CANON, CURRICULUM, AND THE MYSTERY GENRE

PROJECT REPORT

Submitted to the faculty of

The University of Houston - Clear Lake

by

Toni Lynn Sammons, B.A.

In partial fulfillment of the

Requirements for the degree of

MASTER OF ARTS

In

Literature

Fall, 2005
CANON, CURRICULUM, AND THE MYSTERY GENRE

by

Toni L. Sammons

APPROVED BY

Craig White, Ph.D., Second Chair

Howard Eisner, Ph.D., Associate Dean

UmmA
feruce Palmer, Ph.D., Dean
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Project Report 1

Works Cited ■27

Course Syllabus- 30

Course Outline- 32

Lesson Plans- ■33

Assignments -48

Course Rationale 51

Response Essay Due Dates 54

Essay Topics- 57
 DEDICATION

I dedicate this project to the Lord of my life Who has kept my faith strong, my thoughts clear,

and my future assured. There is no existence without Him. I also dedicate it to my daughters,

Lea Myrlene Bush and Amy Diedra Wylie, who have stood beside me, cheered me on, read

endless drafts of endless volumes of papers, and left me in silence as I suffered through them. I

dedicate it to my grandchildren, Kaeli Lynn Wylie, Brynnli Corynn Bush, Seth Jarrod Wylie,

Rowan Avery Bush, and Emily Elizabeth Wylie, who have done without my presence in their

lives for long enough. I dedicate it to my sons-in-law, Jay Bush and Tim Wylie who, I am sure,

have wished for a more attentive babysitter. I dedicate it to my sister, Joni Snow, and my

nephew, Colden Snow (a.k.a. Mr. C), who have suffered with me at the end of this journey. I

dedicate it to Marge Henderson, Ruth Westlake, and all of my partners in prayer who have

prayed for me every step of the way. And I dedicate it to Clayton Honey whose presence in my

life helped set me free from the bondage that held me for far too long.
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my professors, Dr. Diepenbrock and Dr. White, for their

firm but gentle insistence on perfection, all of us knowing all the while that there is never a

perfect paper. I want to thank Dr. Diepenbrock for making me want to teach and Dr. White for

letting me know who I want to teach. I would like to thank Dr. McNamara who let me know I

was contributing to a literary dialogue that existed in the past, exists in the present, and will

continue to exist in the future. I would also like to acknowledge the contribution made to my

education by every teacher in whose classroom I have had the privilege of learning. You have

taught me well and made me want to be like you. I can offer no greater compliment.
 Sammons 1

Canon, Curriculum, and the Mystery Genre

The purpose of this project, Canon, Curriculum, and the Mystery Genre, is to develop a

literature course that traces the history of the mystery genre from ancient texts to contemporary

novels. This text-based course will include works by canonical authors as well as contemporary

authors who have gained prestige as literary stylists. The intention of the course is to follow the

development of the mystery genre from the earliest known works to their present-day

counterparts and to seek an understanding of the relevance of the mystery genre in literature.

The class will study works from the past and the present, correlating style and content and

exploring the evolution of race, gender, class, and ethnic characterizations over time. The

students will apply tenets of literary criticism to establish the relevance of studying

contemporary works and to determine why canonical works are considered true literature while

contemporary novels are often considered pulp fiction to be dismissed from serious

consideration.

The canonical works chosen for the course were selected for their recognized standing as

canonical texts and for the element of mystery involved in their plots. Before evaluating the

pertinence of the contemporary mystery novel, the class must first analyze what constitutes the

designation of a work as canonical. The issue of canonicity has been a point of contention in

academic circles for centuries, and a brief history of the struggle will help clarify the need to

define the term canon. The word Canon was first used for Biblical texts and referred to sacred

scripture, the word of God. The term was later used by academics in reference to ancient texts,

usually of Greek or Roman origin. The academic canon was broadened in the eighteenth century

to include works of English literature by authors such as Shakespeare and Milton. Genre writers

and minority writers, believing their work to be of canonical merit, have struggled in the
 Sammons 2

twentieth and twenty-first centuries for inclusion in the academic canon against an academy

accused of banning them for reasons more political than aesthetic. But there are members of the

academy who insist there be a quality of excellence exigent in any work chosen for presentation

in a college or university setting.

One of the staunchest defenders of the academic canon is Harold Bloom, Sterling

Professor of Humanities at Yale University and Berg Professor of English at New York

University, who bluntly states, “We need to teach more selectively, searching for the few who

have the capacity to become highly individual readers and writers. The others, who are

amenable to a politicized curriculum, can be abandoned to it” (Bloom 17). Bloom’s comment

appears to slam the doors of academia in the faces of readers and writers who would introduce

anything other than canon texts into the university curriculum, including university professors

who propose making the academic canon more inclusive of under-represented authors and

genres, including the mystery genre.

Bloom firmly espouses the need to select wisely and well what we choose to read in the

time allotted to us. For Bloom, life is too short to read works lacking canonical merit, and he

feels that contemporary novelists attempt to usurp canon texts by trying to establish a false

pertinence. He explains, ‘'Canon, a word religious in its origins, has become a choice among

texts struggling with one another for survival, whether you interpret the choice as being made by

dominant social groups, institutions of education, traditions of criticism, or as I do, by late-

coming authors who feel themselves chosen by particular ancestral figures” (20).

Bloom's contention is that neo-canonical texts are being forced upon us by what is currently

popular and by what is considered politically correct:

“Idealism”...is now the fashion in our schools and colleges, where all aesthetic
 Sammons 3

and most intellectual standards are being abandoned in the name of social

harmony and the remedying of historical injustice. Pragmatically, the "expansion

of the Canon'* has meant the destruction of the Canon, since what is being taught

includes by no means the best writers who happen to be women, African,

Hispanic, or Asian, but rather the writers who offer little but the resentment they

have developed as part of their sense of identity. (7)

Bloom, who has written over twenty books of literary criticism, has developed a list of

texts he considers to be canonical based on his long career as a teacher, reader and writer.
3/
His list includes few works by minority writers and none at all by writers whose works are

primarily of the mystery genre. Bloom identifies what he considers canonical works by a set of

characteristics that he believes define what makes a work great. Among the characteristics are

survival through time, or a timelessness that does not fade through the ages, a fierce originality

that can only be mimicked by other authors, a kind of strangeness of design that sets the work

apart from all others, intrinsic aesthetic value, intellectual value, and the demand of a work to be

reread. As Bloom puts it, “One ancient test for the canonical remains fiercely valid: unless it

demands rereading, the work does not qualify" (Bloom 30). By rereading, Bloom means one

reader reading the same literary work more than one time. The greatness of the work cannot be

fully appreciated in only one encounter. In contrast, he says, “The correct test for the new

canonicity is simple, clear, and wonderfully conducive to social change: it must not and cannot

be reread, because its contribution to societal progress is its generosity in offering itself up for

rapid ingestion and discarding" (30).

Bloom recognizes that his beliefs, and those of like-minded colleagues, are the cause of

contention. He says, “Our own universities...feel compelled to indict us as racists and sexists”
 Sammons 4

(16). Bloom's philosophy gives some credence to the contention that the canon is the sole

domain of dead white males. White males were the first to receive the benefits of education.

white females were restricted and Blacks, primarily held in the bondage of slavery, were

forbidden from receiving any education at all. Is it any wonder, then, that the works of “late-

coming authors who feel themselves chosen by particular ancestral figures" find it difficult to

enter the doors of academia?

Paul Ford, in his essay “Tufte vs. Bloom 2,” gives some insight into Bloom's

discomfiture by giving some historical background of the controversy:

The debate over the canon of literature was a storm in academia in the 80's and

90*s, as a group of progressive professors argued that it was the exclusive zone of

the white male, and should be opened to those it had excluded—women,

homosexuals, people of color, and become a more inclusive map of human

experience. On the other side, it was argued that the canon was the foundation of

our culture, and to tamper with it, to replace Shakespeare with Kathy Acker, say,

would open us to anarchy. (2)

Ford's answer to this quandary is to develop his own personal canon. He finds it impossible to

limit his reading to a list of texts selected by, say, Bloom, when there is so much material out

there from which to choose.

In his somewhat facetious essay, “Literary Theory: An Introduction,’* Terry Eagleton

notes that canonical works must hold universal human values and timeless truths that last over

countless generations. With tongue in cheek, Eagleton makes a valid point in the following

statement:

Since literature, as we know, deals in universal human values rather than in such
 Sammons 5

historical trivia as civil wars, the oppression of women or the dispossession of the

English peasantry, it could serve to place in cosmic perspective the petty demands

of working people for decent living conditions or greater control over their own

lives, and might even with luck come to render them oblivious of such issues in

their high-minded contemplation of eternal truth and beauties. (2245)

He continues, “literature should convey timeless truths, thus distracting the masses from their

immediate commitments, nurturing in them a spirit of tolerance and generosity, and so ensuring

the survival of private property” (2246).

