This is our catalog of courses. We will occasionally adjust the course listing to reflect the addition of new courses and the retirement of others.
Beginning with this most famous of Victorian detectives, we will briefly consider the period from which he arose, then travel into the Edwardian world to encounter the Golden Age of Mystery Fiction that followed in his wake.
Total Classes: 12
Duration: 55 minutes.
Prerequisite: Willingness to read and openness to enjoying the works. Read the assigned Sherlock Holmes stories. Strongly recommend taking “Victorian Detective” recorded course in preparation.
Suggested Grade Level: 9th to 12th grade
Suggested Credit: 1 Semester Literature.
Description
“There’s the scarlet thread of murder running through the colourless skein of life,” said Sherlock Holmes, “and our duty is to unravel it, and isolate it, and expose every inch of it.” Holmes had no idea how influential his worlds and his legacy would be! Beginning with this most famous of Victorian detectives, we will briefly consider the period from which he arose, then travel into the Edwardian world to encounter the Golden Age of Mystery Fiction that followed in his wake. What are the central elements of this genre? Why does the popularity of this particular stage or era of the genre endure, unsurpassed by the innovations that followed later in the twentieth century? And, most important question of all: WHO DONE IT? In addition to cultivating artistic appreciation and a love of reading, this class facilitates the development of critical reasoning, the disciplined use of the imagination, and a strong knowledge of historical and literary context.
Outline
Week One: Victorian Detectives via Sherlock Holmes, selected stories (in Moodle).
Week Two: G.K. Chesterton’s The Innocence of Father Brown (1911), selected stories (in Moodle).
Week Three: E.C. Bentley’s Trent’s Last Case (1913)
Week Four: Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)
Week Five: Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)
Week Six: Dorothy L. Sayers’ Whose Body (1923)
Week Seven: Dorothy L. Sayers’ Whose Body (1923)
Week Eight: Agatha Christie’s The Tuesday Night Club (1927)
Week Nine: Agatha Christie’s The Tuesday Night Club (1927)
Week Ten: Msgr. Ronald Knox’s The Footsteps at the Lock (1928)
Week Eleven: Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time (1951)
Week Twelve: Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time (1951); Review & Conclusion
Materials and Homework
Course Materials: Any editions accepted. Many of these works are available as free e-books via Project Gutenberg.
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Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Final Problem”/”The Empty House” (The stories are available as a PDF below).
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Selections from G.K. Chesterton’s The Innocence of Father Brown (1911) (The stories are available as a PDF below).
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E.C. Bentley’s Trent’s Last Case (1913)
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Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)
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Dorothy L. Sayers’ Whose Body (1923)
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Agatha Christie’s The Tuesday Night Club (1927)
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Msgr. Ronald Knox’s The Footsteps at the Lock (1928)
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Josephine Tey’s The Daughter of Time (1951)
Homework: 3 hours reading per week, 1 identification quiz per week; miscellaneous small assignments. A literary-critical writing project opportunity is available for extra credit.
Optional Literary Essay Deadlines (Requiring Instructor Access):
- Week 1: Commit to paper topic
- Week 2: Brainstorming document turned in
- Week 3: First Draft turned in
- Week 4: Second Draft turned in
- Week 5: Third Draft turned in
- Week 6: Final Draft turned in
