Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term that is often used as a synonym of detective fiction — in other words a novel or short story in which a detective (either professional or amateur) solves a crime. Detective fiction is a branch of Crime fiction in which a Detective (or detectives either professional or amateur investigate a crime usually Murder The term "mystery fiction" may sometimes be limited to the subset of detective stories in which the emphasis is on the puzzle element and its logical solution (cf. whodunit), as a contrast to hardboiled detective stories which focus on action and gritty realism. A whodunit or whodunnit (for "Who done it?" is a complex plot-driven variety of the detective story in which the puzzle is the main feature of interest Hardboiled Crime fiction is a literary style pioneered by Carroll John Daly in the mid-1920s popularized by Dashiell Hammett over the course of the However, in more general usage "mystery" may be used to describe any form of crime fiction, even if there is no mystery to be solved. Crime fiction is the Genre of Fiction that deals with Crimes their detection criminals and their motives It is usually distinguished from For example, the Mystery Writers of America describes itself as "the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre". Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers based in New York. ^[1]

Although normally associated with the crime genre, the term "mystery fiction" may in certain situations refer to a completely different genre, where the focus is on supernatural mystery (even if no crime is involved). A literary genre is a category of literary composition Genres may be determined by Literary technique, tone, Content, or even (as in the case of fiction The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events This usage was common in the pulp magazines of the 1930s and 1940s, where titles such as Dime Mystery, Thrilling Mystery and Spicy Mystery offered what at the time were described as "weird menace" stories – supernatural horror in the vein of Grand Guignol. Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines Weird menace is the name given to a sub- Genre of Horror fiction that was popular in the Pulp magazines of the 1940s and 1950s The Grand Guignol ( pronounced giɲɔl was a theatre ( Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol) in the Pigalle area of Paris (at 20 bis rue This contrasted with parallel titles such as Dime Detective, Thrilling Detective and Spicy Detective, which contained conventional hardboiled crime fiction. The first use of "mystery" in this sense was by Dime Mystery, which started out as an ordinary crime fiction magazine but switched to "weird menace" during the latter part of 1933. ^[2]

Beginnings

Many believe the first mystery story to be The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe (1841), followed by The Woman in White (1860) by Wilkie Collins. " The Murders in the Rue Morgue " is a Short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in Graham's Magazine in 1841 Edgar Allan Poe (January 19 1809 – October 7 1849 was an American poet, short-story Writer, editor and Literary critic, For the game see 1841 (board game. Year 1841 ( MDCCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link The Woman in White is an Epistolary novel written by Wilkie Collins in 1859, serialized in 1859-1860 and first published in book Year 1860 ( MDCCLX) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year starting William Wilkie Collins ( 8 January 1824 &ndash 23 September 1889) was an English Novelist, Playwright, and Collins wrote several more in this genre, including The Moonstone (1868) which is thought to be his masterpiece. The Moonstone (1868 by Wilkie Collins is a 19th-century, British, Epistolary novel, generally considered the first Year 1868 ( MDCCCLXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap The genre began to expand near the turn of century with the development of dime novels and pulp magazines. This article is about US novels For the British versions see Story papers and Penny Dreadfuls. Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines Books were especially helpful to the genre with many authors writing in the genre in the 1920s. The 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada An important contribution to mystery fiction in the 1920s was the development of the juvenile mystery by Edward Stratemeyer. Edward Stratemeyer ( October 4, 1862 &ndash May 10, 1930) Born in Elizabeth New Jersey, he was an American Publisher Stratemeyer originally developed and wrote the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew mysteries written under the Franklin W. Dixon and Carolyn Keene pseudonyms, respectively (and later written by his daughter, Harriet S. The Hardy Boys is a Juvenile detective/adventure series chronicling the Fictional adventures of Teenage brothers Frank and Nancy Drew (1930-present is an amateur sleuth, the fictional Heroine of a popular Mystery series, aimed at the children - young Franklin W Dixon is the Pen name used by a variety of different authors ( Leslie McFarlane, a Canadian author being the first who wrote The Hardy Boys Carolyn Keene is the Pseudonym of the author of the Nancy Drew mystery series and also The Dana Girls mystery series both published by the Stratemeyer Adams, and other authors). The 1920s also gave rise to one of the most popular mystery authors of all time, Agatha Christie. Agatha Mary Clarissa Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller; 15 September 1890 &ndash 12 January 1976 commonly known as Agatha Christie, was an English

The massive popularity of pulp magazines in the 1930s and 1940s increased interest in mystery fiction. Pulp magazines (or pulp fiction; often referred to as "the pulps" were inexpensive Fiction magazines The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be Pulp magazines decreased in popularity in the 1950s with the rise of television so much that the numerous titles available then are reduced to two today: Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (AHMM is a monthly Digest size fiction magazine specializing in crime and detective fiction Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine is a monthly Digest size fiction magazine specializing in Crime fiction, particularly Detective fiction. The detective fiction author Ellery Queen (pseudonym of Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Detective fiction is a branch of Crime fiction in which a Detective (or detectives either professional or amateur investigate a crime usually Murder An author is defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created Ellery Queen is both a Fictional character and a Pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel (David Nathan A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) Ellery Queen is both a Fictional character and a Pseudonym used by two American cousins from Brooklyn, New York: Daniel (David Nathan Lee) is also credited with continuing interest in mystery fiction.

Interest in mystery fiction continues to this day because of various television shows which have used mystery themes over the years and the many juvenile and adult novels which continue to be published. There is some overlap with "thriller" or "suspense" novels and authors in those genres may consider themselves mystery novelists. Comic books and graphic novels have carried on the tradition, and film adaptations have helped to re-popularize the genre in recent times. A comic book (often shortened to simply comic and sometimes called a comic paper or comic magazine) is a Magazine or Book of narrative A Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a Feature film. ^[3]

The Mystery Writers of America, an organization for authors of mystery, detective, and crime fiction, was founded in 1945. Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers based in New York. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar This popular genre has made the leap into the online world, spawning countless websites devoted to every aspect of the genre, with even a few supposedly written by real detectives. [1]

Classifications

Mystery fiction can be divided into several categories, among them the 'cozy mystery,' 'police procedural,' 'hardboiled,' etc.

See also

• Detective fiction
• List of crime writers
• Category:Mystery novels
• List of mystery writers
• List of thriller authors
• Mystery film
• The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time
• Category:Mystery television

External links

• The most honored Mystery books
• A Guide to Classic Mystery and Detection
• Cozy Mystery reading list
• Great Mysteries reading list from Bookmarks Magazine

References