Jane Austen and the Craft of Mystery
Monday, July 27 7:30 pm
McManus Room
Jane Austen’s Emma has been described as a traditional mystery with no murder. The term traditional is code in the world of mysteries. It informs and reassures readers about what to expect of this sub-genre—it implies certain qualities relating to the structure, characters, pacing, plot, and resolution.
Mystery authors, Jane K. Cleland and Margaret J. Ehrhart, will discuss the components of a “traditional” mystery, Jane Austen’s mastery of clues, red herrings, and suspense techniques, and how and why the mystery in Emma succeeds.
