Detective based plots have always
been a success in media. There is a
definite attraction to the idea of justice being served. But why? Where does this appeal come from? The reasons
are in the way that detective stories told.
Most detective stories follow a simple formula that allows the reader/viewer
to become one with the mystery.
The
detective is the author’s main tool to lead the mystery. Being that the
detective is also the narrator, he is able to provide relevant information when
the story needs to be driven forward. The
detective is witty and able to deduce a large amount of information from very
little almost meaningless situations.
The ability for the detective to be able to read into people’s gestures
and verbiage means that he serves a necessary role in a mystery scenario. He is
the information provider. Without the
knowledge that he deduces and provides, the reader/viewer is able to play along
with the mystery. However, this means
that the tricks that mislead the detective and also give the case a sense of
difficulty can be used to test the reader/viewer. People love a challenge and testing their wit
by providing a large amount of information and asking them to figure it out is
something that most people would participate in. It creates a game of mental jigsaw puzzle
where participant is compelled to piece it together.
Another
aspect of the detective that is crucial to the story is his relentless search
for justice. It may be that the world is
a unjust place, but people always seek justification. There is always a reason to every action
performed by a person. Moral dilemmas are what bring diversity, tension, and
drama to a story. Even though everyone
has different morals, society has caused a general consensus as to what is just
and what is unjust. Detective stories
exploit this drama. By using a character
who will only stop once justice has been served, that character is then thought
to be a great individual, even if not all of the rules are followed in the
progress. The likable characters are
what can keep a reader’s/viewer’s loyalty to the story and its characters.
Besides the
detective a dynamic suspense technique must be applied to story. Suspense is a
tool used by the author to create tension and build interest in a specific
scenario. But not every situation can be
a point of high suspense. Without the dull information providing situations,
the high tension becomes jaded. A
balance must be kept so that the suspense is dynamic throughout the plot. Suspense is what keeps the reader’s/viewer’s
attention. The suspense creates a desire for closure in the reader/viewer. But
closure is not given until the end, after the case is solved and justice is
served. This creates a rollercoaster
ride of tension and suspense that cannot be exited mid-ride. Thus the reader/viewer is compelled to stay
and “see what happens next”. By
exploiting this, any detective story has the potential to be successful.
Detective
stories have been around for a long time, and show no sign of becoming
extinct. Even though all the stories are
based using the same techniques, each scene is different, leaving room for
tweaking. So long as the reader/viewer
is involved in the plot, detective stories will continue to be popular and
successful.
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