Murder Most Foul

MURDER MOST FOUL Honors 166 College Prep 165 2.5 credits

Why is it so fun to read about murder? It’s the most inhumane action a person can perpetrate, yet even the gentlest people are eager to cozy up with a “good murder.” In this class, we’ll examine the development of the genre from Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle, through the “Golden Age” of mysteries by Agatha Christie and Dashiell Hammett, and into the present, where The Serial Podcast changed the game and the script. Students will follow along as they try to solve the crimes detailed in the stories while also analyzing the language and technique that builds the stories themselves. Along the way, we’ll examine how the writer plants clues and red herrings, the difference between “fair” and “unfair” mysteries, and discuss how this lowly genre can make big social statements.