9 Information on the Typology of Crime Novel
Crime novels which contain elements such as mystery, murder, crime, suspicion, almost imprison the reader themselves. The type of detective novel, which was welcomed by writers, thinkers and artists as well as readers, emerged in the mid-19th century when industrialization, urbanization and mass cultures were formed. This increasingly popular literary genre has many qualities and sine qua non that distinguishes it from other genres.
1. The most important feature of the detective novel is a mystery
In crime-related works, a crime with a mystery is the subject. So, we can say that the two main elements in the fiction of crime fiction are crime and mystery. If there is no mystery but crime, no matter how successful the expression; This is not a detective novel.
2. Crime is revealed in a crime novel, not confessed by criminal
In detective novels, the mystery is either revealed by a detective or solved by the events. The criminal never confesses his guilt. If the mystery is revealed in this way, that work cannot be considered a crime.
3. It doesn’t always have to be “murder” in the crime novel
Although the crime is murder in the majority of detective novels, this is not an obligation. Crime is a relative concept, and many detective works are dealing with crimes other than murder. To give an example, most of our well-known local detective figure Cingöz Recai does not have a murder in most of its stories.
4. In the detective novel, there may be extraordinary events as well as ordinary persons and events.
There is no need for extraordinary events and people in the detective novel. Average persons should be included in such works. The characters of successful detective novels are not only notorious perverts; they can be regular offenders, out of the ordinary.
5. The only question in the detective novel is not who the killer is
The mystery in crime detective novels often comes together with crime. The mystery revolves around the question of who the killer is, and finds the killer. However, there are also novels in which this mystery cannot be solved, and the result is left to the reader’s interpretation. Even in some detective novels, the mystery does not concentrate on finding the criminal.
6. The reader should not be deceived while transferring developments in the detective novel
Detective and the reader should have equal chances when analyzing the incident in a detective novel. For example, at the end of the work, if the real murderer appears as the suspect’s one-on-one brother and never mentioned during the events, it can be deceitful for the reader because it is impossible for the reader who is not aware of such a brother to solve the unknown at the beginning of the work.
7. The roles of criminals and victims can change in the detective novel
Although the trio of criminal-victim-detective, who is always in the detective novel, represents different personalities, this does not always have to be the case. In other words, a person who is a victim at first may be a detective or a criminal. All these roles can change shape in the flow.
8. There are some things that shouldn’t be done while editing a detective novel
SS Van Dine, the author of the most well-known text on the qualities of the detective novel, describes the most important things that should not be done during the editing. A writer who respects himself does not use a fiction like “When the criminal enters a neighbourhood where the dog of the house is located, if the dog does not bark, indicating that he knows him.”
9. There shouldn’t always have to be a detective in the detective novel
In detective works, the unknown subject is solved by a detective. But the detective is not the sine qua non of the detective novel. There are many successful detective works in which non-detective and unknown are solved with the development of events.
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