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 OriginUnited 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 Fraulein von Scuderi (1819). 1 Notable ExampleArthur Conan Doyle introduced Sherlock Holmes in 1887, credited with driving the genre's popularity. 1 Defining TraitTypically 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 Connections
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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).
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