‘Plotting and intrigue are central ingredients of crime literature.’ Explore the significance of plotting and intrigue as they are presented in two crime texts you have studied.
Incorporating the AQA Crime Poetry Anthology and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
A* ENGLISH LITERATURE - MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD NOTES Characters Notes
A* ENGLISH LITERATURE - MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD NOTES Critics
A* ENGLISH LITERATURE - MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD NOTES Depictions of society
All for this textbook (16)
Written for
A/AS Level
AQA
English
Elements of Crime Writing
All documents for this subject (50)
6
reviews
By: akeel14679 • 1 year ago
By: richanna5rw • 3 year ago
By: arryken • 3 year ago
By: conorallen • 3 year ago
By: praisrs • 3 year ago
By: richjoyle • 4 year ago
Seller
Follow
thomasbaines0
Reviews received
Content preview
Crime Comparison practice essay 4
‘Plotting and intrigue are central ingredients of crime literature.’ Explore the significance of plotting
and intrigue as they are presented in two crime texts you have studied.
The unreliability of the narrators in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, My Last Duchess and The
Laboratory are naturally intriguing, artfully presenting events in consideration of the reader’s
reaction and with bias towards their own aims. In the three texts, language can be ambiguous in
order to periphrastically talk around the truth and divert the reader. In contrast, the Ballad of
Reading Gaol and Peter Grimes lack a specific focus on plotting and intrigue and instead present
events realistically in order to make more powerful social commentary.
Traditionally, in the form of the detective novel to which The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
belongs, plotting and intrigue are not particularly central ingredients given that the set format of the
clue-puzzle limits a sense of mystery and suspense. This view is supported by the methodical
ordering of chapters as they are titled by suspect name in most cases (one is called ‘Geoffrey
Raymond’ for example), to then be followed by a consideration of that particular suspect. However,
it could be argued that the nature of the twist-ending in Christie’s novel – it defied all unofficial rules
established for writers of crime fiction at the time, such as Knox’s Decalogue – means that surprise is
a more important method of creating intrigue in the mystery. Christie does not share Poirot’s
brilliance with her reader in order to strategically withhold information; on one occasion, Poirot
remarks that ‘Dr Sheppard has been a model of discretion’. There is a lack of elaboration here as to
what Poirot really means by this, which agonises the reader and ensures that. Poirot even aids in
building our trust in Dr Sheppard, taking him as his ‘Watson-like’ side-kick and remarking that he
‘must have indeed been sent from the Good God to replace (his) friend Hastings. As Poirot’s
successful partner in earlier novels written by Christie, such as The Mysterious Affair at Styles, our
expectations of the genre are what make the plotting of the twist-ending so successful. It is an
example of strategic plotting on Christie’s part that she conceals from us that Poirot is secretly
investigating Sheppard. Because of their apparent relationship, it seems impossible that Poirot
means anything else when he says to the criminal ‘Without you, I should be lost’ other than valuing
him as an asset to his investigation. In reality, with Sheppard as the chief suspect in Poirot’s eyes, he
is so vital to Poirot’s investigation due to the very fact that he is the one accountable for the murder
of Roger Ackroyd.
Intrigue could also be considered inherent to reading the novel in the sense that we share
the excitement of the village gossips in trying to decipher the clues and work out which suspect
committed the crime. Representing the nosy neighbour of the quintessential English village, Caroline
could be seen as a parody of the reader’s interest in the case; she, like the reader, ‘should arrive at
the truth by a kind of inspired guesswork’. Depicting crime as something that can be solved through
mere ‘guesswork’ not only comforts a 1920s reader, who will have lived through a gruesome world
war, but also incites the reader’s interest in the question of who killed Roger Ackroyd as we feel that
we alone can correctly decipher the mystery before Poirot. Intrigue also derives from Christie’s use
of suspense in the novel. While not normally considered an element characteristic of clue-puzzle
mysteries, suspense is clearly present in Sheppard’s unreliable narration and his attempts to divert
the reader away from his own guilt. For instance, after leaving the study in which Roger Ackroyd lies
dead, Sheppard is ‘wondering if there was anything (he) had left undone’; the narration is a
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller thomasbaines0. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $4.52. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
