Whodunit? Mystery and Suspense in Literature and Film
Writing Course | |
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Course Code | WHOD |
Year Opened | 1998 |
Sites Offered | ATN, BRI, HAV, SCZ, SUN |
Previously Offered | ASU, BTH, CAL, CHS, EST, FRD |
Course Description
From the CTY Summer Catalog:
This writing class introduces students to an intriguing genre of popular culture: mystery. What elements create a mystery? How do cinematography and sound in film build suspense? What are the literary merits of the mystery genre, and what do mysteries tell us about our culture?
Students read classic mystery writers such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, and Agatha Christie. They also study clips from a variety of films, including early horror classics and film noir from the forties and fifties. By examining literary techniques such as characterization and plot, as well as film techniques such as camera angles and lighting, students analyze the ways writers and directors manipulate these elements to build suspense and heighten tension on the page and the screen.
Students apply their knowledge of mysteries in formal critical essays and in their own brief stories and scenes.