The Appeal of the Mystery Genre Essay - 1845 Words

Question One: At the beginning of the semester I wrote in my personal information handout that I felt what made the mystery genre stand apart from all other genres was its ability to keep the reader/watcher on the edge of their seat wanting more information. That mysteries are unpredictable, making the reader/watcher stay until the end because they must know the ending. I still feel this way, but my understanding of this concept has certainly evolved and sharpened. First and foremost, the concept of keeping the audience on the edge of their seat wanting more is driven by epistemic sequencing. This concept, described by Talmy, is the idea of â€Å"who knows what when† and is very crucial to the mystery genre and in keeping the audience†¦show more content†¦He states in Chapter One, Part Four, â€Å"for one thing, we know that narrative in all its forms is a dialectic between what was expected and what came to pass. For there to be a story, something unforeseen must h appen† (15). Unforeseen is the key word in this quote by Burner and is crucial to the mystery genre. Within mystery twists and turns occur, red herrings take the audience down the wrong path, and the audience plays detective, but for it to be a true mystery, something unforeseen must occur. This unforeseen occurrence is what keeps the audience on the edge of their seat and coming back for more. It is common knowledge that the detectives cannot find the murderer only 20 minutes into the episode or 50 pages into the book and while the audience certainly enjoys being correct when the killer is revealed, continuously being correct would ruin the allure of the genre. It is stories such as The Murders in Rue Morgue by Edgar Allen Poe that keep the readers on their feet with the unforeseen. When first reading Poes story, I would have never guessed that an orangutang committed the murder and I am sure many other readers felt the same way, which draws us into the story. Further, Stockw ells concept of cognitive deixis also plays an important role in keeping the audience on the edge of their seat. Their are five types of cognitiveShow MoreRelated Detective Fiction Essay1159 Words   |  5 Pagestypes of details about the crime, readers get drawn into the plot and cannot stop reading until they find out the solution to the mystery. Simply put, readers are drawn to detective fiction because it is so easy to become completely engrossed in the stories. The trick of the author is how to create such an environment to keep readers coming back again and again to the genre. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The easiest way to begin to draw any reader into a story is through the characters. By creatingRead MoreThe Style Of David Fincher s Se7en1386 Words   |  6 Pageschoices crucially contribute to the film’s significance and effectiveness in relation to its framework Table of Contents 1. Introduction ii 2. Discussion vi 2.1 Frameworks of References vi 2.1.1 Historical Context vi 2.1.2 Authorship vii 2.1.3 Genre viii 2.2. Story Telling ix 2.2.1 Storyline ix 2.2.2 Clarity of Plot x 2.2.3 Plot Relevance xi 2.2.4 Complexity of Characters xii 2.2.5 Background of Motivations and Objectives of Main Characters xiii 2.2.6 Flashbacks and Ending xiii 2.3. Acting, ArtRead MoreMovie Analysis : The Truman Show1543 Words   |  7 Pageshim. On the other hand, Edtv is about a man who falls into a contract allowing his every waking moment to be recorded and shown on television. The contract seems benign at first but soon erupts into familial and romantic woes. Despite the similar genres, plots, and relative level of actor talent and notoriety, The Truman Show was a success, while Edtv a failure. I will be analyzing why each respective movie either failed or succeeded based on how well each film appealed to the audience they sharedRead MoreInvestigating How Genre and Narrative are Established in Oceans Eleven and The Bone Collector1551 Words   |  7 PagesHow Genre and Narrative are Established in Oceans Eleven and The Bone Collector In order to examine how genre and narrative is established in two crime films, we conducted a close textual analysis of Ocean’s Eleven and The Bone Collector to find out the main conventions. The main conventions of the crime genre are law enforcers, criminals and action sequence. There are also other signifers such as criminals and etc. You can find typical iconography in the crime genre; theRead MoreThe Mystery Genre of Hound of the Baskervilles Essay examples614 Words   |  3 PagesThe Mystery Genre of Hound of the Baskervilles The Hound of the Baskervilles, written by Arthur Conan Doyle, is based on a mysterious genre, it was published in 1902. In his book Arthur Conan Doyle has created imagery for his readers to gain a better understanding of the story. The character in his book became very popular in them days and are still known of today, such as Detective Sherlock Holmes. The way Arthurs deceptive writing and the use of languageRead MoreJekyll and Hyde: A Comparision Essay1210 Words   |  5 Pageswere very popular at the time. The focus of the text is concentrated on the issue of Jekyll and Hyde’s personality which was described as someone who lived a double life of outward sanctity and secret iniquity. This is so that it would to create a mystery for the reader as they are trying to unravel who Hyde is. The writer emphasises the idea of Mr Hyde being â€Å"apelike† as he knew that it would interest the Victorian reader as they were horrified by Darwin’s theory that humans evolved from apesRead MoreDiscussing Literary Genre973 Words   |  4 PagesTo define genre is to embark on a conjectural journey within a theoretical minefield. Genre theory has drawn immense debate and contemplation throughout literary history, however, several conclusions have emerged. Genre types are unfixed categories whose characteristics differ considerably among the specific genres; furthermore, the role of literary history plays a significant role in discussions of genre, for genre types evolve and shift with each new literary text. An approach to the discussionRead MoreEssay about A Comparison of Two James Bond Posters870 Words   |  4 Pages as she signifies independence, equality and strength and does not look helpless in any way. This also may have something to do with the fact that in the 90’s, the first female head of MI5 was introduced into the films. The genre of the film is far more evident in the poster for ‘The World Is Not Enough’. The images used connote an action film that has many different narratives. The poster is lively and eye-catching and is full of bright, vivid images. The posterRead MoreEssay on Discussing Literary Genre944 Words   |  4 Pages To define genre is to embark on a conjectural journey within a theoretical minefield. Genre theory has drawn immense debate and contemplation throughout literary history, however, several conclusions have emerged. Genre types are unfixed categories whose characteristics differ considerably among the specific genres; furthermore, the role of literary history plays a significant role in discussions of genre, for genre types evolve and shift with each new literary text. An approach to the discussionRead MoreFilm Noir: A Style Spanning Genres Essay1016 Words   |  5 Pagescategorize items applies also to objets d’art, including film – and the recognition or dismissal of film noir as a genre has been argued since the term was coined. While the term itself is valid, film noir as a genre is a misnomer. More properly, film noir should be considered a style unto itself, but definitively not genre, defined by the very definitions of the words â€Å"style† and â€Å"ge nre†. We will limit our subject matter here to the classic film noir period of 1941-1958, recognizing that all modern