V. show, radio drama);
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*the basic situation in the mystery;
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*how the mystery does, or does not, fulfill each of the criteria on the web
The mystery story has the components of other realistic fiction, but with a vital change of emphasis: everything in the story revolves around a puzzle or an unusual problem to solve. Students will read "The Chicken-Coop Monster" by Patricia C. McKissack (taken from the book, The Dark-Thirty). Although McKissack's short mystery story doesn't deal with crimes, detectives, and nefarious perpetrators, it has the essential characteristics of a mystery. For learning and instructional purposes the story provides a doable model for young readers tackling the mystery genre. Well-wrought mystery stories share literary elements with other good fiction which students can draw on: vivid characterization, descriptions of the setting, and events that grab the reader's interest.3
"The Chicken-Coop Monster" is full of suspense. It is the story of a girl named Melissa who is living on her grandparents farm because her parents are getting divorced. She is afraid of the chicken coop because she thinks there is a monster in it. She has many close encounters with the chicken coop until finally her loving grandfather helps her to conquer her fears. It's an enjoyable story that lends itself well to extended activities.