Literature Test

The Murders in the Rue Morgue:

Author: Edgar Allen Poe

Publish Date: April 1841

Narrator: Friend/Sidekick of August Dupin

Detective: Auguste Dupin

Suspects: Sailor, orangutan, unnamed voices

Witnesses: Sailor

Setting: Rue Morgue apartments. Summer of 1840 in Paris, France.

Clues: The murderer pushed the person up the fireplace/chimney, the marks around the daughter’s neck, the old lady’s hair that had been ripped out, two voices: one french and one unknown.

Red Herrings: The voice of the orangutan which they thought was Spanish. English, etc, and the money that had been taken out of the bank a few days prior.

Summary: C. Auguste Dupin investigates the brutal murders of Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter. Witnesses describe a suspect with a strange accent, but their accounts conflict. Dupin carefully analyzes the evidence and deduces that the killer is actually an escaped orangutan belonging to a sailor. He tracks down the orangutan and reveals its role in the crime

The Red-Headed League:

Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Publish Date: August 1891

Narrator: John Watson

Detective: Sherlock Holmes

Suspects: John Clay(Vincent Spaulding)

Witnesses: No witnesses

Setting: Baker’s Street and Saxe-Coburg Square. Autumn of 1890 in London, England.

Clues: Note left outside the office saying that the league has been disbanded, his trousers being wrinkled, Vincent Spaulding working for half pay and his interest in photography.

Red Herrings: Having to copy the encyclopedia, needing to be married(for the spread of redheads), needing to have red hair. The Red-Headed league in general.

Summary: The Red-Headed League" is a Sherlock Holmes story. Jabez Wilson, a pawnbroker with bright red hair, comes to Holmes for help. He used to have a strange job with the Red-Headed League, which paid him well for copying the Encyclopedia Britannica. However, the league suddenly closed down, and he lost the job. Holmes investigates and finds out that the league was a trick to keep Wilson busy. The real plan was to let a criminal named John Clay dig a tunnel from Wilson's shop to a nearby bank to steal money. Holmes sets a trap and catches Clay while he’s trying to rob the bank.

The Million Dollar Bond Robbery:

Author: Agatha Christie

Publish Date: May 1923

Narrator: Captain Arthur Hastings

Detective: Hercule Poirot

Suspects: Mr.Ridgeway and Mr.Shaw

Witnesses: Steward

Setting: The Olympia(ship headed for New York.) London and Scottish Bank. London in the early 1920’s in May. After World War 1. London, England. Liverpool.

Clues: Mr.Shaw happened to be sick the day the bonds were stolen.

Red Herrings: The lock looking like it someone attempted to break in to it, only for it to be opened with a key.

Summary: Ms.Esmee seeks help from Poirot and Hastings, who agree to meet up at the Cheshire Cheese to meet Philip and discuss the case. They meet Philip and ask him questions. Philip gives them the address to Mr.Vavasour, the bank’s manager. They meet up with Mr.Vavasour and Mr.Shaw and don’t get much information from them. They ponder and conclude that Mr.Shaw was the one who stole all the bonds, remarking that criminals may come from the highest places.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:

Born: May, 22, 1859

Died: July, 7, 1930

Nationality: Scottish

Joseph Bell: Was the model for Sherlock Holmes because of his hobby of deducing people’s characters from minor details

First Published: Strand Magazine

Killed of Sherlock Holmes in 1892 but forces to bring him back after outcry from readers.

Created: Sherlock Holmes and Dr.John Watson

Agatha Christie:

Born: September 15, 1890

Died: January 12, 1976

Created: Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple

Best selling novelist of all time, Queen of Crime/Mystery, more than 2 billion books published, published in over 100 languages making her the most translated writer of all time.

Deduction Club: President from 1957-76. Where many other writers get together and help each other write books.

Edgar Allen Poe:

The father of the detective story and the master of the macabre.

Born: January 19, 1809

Died: October 7, 1849

Father left when he was very young.

West Point: He got in West Point but was eventually kicked out for neglecting duties and disobeying orders.

Mystery Genre:

Often called “whodunnits” because they turn the reader into a detective.

Can be a novel or short story.

Subgenres include detective stories, cozy mysteries(no violence), caper stories(criminals point of view), police procedural, puzle, and thriller.

Characters:

Suspects: characters who might have caused the problem

Detectives/investigators: characters who try to solve the mystery

Witnesses: saw the crime being committed

Protagonist: main characters, usually the detective or investigator

Setting:

Location where the mystery takes place.

Usually an everyday setting with an uneasy mood.

Plot:

The story of the mystery

Usually includes: A problem or puzzle to solve, something that is missing, a secret, or an event that is not explained.

Uses suspense(where the reader doesn’t know the solution)

Clues:

Hints: help the detective and reader solve the mystery. Can be things people say, do, or objects found

Foreshadowing: hints of things that will happen in the future

Distractions:

Called red herrings

False clues: lead the detective or reader off track. These are clues that do not solve the mystery and make it longer or more difficult to solve.

Structure:

The way the story is set up.

Common Structure: Introduction, learn about the problem and meet the characters. Body of story, detective working to solve the mystery. Conclusion, the mystery is solved.