EXTENSION 1 ENGLISH

Conventions of Crime Fiction

1. A sleuth-hero. The detective - professional or amateur.
2. A detailed, plausible setting:
a. A closed setting
b. A hostile setting
c. A mundane setting
3. A crime to be solved. Investigation.
4. Dangerous situations. Suspense.
5. A denouement - the climax and resolution
Set Text - Rear Window - Hitchcock (1954)
Conventional Subversive
Detective Sleuth - amateur Not looking for crime,
comes to him
Not in the habit of solving
crimes - a one off
Setting Closed/mundane
Realistic and detailed
Heavy rain in some parts
as nod to classic murder
mystery
The window + bamboo
shades framind device -
stage ---> reflects voyerism
Extreme heat --->
claustrophobia
Crime Murder The story is not a
whodunnit so much as a
was it done
Not trying to solve crime
but prove its exsistence
Backwards
Investigation Piece together clues to
make deductions, eg: Jeff
sees a change in height of
flowers, observes dogs
death ---> deduces there is
something there
Failure of police to
immediately solve the case
Audience is given more
info than characters (eg:
see Thorwald leave with a
woman) and evidence to
say Mrs Thorwald is alive
---> we do not immediately
believe Jeff, have a different
deductive process
Lisas feminine intuition vs.
imperical evidence (eg: a
woman wouldnt leave
home without her hand
bag)
Intuition --> evidence
Conventional Subversive
Danger Slueth(s) put themselvesin
danger
Element of danger is
important for suspense (eg:
dark lighting as Jeff tries to
hide himself from Thorwald
across the road)
Not Jeff but female
characters that put
themselves in most danger,
eg: Lisa caught in
Thorwalds apartment as
Jeff can only watch through
his camera
Denouement Thorwald entering apt,
subsequent police
explanation ---> Thorwalds
action confirms guilt
Shown by very dark
lighting, no music or
diagetic sound that has
underscored the rest,
indicates to audience that
this is it
Fluid - not one moment
where Thorwald is
confirmed murderer but a
slow build of events
Other Foreshadowing - Stella in
opening scene
Diagetic sounds - little
nondiagetic music/sound
track underscores action
(eg: Miss Lonelyhearts
almost suicide
chereographed to
musicians playing)
The (lack of) crime is
solved by Doyle mid way
through ---> dog murder
reignites suspicion
Social/Political/Cultural
Concerns
The Other
Post - WW2/Cold
War Context
Lars Thorwald -
eastern European -
represents the
Other/evils of
Communist regime
Roles of women
Lisa as dominant
partner (magazine
end thing) yet
attempted to be
subjugated by Jeff
Lisa + Stella doing
dangerous/hard work
Marriage/Love
Neighbours all
represent different
stages of love +
relationships
Jeff remains cynical
Thorwald represents
what Jeff fears he
will become
Set Text - The Real Inspector Hound - Stoppard (1968)
Satire of CF
Pastiche + Parody
Radio, Mrs Drudge revealing details in a timely and formulaic manner
Drudge: The drawing room of Lady Muldoons manner one early spring
morning...this is all very mysterious and Im sure its leading up to something.
Threats - Ill kill you for this Simon Gascoyne! by multiple characters
Red herrings
Secret identities
Magnus: Ive been leading a double life - at least!
Magnus is long lost Lord Muldoon, Puckeridge and one of the Inspector
Hounds - the real one in fact?
Multiple victims/suspects/criminals/stories
Satire of Bourgeios Society
Over the top, melodramatic language from both Moon and Birdboot and the play
characters ---> satire of CF and of middle class
Cynthia:Youre a cad, Simon! You will use me and cast me aside as you have cast
aside so many others
Simon: No, Cynthia!- you can make me a better person!
Cynthia: Youre ruthless- so strong, so cruel -
Pretentiousness of the middle class
Moon: Faced as we are with such ubiquitous obliquity I must invoke the names of
Kakfa, Satre, Shakespeare...Dorothy L. Sayers!
Here, Sayers is a joke/further satire of traditional CF
Theatre as an elitist/classist enitity, should reflect social concerns yet dwells on the
superficial, unaccessible
Birdboot and Moon
Pettiness of Birdboot and Moon reflects shallow consumerism/capitalist middle class
lifestyle
Appearance and Reality
Mirror - the audience is forced to confront their own reality, serves to frame the theme of
appearance and reality
Birdboot - appearance as an astute critic and convential husband ---> ladies man and
easily swayed by female affection
Hypereality of the play within the play
No one is as they appear, secret agendas and identities
The fluidity of reality - constant change means whatever is in the present moment must be
accepted as reality (absurdism)
Absurdist Theatre
Lack of meaning/nihilistic view of life presented through ridiculous/nonsensical theatre
Here done in a lighthearted manner to satirize CF and the bourgeoisie
Multiple identities/crossover from audience to participant
Play within a play
Highly stylised language
Repetition
Metafictive references/allusions
Intertextuality
Quotes
The card game, each line has a double meaning: Felicity: Ive had my turn, havent I,
Simon?- now, it seems, its Cynthias turn
Additional Text - The Big Sleep - Chandler (1939)
Conventional Subversive
Detective Phillip Marlowe. Hard
boiled - sardonic and
streetwise (eg: Tall, arent
you? she said. I didnt
mean to be....Handsome
too. I grunted.