John Guillory, in his essay “Canon” says, “for a work to be canonical must mean that

over successive generations, preferably many generations, readers continue to affirm a judgment

of greatness, almost as though each generation actually judged anew the quality of the work”

(236). Guillory acknowledges that the problem with this judgment is that it eliminates the works

of contemporary novelists, including mystery writers. This elimination is seen as highly political

in nature. He notes that canonical critics “detect beneath the supposed objectivity of value

judgments a political agenda: the exclusion of many groups of people from representation in the

literary canon” (233). Guillory explains, “The critics of canon-formation have based their case

upon a disturbing and indisputable fact: If one were to glance at the entire list of'great’ Western

European authors—the canon—one would find very few women, even fewer writers who are

non-white, and very few writers of lower-class origin. This is simply a fact. What are we to

make of it?” (234). What we are to make of it is that, until recent history, there were, quite

simply, few women, non-white, or lower-class writers in the canon.

The lack of anything other than white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant, male literature in the

canon is perceived by proponents of canon revision as a conspiracy to keep other works from
 Sammons 6

canonization. Guillory notes that studies have been conducted in an effort to find literary works

by minority writers under the supposition that such works have been suppressed by dominant

social groups. He indicates that some have been found, but the numbers are surprisingly low.

Guillory attributes the lack of minority literature to a lack of education and, therefore, literacy. If

any group of people is deprived access to education, it cannot be expected to progress, much less

produce canonical literature. Access to literacy was long denied as a means of control and

subordination, thus limiting the options of dominated classes. Guillory uses women as an

example in proving his point:

Like any other social practices, reading and writing are subject to various forms of

control or regulation, to institutional forms of organization. If at a certain time

women are not taught to read, or discouraged by various social pressures from

writing, this fact tells us something about the relation between men and women

at that time, and also something about the society as a whole. This fact tells us

that certain kinds of knowledge—the capacity to read and write—are unequally

distributed in that society; and this unequal distribution is in some respects not

unlike the unequal distribution of wealth. Human beings are not bom with the

ability to read and write; these skills must be acquired. And even when they are

acquired, the capacity to produce works of literature is a function not only of

**talent” but of what one's social position makes possible. (239)

While education has been available to the elite in society for centuries, public education

for the masses is a relatively new development. Education became prevalent only after the

advent of democracy in the 1700s when children began to be taught primarily at home or in

churches. It was not until the 1800s that a system for public education was established, first in
 Sammons 7

the United States and then in England. In England, “Compulsion came in 1880, but schooling

did not become free until 1891” (West 1). It was then that education became free because, "the

government-school advocates believed it was wrong to compel the very poorest to do something

they could not afford” (2).

Public education began early in the history of the United States, but was not provided free

of cost until the 1800s. It was then that the government, believing that “increased education was

necessary for intelligent participation in political democracy...created the first Department of

Education in 1867 to disseminate the gospel of the free-school" (Martin 7). African Americans,

Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans were the last to receive the

benefits of literacy. And, as Guillory notes, the ability to produce great works is not only a

matter of learning to read and write but of social position.

Guillory contends that the canon is, and always has been, chosen by educators in

educational institutions. He notes, “The school was assigned the general function of distributing

various kinds of knowledge including the knowledge of how to read and write as well as what to

read and write" (240). He explains, “An individual's judgment that a work is great does nothing

in itself to preserve that work, unless that judgment is made in a certain institutional context, a

setting in which it is possible to insure the reproduction of the work, its continual reintroduction

to generations of readers'" (237). Guillory believes that the “canon” is in a perpetual flux based

on the texts educators choose to teach.

Susan VanZanten Gallagher, in her essay “Contingencies and Intersections: The

Formation of Pedagogical Canons,” takes this idea one step further. She maintains that the

literary canon is “an ‘imaginary canon'—imaginary in that there is no specifically defined body

of works or authors that make up such a canon” (53). While it seems apparent that she has not
 Sammons 8

seen Bloom's extensive list, Gallagher's point is a valid one. She says, “The imaginary canon

consists of those works that scholars and critics have argued ’great’ in one respect or other; it

may occasionally take tangible form...but few instructors actually teach such a canon” (54).

Instead, Gallagher explains, educators teach what she calls the “pedagogical canon.” She says,

“texts are taught in college and university settings. Each instructor creates a personal

pedagogical canon for each course by means of selecting a reading list. The wider pedagogical

canon is made up of the most frequently taught texts, a list that is empirically verifiable” (54).

The burden of selecting texts, then, falls upon the instructor who must choose for the classroom

works that are not only teachable, but will actually be read and understood by the highly diverse

student population now entering colleges and universities.

In Lives on the Boundary. Mike Rose makes it clear that the first step to introducing these

students to any canonical curriculum is to get them involved, to help them relate to the works

they are studying. Rose recognizes that there are many students who will be lost in the morass of

higher education because they cannot speak or understand the language of academia:

The discourse of academics is marked by terms and expressions that represent an

elaborate set of shared concepts and orientations: alienation, authoritarian

personality, the social construction of the self, determinism, hegemony,

equilibrium, intentionality, recursion, reinforcement, and so on. This language

weaves through so many lectures and textbooks, is integral to so many learned

discussions, that it's easy to forget what a foreign language it can be. (192)

Even if minority students make it into the world of academia, we may lose them by speaking a

language they may never begin to understand and by presenting works to which they may never

relate. Rose believes that “you could almost define a university education as an initiation into a
 Sammons 9

variety of powerful ongoing discussions, an initiation that can occur only through the repeated

use of a new language in the company of others” (192). If the curriculum chosen by educators,

their selected canon, were more inclusive, incorporating the works of minority and genre authors,

students might find it easier to leam the language of academia.

Though not considered a minority student, Rose identifies with the students he teaches.

He found himself classified as a marginal student and not considered college material. It was

only through the efforts of teachers who wanted to reach him that he began to understand the

works he was studying. Rose was drawn to literature through literary debate:

I would return to the classroom where a historically rich conversation was in

progress. Other readers of Shakespeare—from Samuel Johnson to the

contemporary literary critic Wylie Sypher—were given voice...and we were

encouraged to enter the dialogue, to consider, to take issue, to be seated amid all

that potentially intimidating shoptalk. We were shown how to summarize an

opinion, argue with it, weave it into our own interpretations. (58)

Rose began to formulate ideas of his own and found those ideas welcomed by his professors.

In Beyond the Culture Wars, How Teaching the Conflicts Can Revitalize American

Education, Gerald Graff comments, “It won't matter much whose list of books wins the canon

debate if students remain disaffected from the life of books and intellectual discussion, as too

many have been since long before any canon revisionists arrived on the academic scene” (11).

Graff promotes a curriculum that includes both ancient, canonical texts and contemporary works

with an emphasis on the conflict that exists between the two. He argues that “the best solution to

today's conflicts over culture is to teach the conflicts themselves, making them part of our object

of study and using them as a new kind of organizing principle to give the curriculum the clarity
 Sammons 10

and focus that almost all sides now agree it lacks’* (12).

Graff does not share Bloom's fear that the canon will be lost in the effort to incorporate

contemporary literature into the curriculum. In fact, he insists that exposure to both canonical

and non-canonical texts, exposure to the conflict that exists over what texts should be taught,

would have helped him appreciate the value of the classics far earlier than he did:

Had I been exposed to a little “disrespect” for the classics, I might have found

studying them more rewarding than I did. I might have sooner acquired

the sort of critical context for understanding those forbidding texts for which

I groped without success. Had anyone taught me that “anything can count as

‘text’”...it might have made high culture seem less frighteningly remote from the

popular culture I was comfortable with. (48-9)

Graff finds that the majority of contemporary texts are taught in elective courses while

required courses still focus on core canonical texts. Even Bloom acknowledges that the canon

is not closed, but states that “One breaks into the canon only by aesthetic strength, which is

constituted primarily of an amalgam: mastery of figurative language, originality, cognitive

power, knowledge, exuberance of diction” (29). Bloom also acknowledges, “In each era, some

genres are regarded as more canonical than others” (20). Graff contends that “the college literary

canon has been changing, as it [has] for a century, by accretion at the margins, not by dumping

the classics” (24).

Bloom's canonical list does not include the currently popular mystery novel. It does,

however, include the Bible and works by Sophocles, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, and

Mark Twain, that all, intentionally or unintentionally, include classic mystery stories as part of

their work. To study any of the works of Moses, Sophocles, Shakespeare, Poe, or Twain as
 Sammons 11

classic mystery texts may be considered a form of literary heresy to a canonical purist like

Bloom. But any text presented for literary consumption is laid wide open to critical debate. As

Annabel Patterson explains it, "Once released into public territory—the text is inevitably subject

to whatever interpretation seems most plausible to its readers, who will determine its meaning in

the light of local circumstances” (136).

Literary criticism, the critical debate of literary works, is one of the finest and most

profound ways to study literature. Gerald Graff comments, "What first made literature, history,

and other intellectual pursuits seem attractive to me was exposure to critical debates” (66).

Being taught the conflicts and being allowed to discuss them in the classroom only enhanced

Graffs educational experience:

Reading the critics was like picking up where the class discussion left off, and I

gained confidence from recognizing that my classmates and I had had thoughts

that, however stumbling our expression of them, were not too far off the thoughts

of famous published critics. I went back to the novel again and to my surprise

found myself rereading it with an excitement I had never felt before with a serious

book. (67-8)

To look again at classic works of literature like the Bible, Oedipus Rex, Hamlet. Murders in the

Rue Morgue, and Pudd nhead Wilson and see them from another perspective, as precursors of

the modem mystery, can only add to the ongoing literary debate of the ages and allow students to

see the roots of the mystery genre in literature.

