Week One: Introduction to Crime in Victorian Literature

(approx. 3 hours of work)

▪ Context is the setting in which a novel, play, poem, event etc. takes place which we need to understand in order to understand the story.

▪ For example: In Romeo and Juliet it is important for us to know that in the CONTEXT of Elizabethan times, women belonged to their fathers and then their husbands when married.

▪ It is important to know this CONTEXT because we understand why Lord Capulet wants Juliet to marry Paris and why he would be so angry at her for not listening to him.

▪ The next slide will give you some context on Victorian Britain and Victorian literature, read and make notes as there will be a quiz!

▪ The Victorian period is named after Queen Victoria who ruled Britain from 1837-1901.

▪ There were many changes which took place in this time, including changes in science, industry and manufacturing – which meant Victorian writers were very interested in the idea of change.

▪ With the development of a lot of factories and machinery, this meant that children often worked long hours in factories and workhouses – (think back to A Christmas Carol last year!).

▪ Many writers became passionate about exposing these awful conditions to the public.

▪ However, these advancements also made it less expensive to publish and pint books, due to being able to use typewriters, which meant a lot more people were able to buy books to read.

▪ In the Victorian period, many people were deeply religious and relied on the information given to them by the church.

▪ However, during this time, science and scientists began to challenge people’s religious beliefs.

▪ Charles Darwin wrote a book named the ‘Origin of Species’ which explained the theory of evolution – suggesting that mankind was descended from apes – which was extremely controversial and angered religious believers at that time.

▪ The theory suggested that most mystery could be explained by science rather than religion or magic, which gave Victorian writers the idea to start exploring these new scientific ideas.

1. When was the Victorian period?

2. Which industries began to change during this period?

3. Who was the scientist who wrote ‘On an Origin of Species’ and what was his main theory?

4. How might these new scientific discoveries have challenged people’s views at the time?

5. What is context and why is it useful?

1. When was the Victorian period? 1837 - 1901

2. Which industries began to change during this period? Science, manufacturing, industrial factories.

3. Who was the scientist who wrote ‘On an Origin of Species’ and what was his main theory? Charles Darwin and the Theory of Evolution.

4. How might these new scientific discoveries have challenged people’s views at the time? The discoveries challenged the religious views of the time, people were deeply set in their ways prior to these discoveries which would have made them rethink their entire belief system. This is why some may have chosen not to believe it.

5. What is context and why is it useful? Context is the circumstances of the setting of which something is written, we need to know because events/situations influence writers and we can begin to understand the reasons behind a novel/play.

▪ If you were an author in the Victorian period, what topic would you have liked to write about and why?

▪ Write a short paragraph explaining your choices and reasons – try to use what you know about the context to influence you.

▪ Charles Dickens was a popular Victorian author who often used his writing to highlight inequalities in society, such as the differences between rich and poor, children in workhouses and the homeless.

▪ Some of his most popular books include:

▪ - A Christmas Carol (remember from Year 7!)- Oliver Twist- Great Expectations- Bleak House

▪ We are going to focus on Oliver Twist and the theme of crime and mystery it contains.

▪ ‘Dickensian’ (adjective) means: similar to novels by Charles Dickens, usually suggesting poor conditions.

▪ For example: The fact that there are currently so many homeless people on the streets is so Dickensian.

▪ Try to use this word now in a sentence of your own.

1. Critic (noun) meaning: a person who disapproves of something.

2. Reformer (noun) meaning: a person who makes changes to something in order to improve it.

3. Social commentator (noun) meaning: someone whose writing concentrates on commenting on issues in society.

▪ Oliver Twist (if you do not already know the story) focuses on an orphaned boy who lives and works in the workhouse after the death of his mother.

▪ TASK: Research workhouses- What was a workhouse?- Why were they created?- How do you think it would have felt to have grown up in a workhouse like Oliver?- Why might someone in a workhouse be interested in mystery?- Why might someone in a workhouse turn to crime?

▪ Oliver Twist famously asks the people who run the workhouse for more food than the small amount of gruel they usually receive, and is kicked out and sold to another family.

▪ This family also treat Oliver badly, so he runs away to London where he falls in with a group of pickpockets who act friendly to him and who are led by a criminal named Fagin.

▪ If you were Oliver, why would you want to stay with criminals?

▪ Do you think pickpocketing is bad? What if your other option was to starve?

▪ How do you think a Victorian audience would view pickpockets?

▪ Why might a Victorian audience find the world of the criminals mysterious?

▪ Oliver stays with the pickpockets but is unaware yet of what the actually do – he doe not know they are criminals. One day, two of the boys take him out to show him their work. He witnesses the boy picking an older gentleman’s pocket and the mystery of what they do for money becomes clear.

