English - Crime Fiction

Term 1 - Week 4

Genre

Style or Category of art or literature characterised by a particular form or purpose. Sets out conventions and expectations for the reader

A crime

An unlawful act published by state/law

A motive

A clear reason for the criminals actions. Something that causes a person to act in a particular way

A criminal

Usually a murderer. The reader of crime fiction is trying to work out ‘who done it’ alongside the detective. The more charming, clever or psychopathic the criminal, the more compelling the search

Suspects

Includes a range of crime fiction people who might have committed the crime; their possible motives are important plot points

Settings

Where the crime takes place and the timeline of events

An alibi

Evidence that demonstrates the accused was not present at the crime

Justice

Principle of fair treatment or conduct

Obfuscate

Confuse, darken or obscure

Red herring

Irrelevance, introduced to distract attention

To suspect

To think something is likely or possible, to consider someone guilty without actual proof

Suspense

State of anxious uncertainty

Detectives

Someone that has to solve the crime, has the ability to engage the audience and to solve puzzles through superior abilities in logic, detection and reasoning

Clues

Things that point to the criminals identity, need to point in the right direction of the mystery

Mystery/Detective fiction

Involves a mysterious death or crime to be solved, with each suspect having a credible motive. The central character is normally the detective

Edgar Allan Poe

Born in Boston Massachusetts in 1839. First famous poem is the Raven, and his success came from The Murder in the Rue Morgue. Instrumental in shaping crime fiction

Wilkie Collins

Lived from 1814 to 1889. Wrote the Moonstone Theft of a large Indian Diamond. Contributed important conventions of crime fiction today

Anna Katherine Green

Lived from 1846 to 1935. First female author of mystery novels, made famous detective Ebenezer Gryce. Contributed the use of experts as witnesses and the continuous unravelling of clues as the story progresses

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Lived between 1859 to 1930 and was a medical doctor that began writing for patients that was waiting for surgery. Made 4 novels and 56 short stories about Sherlock Holmes

Simile

The comparison of two things using the words ‘like’ or ‘as’

Hyperbole

An exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally

Metaphor

A comparison of two things with similar traits by saying one thing is the other

Personification

Giving human characteristics to something non-human

Repetition

Repeating the same word or phrase for effect

Symbolism

Where a word or phrase is representative of something else (idea, group or person)

Descriptive language

Provides detailed information about a person, place, object or event. Will often focus on the five senses

Irony

A moment or dialogue contradicts the expectations of character or audience

Rhetorical Question

A question asked for dramatic effect or to make a point, rather than to get an answer

Idiom

A phrase or expression commonly used with figurative meaning

Subgenre of crime fiction

Detective Fiction, Legal thrillers and courtroom drama