At once a working class
everyman and intelligent
deductive detective
Marlowe integrity in a
lawless world. Eg: doesnt
take advantage of unstable
Carmens many attempts at
seduction
Knight complex, mirrored
by stained glass of knight
and damsel at beginning -
If I lived here, Id have to
get up there and help him
eventually.
Setting A hostile setting, a world of
crime
Crime Detective solicited by rich
Sternwood to investigate
specific crime (blackmail)
Leads to a number of other
crimes (2 murders,
blackmail) that are solved in
quick succession
The real crime - Regans
murder - is not even
discovered to have been
committed until near end of
novel. It is almost
backwards.
Investigation Component of logical
deduction and investigation
by Marlowe (eg: deducing
that Mars is blackmailing
Vivian after the staged
winning of money and
mugging)
Marlowe often in right
place right time - he reacts
to events rather than
observing clues (eg:
present at the murder of
Joe Brody --> killer
confesses relationship with
Geiger)
Marlowe uses bribes or
coercion to get info (eg:
paying Agnes $200 to tell
him where Mona Mars is)
Conventional Subversive
Danger Marlowe continuously
faces guns, is threatened
by numerous parties
through the course of the
investigation
Towards end is tied up and
almost killed before
escaping
Marlowe faces danger with
trademark sarcastic wit
Kills a hitman in the course
of escaping - while Canino
is a very bad criminal, this
damages Marlowes moral
credibility
Denouement The killer (Carmen) is
revealed in a dramatic
fashion (she lures Marlowe
into a secluded location and
tries to shoot him)
Marlowe explains the case
and ties up loose ends
Marlowe does not exactly
work out who the killer is,
but has the answer thrust
upon him
No justice is served - truth
not reported to police.
Vivian agrees to hospitalize
Carmen, Vivian receives no
retribution and Eddie Mars
(who has essentially caused
all the events of the novel)
is left totally untouched
Other The femme fatale - all the
women are beautiful and
sexual (eg: She [Carmen]
was small but
durable...eyes were slate
grey...sharp predatory teeth
shiny as porcelain)
Mona as the main object of
lust/affection
Social/Political Cultural
Concerns
Depression/war time
disillusionment
Sardonic, world
weary hero
Very little distinction
between good and
bad
Distinction between rich
and poor/class divides
Rich yet
irresponsible/immora
l Sternwoods vs.
poor yet upright
Marlowe
Marlowe always
makes a point of his
wage ($25/day +
expenses)
Negative view of
sex/sexual desire
Sex is cause of
most
crimes/problems
Marlowe routinely
rejects sexual
advances on moral
grounds (eg: naked
Carmen in bed,
rejected on
Does crime pay?
Additional Text - The Lady Vanishes - Hitchcock (1938)
Conventional Subversive
Detective Amateur sleuths Young, female protagonist
Later joined by male
Neither are trained/looking
for mystery - forced to solve
through circumstance
Setting Closed setting, a train Eastern European country,
becomes significant to plot
Crime The disappearance of a
woman from a train
Not where is she but did
she exist in beginning
Solving of crime still leads
many questions
unanswered
Small crime has bigger
implications
Investigation Clues ---> deductive
reasoning ---> solving of the
crime
Audience sees events that
later become clues -->
shown in an obvious
manner --> encourages
audience deduction
Red herrings - the
magicans equipment, the
new Miss Froy
Iris constantly faces
disbelief/opposition
Misleading clues (eg:
everyone denies seeing
Miss Froy despite her
exsistence) ---> false
conclusions
Audience knows more than
characters (eg: FROY on
the window after Iris is
convinced she does not
exist)
Intuition (Iris) vs. deduction
(Gilbert) (eg A nun would
not wear high heels.,
Gilberts disbelief until he
sees tea packet)
Danger Protagonists placed in
significant danger
Fight with magician
Poison
Gilbert climbing
outside the carriage
Shoot out
Danger to non related
parties, shoot out
Scream-like train whistle
signifies danger
Danger used as a symbol
of the greater theme (shoot
out --> British imperialism)
Conventional Subversive
Denouement Dangerous shoot out +
defeat is key moment of
climax
Fluid - not one moment of
denoument
Finding of Froy
Villiains explanation
Shoot out
Restoration of
justice as Froy is
found safe
More questions raised with
each realisation
Other Strangling of musician in
opening sets scene for
suspense/danger/crime
Failure of authority to
resolve
We know what happened
long before we know why
Romantic subplot
Iris/Gilbert develops as the
plot does
Magicians illusion
symbolizes the theme of
vanishing
Social/Politcal/Cultural
Concerns
British imperialism
Non-British ethnic
caricatures
Villains are foreign
Nun decides to
change sides after
discovering victim is
British
Shoot out
exemplifies this