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The mystery genre is a mode of literature in which a detective or other professional, crack a case involving a crime or series of crimes such as a mysterious death. Each suspect, often around a closed circle of suspects, usually has a credible drive and a reasonable opportunity to conduct the mysterious crime. The prime character, mostly the detective, ultimately solves the mystery through logic using the facts presented to the reader.
The term mystery is derived from the Latin word “mysterium” which means “a secret thing.” This genre is much younger as it was advanced in the early 19th century (around 1840s). Two factors may have influenced its development. First, the development of literacy, which commenced during the era of English Renaissance and as individuals became more conversant; they began to have an individualistic thinking (Promo, and Trailer). Another reason that may have made this genre unheard before the 1800s may have been attributed to a lack of true police units. Most societies, prior to industrial revolution, were under a constable and a night watchman at best. These knew everyone around and crimes were either solved very fast or entirely left unexplained.
Types of Mystery Genre
Mystery genre can be both fictional or nonfictional and can focus both on supernatural or non-supernatural topics. In the supernatural topic, the solution may not be logically deducted and sometimes no involved crime.
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Fiction Mystery
These are stories, which can be fantastic or realistic, though they are not based on actual events. Fiction mystery blends with other literary genres including science fiction, fantasy (creating a gothic style), historical fiction, thriller, crime fiction, and even horror. Detective fiction, which mostly features a detective is perhaps the most common form of a fictional mystery although it is currently regarded as a separate genre.
Nonfiction Mystery
These stories cover various topics, which address true events, often examining mysteries of magic, science, the supernatural, the afterlife, history or religion. For instance, there exist many works on crimes that are unsolved, mysterious places that seem haunted, unexplained disappearances of people, and even strange sighting such as UFOs and Bigfoot. This form of the genre is prevalent for creating reality TV shows and documentaries, mostly focusing on mysteries that go unexplained or unsolved.
Defining Elements and Characteristics of the Mystery Genre
Protagonist: this is usually the detective who is the central character. The rest of the characters are generally the suspects. In the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle “The Final Problem,” the protagonist of the story is Sherlock Homles, a private detective.
Foreshadowing: this is a literary device, which hints at the upcoming events, as well as the motives of the suspects and plot twists. The work of Khaled Hosseini “The Kite Runner” is an example of the use of this element from the beginning of the novel. The protagonist in the story has flashbacks of what happens decades ago, this foreshadows to the readers that the incident will have consequences on him in the future.
Tropes: these are the figure of speech or other plot-related tools such as inference gaps, foreshadowing, and suspense (‘Writing A Mystery Novel – 7 Elements | Now Novel’). These also hide the evidence or attempt to distract readers with red herring.
Red herring: these occur when the author deliberately uses misleading clues to throw the audience off track. In the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle “The Final Problem,” Dr. Watson receives a message about a woman in need of help, but they come to find out that there is no such woman. This was an example of red herring since the message was sent by the villain of the story.
Suspense: these are details about the plot, which are obscuring to create tension and leave both the reader and the characters lingering in doubt. The work of Charlotte Bronte “Jane Eyre” suspense starts to rise as Jane observes a pattern of strange occurrences at Thornfield Hall.
Inference gaps: this occurs when the reader may have to fill gaps in the story to crack the mystery. For instance, one may ask questions and locate account related connection in other details. The novel of Harper Lee “To Kill a Mockingbird” uses this element very well, the character Atticus and Miss Maudie discuss why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird since the creature is innocent and does nothing but make music.
In conclusion, mystery genres explore a character’s unique capacity for deceit and demonstrates a respect for our usual understanding of the world.