In his essay, "Why Ethical Criticism Can Never Be Simple,” Wayne Booth says these

early writers relied primarily on storytelling, not preaching, to get their messages across. Booth

uses the Bible as an example, asking, "Why did the authors of the Bible choose mainly to be
 Sammons 12

storytellers rather than exhorters with a moral tag at the end of each story?” He answers his own

question by saying, "All those biblical authors must have known, perhaps without knowing what

they knew, that serious stories educate morally—and they do so more powerfully than do story-

free sermons” (3). It is Booth's contention that everything written or read has the power to teach

and to change a reader's life either for good or for evil, a power held by ancient texts, and a

power held by the mystery genre. The point is that stories teach. They teach a form of morality

that reflects the underlying beliefs of the author and is emulated by the reader. The events that

occur in society, the way people are treated by other people, is highly influenced by and depicted

in works of literature.

Sherry Evard, in her thesis, "The Politics of Canon Selection and How This Impacts

Our Cultural Literacy,” comments, "Literature can deliver a message more powerful than a

Sunday sermon, more effective than a parental admonishment, and certainly more memorable

than any single classroom lecture. So should it not be important to consider how the hours we

invest in reading and studying our literature affect the psyche?” (44). Evard’s question is a valid

one because it relates directly to the choice of materials we read and the choice of materials we

choose to teach.

Choosing to teach a course on the mystery genre is a matter for serious consideration.

There is little representation of the genre among designated canonical texts and there are few

courses that focus exclusively on mysteries. Nonetheless, the word mystery simply refers to a

work of literature that involves a crime where the solution is left unsolved until the very end.

The designation of a work as a mystery, then, need only involve the commission of a crime. The

crime is generally murder because murder is the most serious of crimes. That murder is morally

wrong and the murderer will be caught and punished is the basic premise of the mystery genre.
 Sammons 13

With such a serious underlying premise, it becomes necessary to explore why the mystery

genre is viewed with such disdain among academics. The disfavor held by the mystery genre

may date back to the era of pulp fiction. The term **pulp fiction” comes from the cheap paper

developed and used by printers to lower printing costs. The increase in literacy and the demand

for reading material in the period before motion pictures and television inspired a rash of weekly

magazines filled with not only mysteries, but westerns and other tales of adventure, and replete

with implicit sexual connotations. Max Allan Collins, in The History of Mystery explains, "The

true roots of the modem mystery are found in the American dime novels and story papers of the

1800s, and this literary form would flourish and mature in the pulpy pages of cheap

magazines in the early decades of the next century” (9). Pulp magazines are without doubt a

major part of Americana, but they have done the disservice of destroying the credibility of most

contemporary novels, including the mystery novel.

According to James Frey in How to Write a Damn Good Mystery, ‘in the publishing

world, mystery fiction attracts immense audiences, and accounts for more than a third of all

fiction sold in the English-speaking world” (3). Since this is the case, what is the draw of the

mystery genre? Max Collins explains, “The mystery story maintains its perennial hold on

readers because, at its core, is crime—and death, those inevitable elements of society and life

that so fascinate us” (7). Those elements of the mystery genre, crime and death, have existed as

long as the history of the human race. They provide the basis of not only contemporary novels,

but ancient canonical texts as well.

Society demands that crime that results in death be punished, and the heroes of literature

are those who solve the crimes and bring the killers to justice. Frey explains, “In a mystery,

death, which to all seems so arbitrary and irrational, is made logical and rational. The hero,
 Sammons 14

using reason, triumphs over irrational death in a symbolic way. The mystery touches us in the

deepest part of our being because it shows that death is accountable to reason” (6). In the

mystery genre, the hero is generally referred to as a detective. But the detective of the mystery

mystery genre, Max Collins insists, has not always existed:

The sleuth of mystery fiction is a relatively recent creation. Though fanciful

detectives thrived throughout the twentieth century, making it the first full

century of American detective fiction, the pattern was set by Edgar Allan Poe

only sixty years earlier. The reason is, as Holmes would say, elementary: in order

for there to be fictional detectives, there first needed to be real-life detectives.

Detectives and police forces are relatively new inventions in Western civilization,

an outgrowth of the birth of democracies in Europe and the United States in the

late 1700s and early 1800s. (7)

The issue of a detective is essential to any discussion of the mystery genre. A detective is

defined as a member of a police force or a private investigator employed by private parties.

From Collins's perspective, there were no real detectives until the late 1700s and 1800s. If the

dictionary definition of the term detective and Collins's take on the word are correct, even Poe’s

Dupin cannot truly be called a detective. In The Murders in the Rue Morgue, Poe’s central

character is neither a member of a police force nor a detective employed by private parties, yet

Poe is deemed the creator of detective mystery fiction. This distinction is significant in any

attempt to compare ancient and contemporary texts. Throughout history, there has always been

someone interested in solving a mystery, the one whose function is to seek information and

evidence of a crime and bring the perpetrator to justice. Essentially, the character once deemed

the hero is now deemed the detective and is still assigned the responsibility of solving the
 Sammons 15

mystery.

The proposed literature course will trace the history of the mystery genre from early

canonical texts to contemporary novels. The works read will be examined on the basis of the

canonical characteristics determined in the course. Among the characteristics, as defined in this

project, are timelessness, originality that can only be mimicked, strangeness of design, aesthetic

value, intellectual value, demand to be reread, universal human values, timeless truths, judgment

of greatness over many generations, and pedagogical preference. The texts, in order of class

discussion, as well as chronologically, are Genesis 4:1-15, Oedipus Rex, Hamlet, Murders in the

Rue Morgue, A Study in Scarlet, Pudd nhead Wilson, The Mysterious Affair at Styles, A Great

Deliverance, Rules of Prey, and Postmortem.

Genesis: The Book of Firsts

Genesis dates back in written form to approximately 1450 B.C., making it the first

mystery. Genesis was part of an oral tradition for centuries. There is significant scholarly debate

over the authorship of Genesis and the rest of the Pentateuch (Bloom, for instance, attributes it to

Bathsheba), but the written text is traditionally attributed to Moses. Genesis 4:1-15 is the

description of the first murder in which Cain kills his brother Abel. Yahweh holds the role of

detective.

One of the advantages of an ancient work for canonicity is that it has few precursors.

Unlike the present, the quantity of written texts from the past is limited. A text that has survived

over thirty-five hundred years is immediately a candidate for canonicity purely on the basis of its

continued existence, but the Bible has more going for it than age.

The Bible has the timelessness required of a canonical work. According to Webster’s, for
 Sammons 16

a work to be timeless it must be "without beginning or end; eternal; everlasting. Referring or

restricted to no particular time" (1985). The Bible's themes, in particular Genesis's reference to

the first murder, have a timelessness that resonates through the ages. The Bible is after

all, scripture and, ergo, canonical.

The Bible also holds the requisite canonical originality that can only be mimicked by

others. Based on its age alone, the Bible is highly original and it has not lost its freshness or

novelty. The themes introduced in its pages have been mimicked for centuries.

The Bible as a whole also has the strangeness of design Bloom demands. It is an unusual

and extraordinary literary work. The recounting of the first murder is strange indeed, because

there is no rational explanation for Cain's brutal slaying of his brother. His motivation is anger

fueled by jealousy.

Aesthetic value relates to the beauty of the work. In particular, a work with aesthetic

beauty appeals to the emotions and the senses rather than the intellect. Genesis 4:1-15 appeals to

both by its portrayal of the death of an innocent. Cain's offering to God is unacceptable because

of his begrudging attitude. Abel's offering is acceptable because of his love for his God and his

desire to please Him. The Bible’s description of Abel's murder, of his blood flowing across the

ground, of Cain's total lack of remorse, and of God’s demand for justice appeals to our emotions.

All of our senses are aroused by the descriptive nature of the passage.

Intellectual value relates to a work’s appeal to the mind rather than the emotions. The

work makes us think. We learn something of lasting, meaningful value that exists long after the

emotional response subsides. Murder is food for thought. In the case of the Genesis text, one of

the things we learn is that murder is reprehensible, unacceptable, and worthy of rebuke.

The demand of a work to be reread is central to Bloom’s and Guillory’s canonical

 Sammons 17

qualities. Bloom says a work must demand to be reread by the same person more than once.

Guillory says that a work must demand to be reread by many generations of readers. The Bible

meets both demands. It has been reread by the same person many times over many centuries,

including by Bloom in the past and present century. The Bible has been studied for many

generations for many different reasons and still maintains its demand to be reread.

A canonical work must hold universal human values. Values, in relation to human

beings, concern relative worth, merit or importance. In relation to Genesis 4:1-15, the life of one

individual human being is shown to be of immense significance. In relation to race, gender,

class, and ethnic characterizations over time, human value, a person's relative worth, merit and

importance, takes on even deeper significance as it relates to an individual's existence in society

as a whole.

In addition to universal human values, a canonical work must hold timeless truths. While

societies may argue over what is considered truth, there are some truths that should, as the saying

goes, be self-evident. One of these should decidedly be that a human being has the right not to

be murdered. If a human being is murdered, someone ought to care enough to find out who

committed the murder. Abel is murdered in Genesis, and Yahweh is the one who cares enough

to solve the murder. These are timeless truths. They hold true for canonical works and they hold

true for the mystery genre.

