Crime fiction- the genre

Crime literature is a comprehensive term for entertaining and exciting literature, where the tension concerns investigation and clarification of a crime. The traditional detective novel has a number of regular and almost mandatory conventions: the solution of the mystery can be compared to a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces fall into place one by one, until one can see the picture clearly and the riddle is solved.

The crime genre was invented in the nineteenth century, and this new style of writing practically revolutionized literature. The famous author and poet Edgar Allan Poe is considered the”father” of crime, he wrote the first modern crime novel and created the detective. Based on his writings there has been made conventions that are used as a template of crime novels. Poe did only write three detective novels, but already in the first one, called” The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841) – he shed light on at least six elements which have become permanent features of crime novels.

A perfect crime novel should contain:

1) A seemingly perfect crime.

2) An innocent and not-guilty but suspicious person who all circumstantial evidences point to.

3) Deficient police work.

4) An eccentric detective with an intellect that can solve any crime.

5) A slow associate (often the storyteller.)

6) The assertion of seemingly important evidence which always turns out to be irrelevant.