Piers Plowman- Prologue and Passus 1
My opinion of what a mystery story is closely follows Auden's opinion in The Guilty Vicarage. Some sort of crime, like murder, occurs. The novel will follow the trail of a number of suspects, but only condemning the suspect least expected. In a mystery story, the audience is not aware of the truth and watches a person attempt to solve the mystery. A closed society is common in mystery stories so that everyone can potentially be a suspect. These usually take place in settings where murder is unheard of, making the story all the more compelling because of its rarity. Everyone should be involved in suspicion and everyone should at least feel some sort of guilt, noted in Valley of Fear. Guilt is certain but the crime is uncertain.
A crime story is more often times than not a mystery story. Detectives work to discover the perpetrator, often targeting a number of plausible suspects in a closed society. Sometimes, the perpetrator may immediately be known and have reason to commit the act, making this less of a mystery story and more of a crime story. The criminal is usually unknown in mystery stories, hence making them enigmatic as the detective attempts to decipher the mystery.
Mystery in the story doesn't always mean it is a mystery story. The so-called mystery could be a slight plot point with no meaning to the story whatsoever. It all boils down the evidence...is it of a mystery or is just regular story details?
Piers Plowman as of right now does not entirely pertain to the characteristics of a mystery story. There are minor details that point it into the direction of mystery novels. For instance, Piers Plowman consists of a closed society so everyone has the potential to be suspect. It could take a turn and be mysterious because of the dream...Perhaps it'll reflect the details of a Freddy vs. Jason movie. It emphasizes the horrors of Hell, which is definitely horrifying to read. I'm not entirely sure how this novel emphasizes the importance of gathering evidence. At this point, I'm not even sure what the evidence is in the novel. There hasn't been a crime committed to find evidence. But perhaps that is reiterating the idea that a crime doesn't have to committed for there to be evidence. Maybe possible evidence could be the dream or the fact that the narrator is dressed as a hermit.
A crime story is more often times than not a mystery story. Detectives work to discover the perpetrator, often targeting a number of plausible suspects in a closed society. Sometimes, the perpetrator may immediately be known and have reason to commit the act, making this less of a mystery story and more of a crime story. The criminal is usually unknown in mystery stories, hence making them enigmatic as the detective attempts to decipher the mystery.
Mystery in the story doesn't always mean it is a mystery story. The so-called mystery could be a slight plot point with no meaning to the story whatsoever. It all boils down the evidence...is it of a mystery or is just regular story details?
Piers Plowman as of right now does not entirely pertain to the characteristics of a mystery story. There are minor details that point it into the direction of mystery novels. For instance, Piers Plowman consists of a closed society so everyone has the potential to be suspect. It could take a turn and be mysterious because of the dream...Perhaps it'll reflect the details of a Freddy vs. Jason movie. It emphasizes the horrors of Hell, which is definitely horrifying to read. I'm not entirely sure how this novel emphasizes the importance of gathering evidence. At this point, I'm not even sure what the evidence is in the novel. There hasn't been a crime committed to find evidence. But perhaps that is reiterating the idea that a crime doesn't have to committed for there to be evidence. Maybe possible evidence could be the dream or the fact that the narrator is dressed as a hermit.
I love idea that you presented about how Piers Plowman isn't a mystery story in the fact that is does not use normal history elements. To expand on the idea of a mystery story is that it can be a mystery of what the plot or themes of the novel are.
ReplyDelete