A canonical work must receive a judgment of greatness that lasts over time. One look at

a canonical list like Bloom's gives readers some idea of what is considered true greatness, but

time appears to be relative. The new canonicity tends to pronounce greatness without the benefit

of time. The thirty-five hundred years from the commitment of Genesis to writing and the

present is truly consistent with greatness that lasts over time. The Bible displays the excellence
 Sammons 18

demanded of a canonical text.

The final argument of a work for canonicity is pedagogical preference. Ultimately, this

may be the deciding factor. For a work to continue to be read, it must be chosen from the myriad

of texts available for presentation in a classroom setting. Passages from the Bible have been

chosen for student consumption for centuries. The Bible meets all ten characteristics identified

for canonicity. The remaining works will be examined for the same characteristics.

Oedipus Rex: The Murderer as Detective

The plot of Oedipus Rex, like that of Genesis, deals with murder committed in a fit of

rage. In this case, the son, Oedipus, kills his father, King Laios, as well as all of the soldiers in

his father's escort. Oedipus's fury develops over the right of way on a road. In his defense,

Oedipus does not know he is murdering his father, but it should not matter. Murder is

indefensible if universal human values and timeless truths apply, and these truths should apply

whether the murder victim is a king or a common soldier. It is Oedipus himself who pronounces

the need for justice for the murder of his father (the soldiers he also murders are not considered).

He does not know when he takes on the role of detective that he will find himself guilty of the

murder.

Sophocles’s play has undergone almost twenty-five hundred years of scrutiny as well as

the English speaking world's attempts at Greek translation. The plot has not only been

mimicked thousands of times, but is basic to Freudian psychology. No one can doubt the

strangeness of Sophocles’s design and the story demands to be reread if only in the number of

times it is required reading in schools and universities.

Hamlet: The Detective Enlisted by a Ghost

In Hamlet, Shakespeare’s central character is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Hamlet’s

 Sammons 19

father has died while he is away and his uncle, Claudius, has become king. Not only does

Claudius take the throne, but he takes Hamlet's mother in marriage as well. Hamlet returns to

Denmark, already suspicious about the circumstances surrounding his father's death. There he

encounters his father's ghost who tells him in no uncertain terms that he has been poisoned by

Claudius. With the ghost as informant, Hamlet takes on the role of detective to prove Claudius’

guilt and test his mother's culpability. Hamlet is a tragedy in every sense of the word, but it is

also a remarkable mystery.

Shakespeare's entire body of work has survived for over four hundred years. Although

Shakespeare is known to have elaborated on existing plots, his interpretation of those plots is

highly original and authors who have followed in his wake can only attempt to rival his

greatness. The plot of Hamlet exhibits the strangeness of design requisite for canonicity and it,

too, demands to be reread. According to Harold Bloom, ‘"Shakespeare is the secular canon” (24).

It is Shakespeare's mastery of language that sets him apart.

The Murders in the Rue Morgue: The Invention of Detection

Edgar Allan Poe's plot in The Murders in the Rue Morgue involves the deaths of two

women. The mother and daughter are found brutally murdered in their home with all of the

doors and windows locked from the inside, the first classic locked-door mystery. The detective

in this story, as mentioned previously, is not a detective by dictionary definition. Poe’s Dupin is

a private citizen who does not hold a job and who does not leave his home except by night

accompanied by his unnamed narrator/sidekick. He spends his days reading newspapers and

ruminating on what he reads. When the police are unable to solve the mystery, Dupin takes on

the role of detective and sets out to prove what he has already deduced by cogitation. He is right,

of course, but no one is brought to justice since no person is ultimately responsible for the
 Sammons 20

deaths. He does, however, care enough to find out how the women died.

Poe is known for the originality of his body of work. Poe is also known for his

strangeness of design with his macabre plot twists. Poe's work, particularly his poetry, demands

to be reread. The Murders in the Rue Morgue set the precedent for the mystery genre, not

because it is the first mystery ever written, but because, as Bruce Murphy points out, Poe’s

Dupin "made the genre, so many are the imitations of him, both conscious and unconscious”

(154). A reading of any of Poe’s work shows his mastery of language and his excellence of

design.

A Study in Scarlet: The Perfection of Detection

It is almost impossible to believe that Poe’s immediate successor and finest imitator does

not appear on Bloom’s canonical list. Hilary Waugh, in her introduction to Shannon OCork’s

How to Write Mysteries, says, “The theme of the memorable detective was picked up and

elaborated upon a half-century later by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle whose Sherlock Holmes is not

only the best-known figure in the world of fiction, but is better known than most famous people”

(2). Doyle takes up where Poe leaves off and fully develops the independently wealthy

gentleman amateur sleuth who, as reported by his companion/narrator, Dr. Watson, solves crimes

the Detectives of Scotland Yard cannot. While Poe’s Dupin rarely leaves his rooms except by

night, Doyle’s Holmes revels in finding the clues that lead to solving murders. Doyle makes us

think because he does not reveal his secrets until the end of his tales.

A Study in Scarlet is by no means Doyle's best representation of his famous character,

which improved and developed with time. Nor are the tales of Sherlock Holmes Doyle’s only

works, but most would be hard pressed to name a work he created in a genre other than mystery.

A Study in Scarlet involves the murders of two men in revenge for a murder committed long
 Sammons 21

before the story begins. The revenge in itself testifies that no murder should go unpunished, but

the one who seeks revenge and also commits murder is equally guilty. Doyle may not be on

Bloom’s canonical list, but he remains a staple of the pedagogical canon.

Pudd'nhead Wilson: The Unwitting Detective

Mark Twain is also known for the originality of his body of work. If based on nothing

more than the number of times his stories are required reading, Twain’s work demands to be

reread. Twain puts a twist on the mastery of language because his is the slow, easy language of

the South. But Twain's work might best be characterized by his portrayal of universal human

values and timeless truths. In his own immutable, imperturbable style, he addresses the infinite

value of the human being, regardless of race, gender, class, or ethnicity. In short, he pokes fun at

everyone to the benefit of everyone.

Pudd'nhead Wilson is one of the finest examples of Twain’s style. In an introduction to

the novel, Langston Hughes says of Twain’s work:

In this book the basic issue is slavery, seriously treated, and its main thread

concerns the absurdity of man-made differentials, whether of caste or “race.”

The word race might properly be placed in quotes for both of Mark Twain’s

central negroes are largely white by blood and physiognomy, slaves only by

circumstance, and each only “by a fiction of law and custom, a Negro.” (x)

To a great extent, Twain’s tale is largely a social commentary disguised as a mystery, but it is

still an excellent mystery. Perhaps Twain's most meaningful contribution to the mystery genre is

the story's introduction and expansion of the art of fingerprinting.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles: A Preponderance of Suspects

Agatha Christie is not considered a canonical author by academic standards, but

 Sammons 22

according to Elizabeth George in her forward to the Christie’s novel, The Mysterious Affair at

Styles, “By the time of her death her work had been translated into over a hundred languages and

she had sold more books than any other writer except Shakespeare” (ix). Though this novel has

not yet reached its one hundredth year in publication, it is still being published along with

Christie’s other novels. Christie's strangeness of design may best be reflected in the number of

suspects from which her detectives must choose a killer.

Christie’s central character in The Mysterious Affair at Styles is Hercule Poirot, a retired

Belgian detective. Even Poirot does not fully fit the dictionary definition of a detective because

he is not actively working with a police force. He is asked by a friend, who becomes his

sidekick and narrator, to accompany him to a country estate where the matron of the family has

been poisoned. From a group of suspects, family, friends, and servants, Poirot must find the

murderer.

Christie incorporates Poe’s locked room mystery and is credited with inventing the

country estate novel. Like Moses, Sophocles, and Shakespeare, Christie fully develops the

family dynamics of her characters. She further develops the concept of what Elizabeth George

calls the Formula Detective Combination, comprised of “a brilliant but eccentric detective and an

admiring but less than brilliant narrator” (xv). It is certain that this is not Christie’s first

appearance in a pedagogical canon curriculum.

A Great Deliverance: The Earl and the Commoner

Elizabeth George is an American author who follows the lead of Shakespeare, Poe, and

Christie in that her characters and settings are of a nationality other than her own. George’s

detectives in A Great Deliverance are actively working for the New Scotland Yard. A young girl

has murdered her father and the detectives must determine her motive.
 Sammons 23

George is particularly noteworthy for her take on the aristocracy and the class system.

Her main character, Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, is by birth and by lifestyle, a member

of the gentry. His partner, Inspector Barbara Havers, is by birth and by lifestyle a commoner.

What George does with character development and conflict rivals Shakespeare, as does her

portrayal of minor characters. Though her works are modeled after those of her predecessors,

George has the originality of style and excellence required of canonical works.

George says she is often asked when she will write a "serious" novel. In her introduction

to A Moment on the Edge, George answers the question vehemently:

For my money, literature is whatever lasts. Given the choice between being

labeled a “literary” writer and disappearing ten years after I hung up my spurs or

being labeled "only a crime writer” and having my stories and novels read one

hundred years from now, I know which choice I would make and I can only

assume any writer of sense would make the same choice' (xvii)

George aspires to canonicity, and if she is still being read one hundred years from now she may

accomplish her goal.

