Genre

Mystery Fiction

Satire and Mystery Fiction

Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, often a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime. The central character is often a detective, who eventually solves the mystery by logical deduction from facts presented to the reader. Some mystery books are non-fiction. Mystery fiction can be detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle or suspense element and its logical solution such as a whodunit. Mystery fiction can be contrasted with hardboiled detective stories, which focus on action and gritty realism.

Facts

Place of Origin

United States; an early work of modern mystery fiction was Edgar Allan Poe's The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841), itself influenced by E. T. A. Hoffmann's Das Fräulein von Scuderi (1819). 1

Notable Example

Arthur Conan Doyle introduced Sherlock Holmes in 1887, credited with driving the genre's popularity. 1

Defining Trait

Typically confines the action to a closed circle of suspects, each given a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity, with a detective solving the case through logical deduction from facts presented to the reader. 1

Mystery Fiction

7 entries

Active Era

Nationality

FAQs

How does mystery fiction differ from hardboiled detective stories?

Mystery stresses the puzzle and its logical solution; hardboiled stories stress action and gritty realism.

Mystery fiction can be detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle or suspense element and its logical solution, such as a whodunit. Hardboiled detective stories, by contrast, focus on action and gritty realism.

Connections

Associated With

And Then There Were None

The Moonstone

Encompasses Form

City Mysteries

Historical Mystery

Features Author

And Then There Were None

Source Wikipedia: And Then There Were None

Dan Brown

Source Wikipedia: Dan Brown

Isaac Asimov

Source Wikipedia: Isaac Asimov

Jar City

Source Wikipedia: Jar City

Jo Nesbø

Source Wikidata: Jo Nesbo

Additional Source Wikipedia: Jo NesbøInfobox: genre

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

Source Sheridan Le Fanu (Wikipedia)

Keigo Higashino

Source Wikipedia: Keigo Higashino

Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow

Source Wikipedia: Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow

Ray Bradbury

Source Wikipedia: Ray Bradbury

Rebecca

Source Rebecca (novel) (Wikipedia)

Shirley Jackson

Source Wikipedia: Shirley Jackson

The Da Vinci Code

Source The Da Vinci Code (Wikipedia)

The Devotion of Suspect X

Source Wikipedia: The Devotion of Suspect X

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Source Wikipedia: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Source Wikipedia: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

The Mystery of the Yellow Room

Source Wikipedia: The Mystery of the Yellow Room

The Nine Tailors

Source Wikipedia: The Nine Tailors

The Shape of Water

Source Wikipedia: The Shape of Water (novel)

The Silence of the Lambs

Source The Silence of the Lambs (novel) (Wikipedia)

The Terracotta Dog

Source Wikipedia: The Terracotta Dog

The Thin Man

Source Wikipedia: The Thin Man

The Woman in White

Source The Woman in White (novel) (Wikipedia)

Form Of Genre

Crime Fiction

In the Other Atlases

Originated In

United States

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Source Mystery Fiction (Wikipedia)tier 2

Sources

1. Mystery Fiction (Wikipedia)

Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)

s.v. Mystery Fiction, lede
Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, often a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story.
s.v. Mystery Fiction, lede (closed circle of suspects)
Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reasonable opportunity for committing the crime.
s.v. Mystery Fiction, Beginnings (Doyle and Holmes, 1887)
In 1887 Arthur Conan Doyle introduced Sherlock Holmes, whose mysteries are said to have been singularly responsible for the huge popularity in this genre.
s.v. Mystery Fiction, Beginnings (Poe and Hoffmann)
An early work of modern mystery fiction, Das Fräulein von Scuderi by E. T. A. Hoffmann (1819), was an influence on "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe (1841).