Current Exhibit
The Detective, The Detective Scholar, and the Spy
January 1-April 30, 2012
This exhibit is a salute to the The Mystery Story Genre. It begins with "The Detective Story". This type of story began with Wilkie Collins' novel "The Moonstone" and reached it's highest level with Arthur Conan Doyles' Sherlock Holmes stories and Dorothy Sayers' scholarly articles on "How to Write a Detective Story". Out of this humble beginning comes the thrillers, the sub-genre of Spy Stories with its own highest level reached with Ian Fleming's James Bond stories. Each of these will be part of the Exhibit "The Detective, The Detective Scholar and the Spy"which will open in Fort Wayne, IN on January 2nd 2012.
T. S. Eliot called "The Moonstone" the first, the longest, and the best of modern English Detective Novels This book is widely regarded as the precursor of the modern mystery and suspense novels. The book contains a number of ideas which became common elements of the genre: a large number of suspects, red herrings, an English country house, investigation by talented amateurs, and two police officers who represent the 'local bungler' and the skilled, professional, Scotland Yard detective.
The canon of the "sacred" stories of Sherlock Holmes is revered by an increasing number of fans each year. To these loyal followers, Sherlock Holmes is a real life super-hero.
Much of the discussion among these fans is an attempt to prove the reality of his existence, and, in fact, to prove that he is still alive, now well over the age of 140 years, and occupied as a bee farmer outside of London. His former address, 221b Baker Street, does not exist in London ... so clearly it must have been a disguise for his real address. Many believe that the real address was 21b Baker Street. The "Sherlock Holmes Hotel"was eventually built at that address. There are many clues in his stories that may indicate the location of his home, such as a sycamore tree in the back yard. Many other details of his life are analyzed in the same manner. So goes the logic in the search for the real Sherlock Holmes.
Dorothy Sayers was born in Oxford on June 13, 1893. She received a degree in medieval literature from the University of Oxford in 1915, being one of the first women to graduate from that university. She taught briefly and then joined a London advertising agency as copywriter. Her first major novel, Whose Body, was published in 1923 and featured for the first time, Lord Peter Whimsey, the dashing gentleman-scholar turned detective. The book was followed by one or two detective novels a year for the next 15 years. She did research on other mystery writers and their techniques, and wrote articles on many aspects of writing detective novels. These are featured in the exhibit.
Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond was one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. He left a major contribution to popular literature and post-war Western culture. Fleming single-handedly transformed popular detective fiction from common and average to an elegant world, seen through the eye of James Bond, secret agent 007. Fleming argued that he created Bond as "an interesting man to whom extraordinary things happen." Fleming appropriated the name "James Bond" from the author of Birds Of The West Indies because he felt the name suitably "dull" and "anonymous."
Join Us Now: Partnering with Local Schools
In keeping with its mission of education through historical and cultural study, the Karpeles Manuscript Museum provides the Mini-Museum Program, as satellite access to the museum’s collection. The Mini-Museum includes a high quality reproduction and an accompanying guide card explaining the document’s historical significance. These are enclosed in a plexiglass display case provided by the museum. The documents are exchanged every 4-6 weeks during the school year. Realizing the need to reach all the school, the Karpeles Manuscript Museum is currently seeking additional school locations for its Mini-Museum program. There is no cost to participating institutions as all costs are funded through the museum. (Read more.)
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