Rules of Prey: The Fear Factor

Like George's novels, John Sandford's work has not been around long enough to know if

it will stand the test of time, but Sandford has taken themes as old as time and added a

contemporary twist. His strangeness of design and his originality lie in his ability to weave tales

that prey on the fears of men, and women. Rules of Prey deals with a serial killer who abducts

and tortures women without really knowing who they are. They simply meet the criterion

established in a demented mind.

Sandford is also excellent at character development. His detective, Lucas Davenport, is

 Sammons 24

what might be called American aristocracy. He is definitely upper class, not by virtue of his

work as a detective, but by his proclivity for earning money by producing computer games.

Sandford's body count rivals that of Shakespeare in Hamlet, but what is most interesting about

the novel is Sandford’s portrayal of women. This work is chosen for evaluation for its universal

human values and timeless truths, particularly in relation to gender. For complexity and variety,

Sandford’s women can, debatably, be compared to Shakespeare’s.

Postmortem: The Forensic Detective

Patricia Cornwell’s popularity may be due to her ability to give readers a new

perspective on death. Through her central character, Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, Cornwell

gives us a look inside the morgue and reveals the world of forensic medicine. Harold Bloom

says of Shakespeare's Hamlet, “Hamlet is death's ambassador to us, perhaps one of the few

ambassadors ever sent out by death who does not lie to us about our inevitable relationship with

that undiscovered country. The relationship is altogether solitary, despite all of tradition’s

obscene attempts to socialize it” (31). Cornwell does not lie to us about death or its aftermath,

and she does not attempt to socialize it. Where other writers mention a murder and proceed

immediately to solve it, Cornwell’s central character spends intimate time with the corpse. Like

Hamlet conversing with the ghost of his father, Scarpetta converses with the dead through the

evidence left behind with their bodies. Cornwell adds a whole new perspective to Hamlet’s

“Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him...” (386).

Summary: A Case for Excellence

One of the peculiarities of evaluating the mystery genre for the pedagogical canon is the

seemingly unavoidable tendency the genre inspires toward triviality. Despite the
 Sammons 25

overwhelmingly serious nature of the subject matter, crime and death, we do not tend to take the

genre seriously. Perhaps the root of the problem is in our natural human tendency to avoid the

subject of death. Although we know we will inevitably die, we do not want to think about our

mortality before our demise is immanent. The problem with this kind of stick-our-heads-in-the-

sand mentality is that death can come to anyone at any time. Perhaps, on a deliberately

subconscious level, we understand this and we read the mystery novel to explore what could

happen to someone else and not to ourselves. All of us, of course, will die at a ripe old age

asleep at home in our own beds.

The mystery allows us to play the voyeur, peeking through the windows of those who are

not so fortunate as we will be. We are allowed to witness murder through the eyes of both the

victim and the perpetrator. We get to tag along with the greatest detectives of all time as they

examine crime scenes and put together the pieces of the puzzle that will bring the murderer to

justice. We are permitted to see the many forms of death wrought on humanity by those who

seem to be less than human. We are allowed to see the inhumanity of one human being against

another and place ourselves, for a moment, in the shoes of those who have suffered merely for

having the audacity to exist. We can see whether time has made any improvement in human

nature or if it has merely helped us perfect the art of murder. If murder has become an art, let us

hope that detection has become an art as well.

There is much to be learned from studying canonical texts as defined by Bloom and there

is much to be learned from texts chosen for the pedagogical canon. The course Canon.

Curriculum. and the Mystery Genre will help students to recognize the characteristics of a

literary work that make it eligible for canonicity. They will have a better understanding of why

works are chosen for the pedagogical canon when they may not yet be considered part of the
 Sammons 26

academic canon. They will see how the presence of a work in the pedagogical canon can be a

precursor to canonicity. Students should see the relevance of the mystery genre based on its

foundation in ancient texts. They should be able to recognize the evolution of the mystery genre

to its present form by examining the plot similarities in canonical and contemporary works.

Students should be able to recognize the evolution of race, gender, class, and ethnic

characterizations over time by examining both major and minor characters in each work. In

particular, they will examine these characterizations on the basis of universal human values and

timeless truths. And, it is hoped, students will leave the course with the desire to further explore

texts, both canonical and pedagogical, and add to the ongoing literary debate of the ages.
 Sammons 27

Works Cited

Bartholomae, David, and Anthony Petrosky. Facts Artifacts and Counterfacts: Theory and

Methodfor a Reading and Writing Course. Portsmouth, Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1986.

Bloom, Harold. The Western Canon. NY: Riverbend, 1994.

Booth, Wayne. “Why Ethical Criticism Can Never Be Simple.” Style Summer 1998: 351-65.

<http://webl 5.ennet.com>

Christie, Agatha. The Mysterious Affair at Styles. NY: Random House, 2003.

Collins, Max Allan. The History of Mystery. Portland: Collectors P, 2001.

Cornwell, Patricia. Postmortem. NY: Scribner, 1991.

Day, Ph.D., David. Course syllabus, “Shakespeare.”

Diepenbrock, Ph.D., Chloe. “The Rhetoric of the Popular Novel” and “Pedagogical Practices.”

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan. The Complete Sherlock Holmes. Garden City: Doubleday, 1930.

Eagleton, Terry. “Literary Theory: An Introduction." The Norton Anthology of Theory and

Criticism. Gen. Ed. Vincent B. Leitch. NY: Norton, 2001.

Evard, Sherry H. “The Politics of Canon Selection and How This Impacts Our Cultural

Literacy.” Thesis U of Houston-Clear Lake, 2004.

Fitts, Dudley and Robert Fitzgerald, translators. Sophocles: The Oedipus Cycle. NY:

Harcourt, Brace, 1977.

Ford, Paul. “Tufte vs. Bloom 2.” <http://www.ftrain.com/TufteVsBloom002.html>

Frey, James. How to Write a Damn Good Mystery. NY: St. Martin’s, 2004.

Gallagher, Susan VanZanten. “Contingencies and Intersections: The Formation of

Pedagogical Canons.” Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature,

Language, Composition, and Culture. Volume 1, Number 1,2001, Duke UP.

 Sammons 28

George, Elizabeth, ed. A Moment on the Edge. NY: Harper Collins, 2005.

George, Elizabeth. A Great Deliverance. NY: Bantam, 1988.

George, Elizabeth. Introduction. The Mysterious Affair at Styles. By Agatha Christie.

NY: Random House, 2003. v-xxiv.

Guillory, John. ‘‘Canon." Critical Terms for Literary Study. Ed. Frank Lentricchia, and Thomas

McLaughlin. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1995. 233-49.

Graff, Gerald. Beyond the Culture Wars, How Teaching the Conflicts Can Revitalize American

Education. NY:Norton, 1992.

Greenblatt, Stephen, ed. The Norton Shakespeare. NY: Norton, 1997.

Hughes, Langston. Introduction. Pudd'nhead Wilson. By Mark Twain. NY: Bantam,

1981. vii-xiii.

Johnson, Terry. “Advanced Writing.”

Lindemann, Erika. A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. NY: Oxford UP, 1995.

Martin, Jay. Harvests of Change. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1967.

Murphy, Bruce E. The Encyclopedia ofMurder and Mystery. NY: St. Martin’s, 1999.

OCork, Shannon. How to Write Mysteries. Cincinnati: Writer’s Digest Books, 1989.

Patterson, Annabel. “Intention.” Critical Terms for Literary Study. Ed. Frank Lentricchia, and

Thomas McLaughlin. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1995. 135-46.

Poe, Edgar Allan. The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. NY: Barnes and

Noble, 1992.

Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary. NY: The Free Press, 1989.

Ryrie, Charles. The Ryrie Study Bible. Chicago: Moody, 1986.

Sandford, John. Rules of Prey. NY: Berkley, 1990.

 Sammons 29

Sophocles. The Oedipus Cycle. Trans. Dudley Fitts, and Robert Fitzgerald. NY:

Harcourt, Brace, 1977.

Twain, Mark. Pudd'nhead Wilson. NY: Bantam, 1981.

Ward, Irene. Literacy. Ideology, and Dialogue. Albany: State U of NY P, 1994.

Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary. NY: Barnes and Noble, 1996.

West, Edwin G. ‘‘The Spread of Education Before Compulsion: Britain and America in the

Nineteenth Century.” The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty, July 1996.

<http://www.fee.org/vnews.php?nid=230>

White, Ph.D., Craig. “Contemporary Minority Writers” and “Seminar in American Minority

Literature.”
 Sammons 30

Literature 5131
Canon, Curriculum, and the Mystery Genre
Course Syllabus
Fall 2005
Monday, 7:00-9:50 P.M.

Instructor: Toni Sammons

Office: Bayou 2121 #13
Office Hours: Mondays 5:00-7:00 P.M.
Phone: 281-482-0024 or 281-332-0500
E-mail: tonisammons'&sbcglohal.net

Required Texts
The Bible, Genesis 4:1-15 (1450 B.C.)
Sophocles, Oedipus Rex (450 B.C.)
Shakespeare, William, Hamlet (1601)
Poe, Edgar Allan, Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841)
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, A Study in Scarlet (1887)
Twain, Mark, Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894)
Christie, Agatha, The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920)
George, Elizabeth, A Great Deliverance (1988)
Sandford, John, Rules of Prey (1989)
Cornwell, Patricia, Postmortem (1990)

Required Reading
The following texts will be on reserve in the library. Students are responsible for reading this
material prior to class on the dates designated in the course outline.
Bloom, Harold. The Western Canon. NY: Harcourt, Brace, 1994. 15-41.
Collins, Max Allan. The History ofMystery. Portland: Collectors P, 2001. 7-57.
Graff, Gerald. Beyond Culture Wars. NY: Norton, 1992. 64-104.

