antagonist: a character who actively opposes the protagonist or hero of a story; an adversary.
gothic: associated with a dark mood, relates in literature to fiction that features desolate settings and violent events.
macabre: disturbing and horrifying depiction of injury and death
protagonist: the main character of a story, generally a champion of good or the character through whom which the reader will gain understanding.
reveal: a plot device in which a previously unseen key character or element is revealed to the audience.
reversal: when an element appears as one thing and changes suddenly, resulting in a change in the reader's perspective.
tone:the general attitude of a place, situation or piece of literature; the mood.
uncanny: strange, especially in an unsettling way
whodunit: a popular term for mystery narratives.
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MYSTERY |
CRIME |
PSYCHOLOGICAL |
HORROR |
Goal |
To engage both the hero and the reader in solving a puzzle (often a crime) |
To challenge the hero and excite the witnessing reader through a contest of wills with the villain. |
To pit a vulnerable hero against a dangerous threat, thrilling the reader as they contemplate realistic danger and their own fear. |
To terrify the hero and horrify the reader through the examination of the darkest parts of human nature, including the imagined. |
Reader Role |
To solve puzzle with the investigating hero. |
To follow hero as they learn about and address apparent danger. |
To emotionally share in the hero's fears and responses to danger. |
To recognize shared fears and feel the terror experienced by the hero at a primal level.
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Protagonist |
An investigator who uncovers/evaluates clues, eliminates suspects and ultimately solves a puzzle, resulting in justice. The hero possesses a great mind and a fascination with human nature. |
A morally driven individual who is engaged in a contest of wills with the villain. Both the danger and injustice are apparent and it is the hero's goal to restore balance. |
A psychologically and/or physically vulnerable hero who finds himself in "terrible trouble." Faces constant fear/tension as he tries to overcome the threat. |
Rules do not apply. The central character is often an every day person facing extraordinary or supernatural threats. However, the protagonist and antagonist may be one and the same. |
Antagonist |
Hidden from both hero and reader, the antagonist is a deceiver who has engaged in a "cover up" to escape justice. |
An often brilliant and malevolent character, the criminal causes moral imbalance through his actions. He is generally known to the reader from the outset and eventually revealed to the hero. |
The antagonist is a known threat (human or event) that incites fear and danger. Human threats often targets the hero and knows his weaknesses. Threatening events are largely outside of the hero's control. |
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Setting |
Often tranquil places and pacing, allowing investigator time to think. |
Often urban, though anywhere real is possible. |
Danger ridden settings in the real world. |
Creepy real world or nightmarish realms. |
Subgenre |
Cozy, Amateur Sleuth, Detective, Historical, |
Procedural (Police, Forensics, Legal, Medical) |
Epic (political or environmental catasotrophes facing whole communities, such as terrorism) or Psychological (threat deliberately targets the individual hero). |
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Question |
Whodunit? |
Will they be caught? |
What will they do? |
Will it get them? |
Elements |
REVEALS: focus on solving a puzzle results in many reveals of information throughout the book. |
REVERSALS: focus on the battle between pro/antagonists results in multiple reversals. |
ACTION: Psychological tension around events is fast-paced and adrenaline inducing. |
EXTREMES: settings, circumstances, beings, happenings play on the reader's own fears and anxieties. |
Examples |
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Library Information and Media Center - Monona Grove High School - Monona, Wisconsin