3 ms·

One reason why I prefer the classics (Agatha Christie, G.K. Chesterton, Arthur Conan Doyle, etc.) is that a lot of modern mystery authors think they need to be

by jawns 4y ago

One reason why I prefer the classics (Agatha Christie, G.K. Chesterton, Arthur Conan Doyle, etc.) is that a lot of modern mystery authors think they need to be both mystery writers and comedians. The voice of the narrator, if not the characters themselves, is often snarky and sarcastic, and I find it incredibly off-putting. So if I could offer an additional commandment, it would be to acknowledge that you might be as clever as you think you are, but you're probably not as funny as you think you are.

JackFr 4y ago
But to a large extent the appeal of Poirot and Miss Marple is the levity they add.
- baud147258 4y ago
  I found that Father Brown from G.K. Chesterton also added a lot of levity > the reader deserves a fighting chance to solve the mystery without the author’s use of cheap tricks. though I found he frequently didn't leave much (any?) chance for the reader to solve the mystery, though for me the mystery and its solution was never really the focus of the stories anyway.
- mikepurvis 4y ago
  Not the GP, but I think there's a difference between a leading character who is inherently humorous or says humorous things vs the narrator doing it. And in cases where the narrative is first person from the perspective of someone in the story (mostly famously The Murder of Roger Ackroyd), it should remain relatively flat and observational rather than being puffed up with a lot of that character's thoughts, opinions, or personality.
fenomas 4y ago
I've noticed this - but for me it's not the comedy per se, it's that modern authors (particularly in the noir style) want their detective to be a constant source of witty comebacks. You feel like the other characters are just there to deliver setup lines, so the detective can amaze us with his devastating zingers. Ironically, Raymond Chandler - whom I imagine many such modern authors are trying to imitate - commented somewhere in his letters that the detective should almost never get the punchline. He pointed out that it was more effective to have the bad guy deliver the zinger, and the detective just take it on the chin and shrug it off, leaving the heel unsure whether to try to top his own line or just awkwardly make his exit.

by jawns 4y ago

JackFr 4y ago

But to a large extent the appeal of Poirot and Miss Marple is the levity they add.

baud147258 4y ago
I found that Father Brown from G.K. Chesterton also added a lot of levity > the reader deserves a fighting chance to solve the mystery without the author’s use of cheap tricks. though I found he frequently didn't leave much (any?) chance for the reader to solve the mystery, though for me the mystery and its solution was never really the focus of the stories anyway.
mikepurvis 4y ago
Not the GP, but I think there's a difference between a leading character who is inherently humorous or says humorous things vs the narrator doing it. And in cases where the narrative is first person from the perspective of someone in the story (mostly famously The Murder of Roger Ackroyd), it should remain relatively flat and observational rather than being puffed up with a lot of that character's thoughts, opinions, or personality.

fenomas 4y ago

I've noticed this - but for me it's not the comedy per se, it's that modern authors (particularly in the noir style) want their detective to be a constant source of witty comebacks. You feel like the other characters are just there to deliver setup lines, so the detective can amaze us with his devastating zingers. Ironically, Raymond Chandler - whom I imagine many such modern authors are trying to imitate - commented somewhere in his letters that the detective should almost never get the punchline. He pointed out that it was more effective to have the bad guy deliver the zinger, and the detective just take it on the chin and shrug it off, leaving the heel unsure whether to try to top his own line or just awkwardly make his exit.