Murder Mysteries. :: English Literature

Murder Mysteries. Murder mysteries have a motive to start off the investigation. They also always have detectives, murder, an alibi, victims, weapons, evidence, a twist in the tale, and suspense. Sometimes a little, sometimes a lot. The location and the setting are some of main factors for murder mysteries. If a murder mystery doesn't contain any of these, it cannot be defined as a murder mystery. You could say that these are the backbone to this genre of story. Roald Dahl wrote Lamb to the Slaughter. It was first published in 1954. Lamb to the Slaughter is written in the speech of the time the story was published. In Lamb to the Slaughter the use of present day, modern language automatically gives the impression that it is written in this time of the century. Roald Dahl is more famous for writing children's stories. In his adult stories he always writes about ordinary people who get involved in difficult situations. Lamb to the Slaughter is more prominent as an adult's story. This story is a murder mystery and is one of the two short stories that I am going to investigate. The other short story, which I will be investigating, is The Speckled Band. The Speckled Band was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and was first published in 1892. The Speckled Band is also written in the speech of the late 19th century. The language of that time seemed to be much more formal, accurate English and much less colloquial language was used. Using a language like this gives the book the atmosphere of that time. It is one of the books from the Sherlock Holmes series. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle established a tradition of detective fiction and modern detective fiction tries to continue this tradition. Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous and popular detectives in the world. Holmes was similar to a super hero in that time. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle cancelled the publication of Sherlock Holmes the public was devastated to read about the death of the detective. Men in London wore black armbands as a mark of respect. It got so bad that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle even received death threats so he had to bring him back. Sherlock Holmes was re-born. This just shows how popular, realistic and believable Sherlock Holmes stories really are. The reason Sherlock Holmes stories were so much in demand is because of their enchanting and realistic characteristics and settings. The stories are very descriptive and it gives you a clear picture of what is happening in them and the settings create an entrancing and mysterious atmosphere. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses a formula in his