Course Objectives
• To discuss issues related to the academic canon and the pedagogical canon
• To explore the relevance of the mystery genre in literature
• To trace the history of the mystery genre from canonical texts to contemporary novels
• To examine character depictions by race, gender, class, and ethnicity

Course Structure
This is a text-based course requiring extensive reading in preparation for participation in
classroom discussions. Students are expected to read all assigned material and come to class
prepared to contribute ideas and opinions. It is recommended that students keep a journal and
take notes while reading in order to participate fully in classroom discussions and in anticipation
of writing individual response papers and the final essay. Students must keep in mind that the
class may be discussing issues of a sensitive nature and comport themselves accordingly.
 Sammons 31

Grading
The student’s final grade in this course will be cumulative and will be based on a combination of
factors including attendance, preparation, participation, and writing assignments. Greater
emphasis will be placed on the final essay, which should demonstrate a good working knowledge
of the material discussed in class.
Grades will be based on the following approximate percentages:
Response essays 30%
Final essay proposal 5%
Final essay 45%
Class participation 20%

Writing Assignments
1. Response Papers: Students are required to write two three to five page response papers
based on materials read for class. Students will present these papers on the night the
materials are to be discussed. The papers will be the basis of class discussion for the
evening, so late papers are unacceptable.
2. Final Essay Proposal: Students will write a final essay proposal consisting of a one or two
paragraph description of the student’s chosen topic and a working works cited page
demonstrating that research has begun for the project.
3. Final Essay: Students will write a ten to fifteen page paper in which they explore one or
more authors, works, and/or issues discussed in class. Essays will be prepared according
to MLA style. A written proposal with preliminary works cited will be submitted in
advance for approval.

Attendance
Attendance is essential in a text-based course where classroom discussions are the foundation of
the class. Students can miss no more than three classes during the semester and receive a passing
grade. The student's final grade will be adversely affected by excessive absences, missed
deadlines, late arrivals, or early departures. Roll will be taken before and after the break.

Plagiarism
Plagiarism is taking the words or ideas of another without giving proper credit to the source.
When exact words are borrowed, use quotation marks and cite the source. When using a
paraphrase or summary, give credit to the source of the citation. Plagiarism is an extremely
serious offence and is punishable by the university. A student caught plagiarizing in this class
will receive a grade of **F” for the semester (0 points).

Students with Special Needs:

If you are a student with a special need and require classroom assistance, consult first with the
director of Disabled Services and then inform the instructor. Accommodations will be made to
assist you.
 Sammons 3^

Literature 5131
Canon, Curriculum, and the Mystery Genre
Toni Sammons, Instructor
Course Outline
Fall 2005

Date Discussion Topics Reading Assignments Assignment Due Dates

08/22/05 Introduction, Syllabus, Essay Dates, Bloom (on reserve in library)

Genesis 4:1-15, Sorry Wrong Number Sophocles, Oedipus Rex

08/29/05 Bloom, Oedipus Rex Graff (on reserve in library) Individual response papers due
Shakespeare, Hamlet

09/05/05 Labor Day Holiday-No Class

09/12/05 Graff, Hamlet Booth (internet handout) Individual response papers due
Poe, Murders in the Rue Morgue

09/19/05 Booth, Murders in the Rue Morgue Collins (on reserve in library) Individual response papers due
Doyle, A Study in Scarlet

09/26/05 Collins, A Study in Scarlet Twain, Puddn 'head Wilson Individual response papers due

10/03/05 Puddn 'head Wilson Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles Individual response papers due
(through chapter 6)

10/10/05 The Mysterious Affair at Styles Christie, The Mysterious Affair at Styles Individual response papers due
(through the end)

10/17/05 The Mysterious Affair at Styles George, A Great Deliverance Individual response papers due
(through chapter 15)

10/24/05 A Great Deliverance George, A Great Deliverance Individual response papers due
(through the end)

10/31/05 A Great Deliverance Sandford, Rules of Prey FINAL PAPER TOPICS DUE
(through chapter 17) Individual response papers due

11/07/05 Rules of Prey Sandford, Rules of Prey Individual response papers due
(through the end)
 Sammons 33

11/14/05 Rules of Prey Cornwell, Postmortem Individual response papers due

(through chapter 8)

11/21/05 Postmortem Cornwell, Postmortem Individual response papers due

(through the end)

11/28/05 Postmortem Individual response papers due

12/05/05 FINAL PAPERS DUE

 Gammons 34

Lesson Plan
08/22/05

Length of Type of Purpose of Activity Expected Outcome Outside Reading Outside Writing
Activity Activity Assignment Assignment

7:00- Introduction, To prepare students I want students to understand that this NA for first class NA for first class
7:30 Syllabus, for coming class course will be both manageable and
Essay Due periods and attempt enjoyable and that they will be
Dates to alleviate anxiety expected to complete assignments
about the course. on time.

7:30- Genesis To show students an I expect students to begin to recognize

8:15 4:1-15 example of a canonical the qualities that make a work
text and how we will eligible for canonicity.
analyze future texts.

8:15- Break
8:30

8:30- Play To help students begin to I expect students to learn why the
9:00 Sorry understand why the earliest examples of the mystery
Wrong mystery genre has not genre were frowned upon by the
Number been considered canonical. world of academia.

9:00- Class To help students begin to I will use this class discussion as a
9:50 discussion understand the way each precursor for future discussions.
class will be conducted. During this time, the class members will
begin interaction with one another
as they compare and contrast the two
works presented.
 Sammons 35

Lesson Plan
08/29/05

Length of Type of Purpose of Activity Expected Outcome Outside Reading Outside Writing
Activity Activity Assignment Assignment

7:00- First two To elicit a sharing of I expect students to gain an under­ Bloom, Oedipus Student response
7:30 student of ideas regarding the standing of Bloom's attitude about Rex essays
essays the literary canon. the literary canon.

7:30- Class To help students begin I expect students to learn the reasons
8:15 discussion to formulate a list of behind the demand for literary excellence
canonical character­ and the characteristics that define literary
istics. excellence.

8:15 Break
8:30

8:30- Second two To elicit a sharing of I want students to learn more about
9:00 student ideas about Sophocles Sophocles as an author and more about
essays and his work. his characters in Oedipus Rex.

9:00- Class To help students I expect students to gain an under­

9:50 discussion recognize why standing of what makes Oedipus Rex
Oedipus Rex is a a canonical text and be able to recognize
canonical text with the elements of the mystery genre present
elements of the in the text. I expect students to begin to
mystery genre. see the human element as it relates to timeless
truths and universal values.
 Sammons 36

Lesson Plan
09/12/05

Length of Type of Purpose of Activity Expected Outcome Ouide Reading Outside Writing
Activity Activity Assignment Assignment

7:00- First two To elicit a sharing of I expect students to learn that Graff, Hamlet Students response
7:30 student ideas regarding sharing the conflicts can be essays
essays canonical conflicts. beneficial to literary debate.

7:30- Class To help students see I expect students to learn Graffs

8:15 discussion why conflict can enhance philosophy about teaching the
the learning experience. conflicts and apply it to the course
they are taking.

8:15- Break
8:30

8:30- Second two To elicit a sharing of I want students to understand why

9:00 student ideas about Hamlet. Bloom considers Shakespeare to be
essays in the literary canon.

9:00 Class To begin to see how I want students to learn why Hamlet
9:50 discussion character depictions can be examined as a canonical work
can influence ideas and as a mystery. I want students to
about the place of learn the excellence with which
minorities in society. Shakespeare depicts his characters, in
particular females, and how he lays the
groundwork for future works.
 Sammons 37

Lesson Plan
09/19/05

Length of Type of Purpose of Activity Expected Outcome Outside Reading Outside Writing
Activity Activity Assignment Assignment

7100- First two To elicit a sharing of I want students to learn Booth, Murders in Students response
7:30 student ideas about Booth’s Booth’s theory of literary lhe Rue Morgue essays
essays philosophy. influence and begin to apply
it to what they are reading.

7:30- Class To help students begin to I want students to learn that what
8:15 discussion understand that what they read can influence their
they read can affect them on personal belief systems and value
a personal level. judgments.

8:15- Break
8:30

8:30- Second two To elicit a sharing of I want students to learn why Poe
9:00 student responses to Poe’s work. is considered the father of the
essays mystery genre.

9:00- Class
9:50 discussion To examine the elements 1 want students to learn why some of
of the mystery genre present Poe’s works are mysteries and yet his
in The Murders in the Rue body of work is considered canonical.
Morgue.
 Sammons 38

Lesson Plan
09/26/05

Length of Type of Purpose of Activity Expected Outcome Outside Reading Outside Writing
Activity Activity Assignment Assignment

7:00- First two To elicit a sharing of ideas I want students to learn Collins, A Study in Students response
7:30 student regarding the mystery genre. the origins of the mystery Scarlet essays
essays genre from Collins’s
perspective.

