Guys, I hope everyone knows that we have been assigned Holiday Homework in English wherein we are expected to read

a novel by Agatha Christie(preferably one on which a movie is also based) and submit a comparative analysis(comparing it with The Hound of the Baskervilles) which may include the following: Heading Author Publisher Plot(how it twists and turns) Characterization How methods differ Murderer/Murderess This was announced in class when attendance was low.

Today, there are thousands of popular mystery novels that people enjoy to read; however, how is it that all these books are united by their genre, but at the same time prove to be so different? This question can be answered by examining the two books of The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie. In both of these books, the authors create a "mood of mystery" which unites them into a common genre. However, the technique each author uses to establish the mystery differs, where Doyle relies on the setting, and Christie depends on the characters and clues. No matter how many mystery books there are, in each one, a "mood of mystery" can be found using the elements of mystery, which separates mystery books from novels of other genres. There are several examples that can be found in Doyle's novel to support this "mood". One element of mystery is a detective with extraordinary "powers", and in The Hound of the Baskervilles, this detective is Sherlock Holmes. He has exceptional detective skills that are applied to help solve the case. Another element of mystery that can be found in the book is a corpse. A newspaper line found in the book further explains this example, "The recent sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville whose name has been mentioned as the probable Liberal candidate for Mid-Devon at the next election has cast a gloom over the county...he then proceeded down the alley, and it was at the far end of it that his body was discovered" (Doyle 26, 27-28). A corpse is commonly found in mystery books because it is perhaps the strongest element used to help develop the "mood of mystery". Finally, there is a close group of suspects, each one being a possible murderer. Since the setting of the book was on a moor, which is scarcely inhabited, Doyle made the few people that did live on the moor all possible suspects. Consequently, all three of these elements that support the mood of the book can also be found in Christie's book, which creates a relation between these two books. In Murder on the OrientExpress, there is also a detective with extraordinary skills. However, in this book, the character's name is Hercule Poirot, who in fact, also solves the mystery at hand. Second, similar to Doyle's book, a corpse is found. A reference to this corpse can be found early in the book which is, "And now a passenger lies dead in his berth- stabbed" (Christie 40). Once again, the death of a character in the book had a huge impact on the overall mood because death, especially murder, leaves the reader tense and anxious, but still interested. Lastly, like Doyle's book, there was a close group of suspects. Even though the setting differed from Doyle's because it took place on a train, it leaves the same elusive question- which character killed the victim? Although these two books and other mystery books share this common "mood of mystery", obviously, there are differences between the books to help establish a book's uniqueness. There are many ways to establish a book's uniqueness, one being the way the "mood of mystery" is presented. This is a notable difference between Doyle's book and Christie's. In Doyle's book, he relies on the setting to help create the "mood". In Hound of the Baskervilles, the setting takes place on a moor, a dark, desolate landscape that is constantly foggy and contains many pits of quicksand. Using that setting alone, Doyle easily creates a mysterious mood. Of course, he also uses other elements of mystery, but his prime element is the setting. A clear example of how Doyle uses the setting to create the "mood" is "Over the green squares of the fields and the low curve of a wood there rose in the distance a gray, melancholy hill with a strange jagged summit, dim and vague in the distance, like

some fantastic landscape in a dream" (Doyle 81). Using this line and many others similar to it, Doyle creates a setting that is mysterious on its own and helps make the book feel more alive to the reader. Without Doyle's fantastic use of words and phrases to help establish this setting, the book would nothing compared to what it is now. Now obviously this technique works for Doyle in creating the "mood" but some authors, like Christie, use other techniques. In Murder on the Orient Express, Christie establishes her "mood" through the characters and clues of the book. In a way, it is a less poetic approach than Doyle's, but more of a classic mystery novel approach. She is very detailed in her explanation of clues, characters, and character testimonies. An example of this is early in the book when describing the scene of the crime and the book reads, "Those two matches are of different shapes...with a little exclamation he bent and picked up something from the floor. It was a small square of cambric, very dainty. In the corner was an embroidered initial H...Poirot had made another dive onto the floor. This time he held out on the palm of his hand- a pipe-cleaner" (Christie 58-59). In only two pages, Christie manages to explain several clues in detail and help the reader better understand all the aspects of the mystery. And that is only one example. A majority of the book is character testimonies and clues given by them. Obviously, it is a much different approach then Doyle's, but it too has a large impact on the book. So although there are many mystery books around today, the way the "mood of mystery" is presented creates a huge difference between books. From examining only these two mystery books, it was evident that they shared a common "mood", and could therefore be compared, but the way the "mood" was presented contrasted greatly and had a huge impact on the overall effect. It is because of the "mood of mystery" that all mystery books are bound together and classified under one genre. However, like different books from separate genres, the technique the author uses to establish the mood creates huge differences. So next time you are out buying a new mystery book, be prepared for the classic "mood of mystery", but don't expect the book to be anything like the last one you read.