Starter quiz
- 'A fictional narrative where a crime is committed and investigated by a professional or amateur' is the definition of ______ fiction.
- 'crime' ✓
- 'A set idea that people have about what someone or something is like' is the definition of which word beginning with 's'?
- 'stereotype' ✓
- In crime fiction, who do we stereotypically expect to solve the crime?
- the victim
- a criminal
- a detective ✓
-
- To subvert something means to ...
- follow the conventions.
- not follow the conventions. ✓
- meet someone's expectations.
-
- To call somewhere idyllic suggests that it is somewhere ...
- pleasant and peaceful. ✓
- unpleasant and terrifying.
- mundane and uninteresting.
-
- Place these settings in order from most to least idyllic.
- 1⇔A lush, green field with beautiful flowers and sunshine.
- 2⇔A lush, green field with beautiful flowers and cloudy skies.
- 3⇔A lush, green field with brambles and weeds.
- 4⇔A dry, barren field with brambles and weeds.
Exit quiz
- 'The idea that things (images, people, etc.) represent other things' is the definition of which word beginning with 's'?
- 'symbolism' ✓
- 'The conclusion of the story's plot where all unanswered questions are solved' is the definition of which word beginning with 'r'?
- 'resolution' ✓
- Horowitz uses an idyllic setting at the end of 'Moriarty' and the image of sunlight. How do you think he wanted the reader to feel at the end of the story?
- unsettled
- reassured ✓
- ambivalent
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- In Horowitz's 'Moriarty', who brings the criminal, Charles Devereux, to justice?
- Sherlock Holmes
- Athelney Jones
- Moriarty ✓
- Devereux hands himself in
-
- At the end of 'Moriarty', Horowitz describes Devereux as ...
- indignant
- fiery
- paralysed ✓
- meek
-
- In Horowitz's 'Moriarty', our final image of the criminal, Devereux, is of him ...
- in a prison.
- in a trunk. ✓
- laughing.
- shouting.
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Potentially, crime fiction is a popular genre because people want to explore the darkness without experiencing it.
- Stereotypically, crime fiction is resolved by the crime being solved and the criminal facing justice.
- While the criminal is apprehended in his story, Horowitz subverts the genre by having another criminal capture him.
- Arguably, Horowitz creates a reassuring resolution through the use of setting, light imagery and symbolism.
Common misconception
Some people think that crime fiction is a trivial genre.
Crime fiction explores the dark side of human psychology and reading crime fiction where the crime is solved can help reassure us that society is a safe place and criminals are punished.
Keywords
Resolution - the conclusion of the story's plot where all unanswered questions are solved
Idyllic - a place or experience that is extremely pleasant, beautiful or peaceful
Crime fiction - a fictional narrative where a crime is committed and investigated by a professional or amateur
Stereotype - a set idea that people have about what someone or something is like
Symbolism - the idea that things (images, people etc.) represent other things
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