7:30- Class To use the conflict regarding I want students to learn what
8:15 discussion the advent of the detective to characteristics define a detective
to stimulate creative thinking. by examining the works we have
studied to date.

8:15- Break
8:30

8:30- Second two To elicit a sharing of ideas I want students to learn why
9:00 student about Doyle and his work. Doyle’s work is not generally
essays part of the academic canon.

9:00- Class To encourage discussion 1 want students to have some

9:50 discussion of the exclusion of the understanding of why the mystery
mystery genre from canonical genre has been denied inclusion
lists and the merits of adding in the academic canon and begin
works deemed of excellence. to think about the pedagogical canon.
 Sammons 39

Lesson Plan
10/03/05

Length of Activity

7:00-8:15 and 8:30-9:50 (Break 8:15-8:30)

Type of Activity

Two student essays before the break followed by class discussion and two student essays after the break followed by class discussion

Purpose of Activity

To elicit a discussion of Twain and his work.

To discuss Pudd'nhead Wilson from the perspective of a mystery disguised as a social commentary.
To examine the aspects of the mystery genre found in the text.
To discuss the inclusion of Twain’s work in the canon

Expected Outcome

I expect students to learn about Twain and his contribution to literature.

I expect students to learn that Twain’s work often reflects his views on the pertinent issues of his time.
I want students to learn why Pudd'nhead Wilson is an important example of timeless truths and universal values.
I want students to understand the qualities in this work that make it eligible for canonicity

Outside Reading Assignment

Mark Twain’s Pudd'nhead Wilson

Outside Writing Assignment

Student response essays

 Sammons 40

Lesson Plan
10/10/05

Length of Activity

7:00-8:15 and 8:30-9:50 (Break 8:15-8:30)

Type of Activity

Two student essays before the break followed by class discussion and two student essays after the break followed by class discussion

Purpose of Activity

To elicit a discussion of Agatha Christie

To discuss Christie’s contribution to the mystery genre
To discuss The Mysterious Affair at Styles through chapter 6

Expected Outcome

I want students to learn about Christie's life and times

I want students to learn why Christie’s works are a staple of the mystery genre
I want students to begin to examine Christie’s mastery of characterizations.

Outside Reading Assignment

Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles through chapter 6

Outside Writing Assignment

Student response essays

 Sammons 41

Lesson Plan
10/17/05

Length of Activity

7:00-8:15 and 8:30-9:50 (Break 8:15-8:30)

Type of Activity

Two student essays before the break followed by class discussion and two student essays after the break followed by class discussion

Purpose of Activity

To elicit continued discussion of Christie’s work

To discuss the particulars of the novel
To discuss the novel as it relates to canonicity

Expected Outcome

Having now completed the novel, I expect students to be able to discuss Christie’s work in detail
I expect students to be able to discuss Christie’s characters with particular emphasis on Poirot
At this point in the course, I expect students to be able to offer arguments about whether or not the work should be included in the canon
I expect students to be able to offer an informed opinion about the presence of Christie’s work in a pedagogical canon

Outside Reading Assignment

Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious at Styles through the end

Outside Writing Assignment

Student response essays

 Sammons 42

Lesson Plan
10/24/05

Length of Activity

7:00-8:15 and 8:30-9:50 (Break 8:15-8:30)

Type of Activity

Two student essays before the break followed by class discussion and two student essays after the break followed by class discussion

Purpose of Activity

To elicit a discussion of Elizabeth George

To discuss George’s contribution to the mystery genre
To discuss A Great Deliverance through chapter 15

Expected Outcome

I expect students to learn Elizabeth George’s background

I expect students to be able to examine the text for elements key to a good mystery
I expect students to be able to discuss the text through chapter 15 and be able to discuss plot and characters

Outside Reading Assignment

Elizabeth George’s A Great Deliverance through chapter 15

Outside Writing Assignment

Student response essays

 Sammons 43

Lesson Plan
10/31/05

Length of Activity

7:00-8:15 and 8:30-9:50 (Break 8:15-8:30)

Type of Activity

Two student essays before the break followed by class discussion and two student essays after the break followed by class discussion

Purpose of Activity

To discuss A Great Deliverance through the end of the novel

To examine George’s absence from the academic canon and assess her likelihood of attaining canonical status
To assess George’s relevance to the pedagogical canon

Expected Outcome

I expect students to have read and be able to discuss the remainder of George’s novel
I expect students to know the elements of a canonical text well enough to assess George’s chances of inclusion
I expect students to have a working knowledge of the pedagogical canon and be able to express their opinions about George’s inclusion

Outside Reading Assignment

Elizabeth George’s A Great Deliverance through the end

Outside Writing Assignment

Student response essays

Final paper topics due

 Sammons 44

Lesson Plan
11/07/05

Length of Activity

7:00-8:15 and 8:30-9:50 (Break 8:15-8:30)

Type of Activity

Two student essays before the break followed by class discussion and two student essays after the break followed by class discussion

Purpose of Activity

To elicit a discussion of John Sandford

To discuss Sandford’s contribution to the mystery genre
To discuss Rules ofPrey through chapter 17

Expected Outcome

I want students to learn about Sandford

I expect students to be able to assess the elements of the mystery genre present in Sandford’s novel
I expect students to have done their reading and be prepared to discuss Rules of Prey through chapter 17

Outside Reading Assignment

John Sandford’s Rules of Prey through chapter 17

Outside Writing Assignment

Student response essays

 Sammons 45

Lesson Plan
11/14/05

Length of Activity

7:00-8:15 and 8:30-9:50 (Break 8:15-8:30)

Type of Activity

Two student essays before the break followed by class discussion and two student essays after the break followed by class discussion

Purpose of Activity

To elicit continued discussion of Sandford’s work

To discuss the particulars of Rules ofPrey
To discuss the novel as it relates to canonicity

Expected Outcome

I expect students to have completed reading Rules of Prey and be ready to discuss the novel
I expect students to learn more about Sandford’s characterizations, with particular emphasis on his portrayal of women
I expect students to learn more about assessing works like Sandford’s for inclusion in any canon

Outside Reading Assignment

John Sandford’s Rules ofPrey through the end

Outside Writing Assignment

Student response essays

 Sammons 46

Lesson Plan
11/21/05

Length of Activity

7:00-8:15 and 8:30-9:50 (Break 8:15-8:30)

Type of Activity

Two student essays before the break followed by class discussion and two student essays after the break followed by class discussion

Purpose of Activity

To elicit a discussion of Patricia Cornwell

To discuss Cornwell’s contribution to the mystery genre
To discuss Postmortem through chapter 8

Expected Outcomes

I expect students to learn about Patricia Cornwell’s background as it relates to the content of her novels
I expect students to be able to examine Postmortem for the elements present in a good mystery
1 expect students to have read and come prepared to discuss the plot and characters in Postmortem through chapter 8

Outside Reading Assignment

Patricia Cornwell’s Postmortem through chapter 8

Outside Writing Assignment

Student response essays

 Sammons 47

Lesson Plan
11/28/05

Length of Activity

7:00-8:15 and 8:30-9:50 (Break 8:15-8:30)

Type of Activity

Two student essays before the break followed by class discussion and two student essays after the break followed by class discussion

Purpose of Activity

To complete the discussion of Cornwell’s Postmortem

To discuss Cornwell's eligibility for any kind of canonicity
To summarize the course by discussing canon, curriculum, and the mystery genre
To discuss any issues of concern regarding the final essay due next week

Expected Outcome

I expect students to have read the end of Postmortem and be prepared to discuss the novel
I expect students to offer informed opinions regarding the eligibility of Cornwell’s work for any kind of canonicity
I expect students to participate in a discussion of the course as a whole, addressing issues related to canonicity, the choice of texts chosen for the
pedagogical canon, and the inclusion of the mystery genre in any canon
I want students to ask any questions they may have as they prepare to complete their final papers

Outside Reading Assignment

Patricia Cornwell’s Postmortem through the end

Outside Writing Assignment

Student response essays

 Sammons 48

Literature 5131
Canon, Curriculum, and the Mystery Genre
Response Essay Assignment
Fall 2005

Assignment
During the course of the semester, each student will write two three to five page essays. A list of
class dates will be passed around and each student must select two different dates during the
semester when they will present these essays. The essays must be presented on the nights the
student has selected because the essays will be the basis of class discussion for that evening.

Content
The content of the response essays must relate to materials being taught on the night the essays
will be presented. For example, on the night the class will discuss Bloom and Oedipus Rex. two
student essays will be a discussion of Bloom and two student essays will be a discussion of
Oedipus Rex. The students whose names appear on the left hand side of the sign up sheet will
discuss Bloom and the two on the right hand side will discuss Oedipus Rex. If you have chosen a
night when only a novel will be discussed, two of the essays for that evening will relate to the
author and two of the essays will relate to the novel.

Contingencies
You may, at my discretion, elect to address a topic other than the designated texts, but you must
ask permission to do so prior to writing the paper. You might, for example, want to address the
topic of fingerprinting when the class discussion will be Mark Twain’s Pudd'nhead Wilson.

Should you, for any reason, determine that you will be unable to present your essay on the night
you have selected, you must let me know in advance. You will be required to select another date
and the text for the new night will be the topic of your paper.

