Crime fiction - essay
Basically crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes including a possible detection, a number of criminals and naturally their motives. Often there is a certain structure which crime fiction stories follow. First there is a crime which usually is a murder. Afterwards there is the investigation of the crime and to end with an outcome of the happening which often is the criminals’ arrest or in some scenarios their death. In many cases there is a puzzle which has to be solved by the investigator/detective but also the readers we will try to find a solution to the crime. This makes it more interesting to read as we were born with an urge to know the unknown. It has been proven in many contexts and the authors of crime fiction wisely enough take an advantage of this. Though I can’t speak for everyone this is indeed why I find them fascinating.
An example of crime fiction novels could be “The Big Sleep” which is a hard-boiled detective and to some degree mysterious crime fiction novel. As we’ve only red and excerpt of “The Big Sleep” I cannot explain too much. Basically it’s about a man named Philip Marlowe, who is a private detective. One day in mid-October he is called in to General Sternwood’s place. He possibly wants Marlowe to handle a matter of blackmailing as the general said, and I quote “Meantime I’m being blackmailed again.” when they were chatting in his greenhouse. Unfortunately it can’t be known for sure even though it’s the only the thing that seems to stand out.
Marlowe is a 33-years old detective from L.A. In his past he worked for the District Attorney also as an investigator. He’s a highly educated man as he once studied in a university. This also proves that he is to some extent intellectual and hardworking. He is a very typical character according to the American hard-boiled crime fiction stories as he too is arrogant and sort of rude by mocking others intellectual level and having not a hint of good noticeable manners. In addition to that he drinks and smokes a lot which is typical for that genre.
Another example of crime fiction novels is “The Affair at the Victory Ball” which is more of an original kind. Affair at the Victory Ball” is about a Frenchman named Hercule Poirot who attends a victory ball where the young lord is murdered and his fiancé Coco dies of an overdose of cocaine. Poirot begins a case with Mr. Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp to investigate this unusual incidence. Poirot finds out that the cocaine, some china figurines and a missing costume pom-pom, as it was a costume ball, all turn out to be significant clues to crack this mystery. At first the task seems impossible as everybody who attended the ball is a suspect.
Hercule Poirot is as said a Frenchman who in fact once was chief of the Belgian army. His new interest is in solving cases like this one. In such cases he keeps all his knowledge on clues to himself so he can come out strong when he cracks the case. These clues are something that only he spots as he pays attention to every little detail. Something common of crime fiction stories, which Poirot isn’t an exception of, is that the investigators always seem to be rather arrogant. He’s very fond of his moustache.
Hastings is the narrator of the story. To me it seems like he is Poirot’s side kick as he works with him without being able to solve the crimes on his own. This also makes him, as being the closest one to Poirot, the one to know second most of the case; especially as he asks many questions to understand the mystery. Through the years he has adapted a bad habit which consists of him judging people too quickly and therefore he is very skeptical around new people.
Japp is the chief inspector of the Metropolitan Police Service in Scotland Yard. He really wants to keep a sense of perspective of the situation but that’s fairly difficult as he works with Poirot who keeps the important little details to himself. As a chief he would obviously like to control the investigation as much as possible and he wants to prove that he is smarter than Poirot which only turns out as a failed attempt.
These two stories have somewhat similar settings. “The Big Sleep” takes place in a high-classed, modern environment in L.A, where it’s not uncommon for people to be blackmailed; especially if they’re wealthy. While in “The Affair at the Victory Ball” it takes place in an older and very high-classed environment where there should be no reason for murder. As far as I am concerned “The Big Sleep” case is about blackmailing but in “The Affair at the Victory Ball” it’s about two murders so the very reasons to the investigations are indeed different. Though there was a certain structure as I mentioned in my introduction which both stories follow very well and alike.
“The Affair at the Victory Ball” is written in first person and is told from Hastings’ point of view. This makes sure that the reader keeps asking questions to themselves as they were in Hastings place and it also makes sure that the whole “insolvable puzzle” makes sense. If it was Poirot’s point of view it wouldn’t be as mysterious as we would have been told every little detail at the same time as they where noticed.
In my opinion “The Affair at the Victory Ball” sounds as if someone was having an affair at a ball and the words “victory ball” sounds sort of selfish. I do not know why but in my head it sounds like someone is hosting a ball to brag about their own “victory” which is rather dull. This story ends as it should end, the murderer has been found and the detective can arrogantly think to himself that he once again had beaten another criminal intellectually.
“The Big Sleep” is not a title that would’ve caught my interest if I was looking for something to read. I understand the title way to literal which of obvious reasons makes it sound unexciting. As this was an excerpt of the very beginning of the story it’s hard to judge the ending of it. At the end of the excerpt General Sternwood informs Marlowe that his daughter’s husband went away without a single reason to why he had done so and that he was sad about it. This ending is very mysterious as it really isn’t an ending but more of a beginning. We are left as questions marks by reading this. I assume the case later will focus more on the missing husband than the blackmailing. I will not deny that there might be a connection between the blackmailing and the husbands sudden vanishing but there is only one way to find out…