Audience
Your audience for your response essays will be an audience of your peers and an academic
audience. Therefore, each essay should be written and presented in good taste and with proper
decorum. No swearing, cursing, obscenities, racial or ethnic slurs, sexual innuendo, or any other
offensive language may be incorporated into your papers UNLESS you are using a quote that is
absolutely essential to making your point. We are here to share ideas, not promote personal
agendas.

Grading
Your grade on these papers will be determined by content and presentation. The subject matter
will be judged for relevance to the topic at hand, for the class discussion it generates, and for
how it demonstrates your grasp of the material. Presentation consists primarily of bringing
copies of your material for the class and reading your essay aloud. Each essay will constitute
approximately 15% of your final grade.
 Sammons 49

Literature 5131
Canon, Curriculum, and the Mystery Genre
Final Essay Topics
Fall 2005

Assignment
Prior to writing your final essay, you must submit a written proposal outlining the topic of your
paper. The proposal need only be one or two paragraphs in length, but it must be concise and to
the point. You must also submit a preliminary works cited page indicating that you have begun
research regarding your chosen topic of discussion.

Content
The content of your proposal should be sufficient for me to be able to see that you have thought
through your idea and know with relative certainty what you plan to discuss in your paper.
Content may change, but the general concept of the paper should remain the same from its
inception to the finished product. The preliminary works cited page should be presented in
proper MLA format and reflect a working knowledge of where your research is taking you.

Contingencies
The essay proposal is mandatory. Not turning one in is not an option. Should you, however, be
late in turning in your proposal, it may prove detrimental to your grade. The object of the
proposal is to allow me the opportunity to guide you should your topic appear too broad or
unrelated to the course materials.

Should you decide to change the topic of your paper at the last moment, you must make me
aware of your decision immediately.

Audience
Your audience for your essay topic is your instructor.

Grading
While there is no specific grade given for the essay proposal, it constitutes 5% of your final essay
grade.
 Sammons 50

Literature 5131
Canon, Curriculum, and the Mystery Genre
Final Essay

Assignment
For your final essay, you will write a 10-15 page paper to be turned in on December 5th, 2005.
While you may turn your paper in sooner, you may not turn it in later. The absolute deadline is
the day of our final examination class, December 5lh, 2005. No exceptions can be made.

Content
The content of your final essay must be based on some aspect of the work we have covered
during the semester. The wonderful thing about a literature course of this kind is that it offers
itself up for closer scrutiny on a number of relevant topics. The choice of topics is yours, but I
must approve the topic you choose (refer to proposal assignment). During the semester, we will,
at intervals, discuss possible topics that may be used. You must always keep in mind, however,
that you are writing a final examination paper. The content of your paper must reflect a working
knowledge of the material we have discussed in class.

Contingencies
There are none. The only alternative to turning in this paper is a failing grade in this course.

Audience
Your audience for your final essay is academic.

Grading
Your grade on the final essay will be determined by content and presentation. The subject matter
will be judged for relevance to topics discussed in class and your ability to demonstrate a
working knowledge of the material. The content of the papers will also be judged for originality
and style. Your paper must be presented in proper MLA format with a works cited page. Your
final essay paper constitutes 50% of your grade and includes your essay proposal.
 Sammons 51

Literature 5131
Canon, Curriculum, and the Mystery Genre
Course Rationale
Fall 2005

In his excellent book, Beyond the Culture War, How Teaching the Conflicts Can

Revitalize American Education, Gerald Graff says, "it always makes a difference which

particular books and ideas are taught” (94), but he also notes that it will not make a difference

which books are taught if students will not read them. Graffs contention is that any book,

canonical or otherwise, can be made difficult enough for use in a college or university classroom.

The issue is not necessarily difficulty, but alienation and intimidation. Students often feel

intimidated by canonical texts. Graff notes, “Even the sternest traditionalists will usually

concede that it is foolish to refuse to teach any book, however non-canonical, if it figures to

interest a student who otherwise would not read at all” (94).

James Frey in How to Write a Damn Good Mystery says, “In the publishing world,

mystery fiction attracts immense audiences, and accounts for more than a third of all fiction sold

in the English-speaking world” (3). It makes sense, then, to incorporate the best of both worlds.

If one third of all fiction sold is of the mystery genre, mysteries must be of profound interest to

millions of people worldwide and will, undoubtedly, be of interest to many students entering

university classrooms. If both canonical and neo-canonical texts can be incorporated and

investigated through the eyes of academia, students will be drawn into class discussions when

they might otherwise sit on the sidelines. Rather than silent observers, they might become

participators in classroom debates.

The goal of the class is to look at the aspects of the mystery genre in texts officially

designated mysteries and in texts that hold elements of the mystery genre while not officially

known as mysteries. In doing so, students will explore the elements of excellence that must be
 Sammons 52

present in any work that might be considered for canonicity. They will also examine each work

in light of the author's treatment of individual characters, the relevance of which can be seen

only over a long period of literary time. For example, they will look at characterizations of

women as portrayed in each work and examine the similarities and the differences. In doing so,

it is hoped students will begin to see the value of the individual in society and how that value has

changed over time.

This will be a text-based course focused on classroom discussion. Consequently, writing

is as essential as reading. Students will be required to write two individual response papers

based on the reading material chosen for the course. These essays will be presented to the class

and will be the basis of classroom discussion. Students will also be required to write a final

essay in which they will explore some aspect of the material presented in class during the

semester. The topics for the final papers, along with a working works cited page, will be

presented to the instructor for approval one month prior to the due date. The response papers

will address an audience of the student's peers as well as an academic audience. The final essay

will address an academic audience. All papers will be written according to MLA style.

Class attendance is absolutely essential to student driven discussion. Students must be

present to contribute to and benefit from classroom participation. Because student assignments

will be the source material for class discussion, assignments must be ready on time and

according to schedule. A tightly enforced schedule for turning in assignments will not only

enable students to participate fully in classroom discussion, but will also help them earn a

passing grade. Students will know exactly what is expected of them and when. Roll will be

taken and a student can miss no more than three classes during the semester and still attain a

passing grade unless highly mitigating circumstances arise.

Plagiarism is unacceptable and will result in a failing grade. While students will use
 Sammons 53

the ideas of others, they must always acknowledge the source. In his course syllabus, Dr. David

Day clearly states the position of teachers regarding plagiarism:

Many students do not understand the seriousness of this offense or the outrage it

engenders in professors. There are essentially two reasons for our strong reaction:

(1) plagiarism is the intellectual equivalent of theft—the only difference is that

you're stealing words instead of physical objects; (2) it indicates you think the

professor is too stupid or unfamiliar with his subject area to catch you, an

assumption that would insult anyone deeply.

A literature course that focuses on reading, writing, and classroom discussion is designed

with specific goals in mind. In A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. Ericka Lindemann notes, “All

writing courses share a common goal: giving students enough guided practice in composing that

they become more fluent, effective writers at the end of the course than they were at the

beginning" (248). I hope to encourage my students throughout the course so they will recognize

their ability to accomplish their short-term goals and stick with the long-term goal of obtaining a

degree. In the process, I hope my students will leam much, enjoy literature more, and leave with

a desire to read, as Bloom says, “more selectively," whatever that selection may be.
 Sammons 54

Literature 5131
Canon, Curriculum, and the Mystery Genre
Response Essay Due Dates
Fall 2005

Choose two dates during the semester when you will present your response papers. The essays
are due on the dates designated and will be the basis of class discussions. The topics for your
papers are open to your selection, but must be related to the course materials assigned for the
dates you have chosen. Please bring copies for your classmates. You may not write two papers
for the same date. Please make sure that at least two, and not more than four, papers will be
presented on each date. WRITE DOWN THE DATES YOU PREFER. You may not be able to
have the dates you have requested, so please write down any dates you know will be in conflict
with the class schedule.

08/29/2005

09/12/2005

09/19/2005

09/26/1005

10/03/2005
 Sammons 55

10/10/2005

10/17/2005

10/24/2005

10/31/2005

11/07/2005

11/14/2005

11/21/05
 Sammons 56

11/28/05
 Sammons 57

Literature 5131
Canon, Curriculum, and the Mystery Genre
Essay Topics
Fall 2005

Should you need them, the following are some suggestions for essay topics:

Origin of the term Canon

Characteristics of a canonical text
Should we feel guilty for not reading a canonical text?
The pedagogical canon
A brief introduction to Sophocles
Oedipus as a mystery text
Oedipus as detective
Portrayal of the elderly in Oedipus or Hamlet
Portrayal of women in Oedipus or Hamlet
Death by poison in Hamlet
The class system in Hamlet
Hamlet as detective
The amateur detective as portrayed by Poe
The locked room mystery
The amateur detective as portrayed by Doyle
Fingerprinting
Race relations in Pudd 'ahead Wilson
The amateur detective as portrayed by Twain
The narrator/sidekick as portrayed by Poe, Doyle, Christie, George and/or Cornwell
Scotland Yard
The portrayal of police officials in any novel
Death by poison in The Mysterious Affair at Styles
A brief personal history of Agatha Christie
The class system in A Great Deliverance
The secondary major characters in A Great Deliverance
Serial killers
The portrayal of women in Rules ofPrey
The portrayal of religion/religious figures in any novel
The fascination with forensics
A brief history of Patricia Cornwell’s work