▪ However, as he runs away from the boys, the gentleman realises something has been stolen from him, turns and sees Oliver running away believing him to be the thief.

▪ The following extract follows this encounter:

"Stop thief! Stop thief!" There is a magic in the sound. The tradesman leaves his counter; the butcher throws down his tray; the baker his basket; the milkman his pail; the errand-boy his parcels; the school-boy his marbles. Away they run, pell-mell, helter-skelter, slap-dash: tearing, yelling, screaming, knocking down the passengers as they turn the corners, rousing up the dogs, and astonishing the fowls: and streets, squares, and courts, re-echo with the sound.

"Stop thief! Stop thief!" The cry is taken up by a hundred voices, and the crowd accumulate at every turning. Away they fly, splashing through the mud, and rattling along the pavements: up go the windows, out run the people, onward bear the mob, a whole audience joining the rushing throng, swell the shout, and lend fresh vigour to the cry, "Stop thief!. Stop thief!“

"Stop thief! Stop thief!" There is a passion for hunting deeply implanted in the human breast. One wretched breathless child, panting with exhaustion; terror in his looks; agony in his eyes; large drops of perspiration streaming down his face; strains every nerve to make head upon his pursuers; and as they follow on his track, and gain upon him every instant, they hail his decreasing strength with still louder shouts, and whoop and scream with joy. "Stop thief!“

Stopped at last! A clever blow. He is down upon the pavement; and the crowd eagerly gather around him: each new comer, jostling and struggling with the others to catch a glimpse. "Stand aside!" "Give him a little air!" "Nonsense! he don't deserve it." "Where's the gentleman?" "Here he is, coming down the street." "Make room there for the gentleman!" "Is this the boy, sir!" "Yes."

Oliver lay, covered with mud and dust, and bleeding from the mouth, looking wildly round upon the heap of faces that surrounded him, when the old gentleman was dragged and pushed into the circle by the foremost of the pursuers.

"Yes," said the gentleman, "I am afraid it is the boy."

"Afraid!" murmured the crowd. "That's a good 'un!"

"Poor fellow!" said the gentleman, "he has hurt himself."

"I did that, sir," said a great lubberly fellow, stepping forward; "and I cut my knuckle against his mouth. I stopped him, sir.“

The fellow touched his hat with a grin, expecting something for his pains; but, the old gentleman, eyeing him with an expression of dislike, looked anxiously round, as if he contemplated running away himself which it is very possible he might have attempted to do, and thus have afforded another chase, had not a police officer (who is generally the last person to arrive in such cases) at that moment made his way through the crowd, and seized Oliver by the collar.

"Come, get up," said the man, roughly.

"It wasn't me indeed, sir. Indeed, indeed, it was two other boys," said Oliver, clasping his hands passionately, and looking round. "They are here somewhere."

"Don't hurt him," said the old gentleman, compassionately.

"Oh no, I won't hurt him," replied the officer, tearing his jacket half off his back, in proof thereof. "Come, I know you; it won't do. Will you stand upon your legs, you young devil?"

Oliver, who could hardly stand, made a shift to raise himself on his feet, and was at once lugged along the streets by the jacket-collar, at a rapid pace. The gentleman walked on with them by the officer's side; and as many of the crowd as could achieve the feat, got a little a-head, and stared back at Oliver from time to time.

1. How does the way Dicken describes the people chasing Oliver make you feel? What kind of pace does it give to the story and why?

2. Is this the way you would expect a nine-year old boy to be treated by a group of adults? Why/why not?

3. How is this scene similar or different to something we might see in modern times? Can you think of an example?

4. What do you think Oliver’s punishment will be in the Victorian era? What would his punishment be now?

5. How is the difference in attitude towards Oliver between the Gentleman and the Policeman shown? Find a quote for each character which shows this.

▪ We are going to look at some of the quotes taken from extract and analyse:

▪ WHAT is the attitude to the crime?

▪ HOW is this attitude being shown?

▪ WHY does Dickens choose to show the encounter this why?

▪ “Away they run, pell-mell, helter-skelter, slap-dash: tearing, yelling, screaming, knocking down the passengers as they turn the corners, rousing up the dogs, and astonishing the fowls: and streets, squares, and courts.”

▪ What is the crowd’s attitude to Oliver here?The crowd seems to treat Oliver like an animal, chasing after him and not stopping for breath. It seems like this is entertainment to the people in the crowd when really it is a young boy.

▪ How is this attitude shown?The listing of all the different ways the crowd runs after Oliver ‘pell-mell, ‘helter-skelter, slap-dash’ shows that they don’t care about him as a person and want to be part of this chase. The word ‘helter-skelter’ has connotations of playgrounds and circuses which makes it seem like entertainment to them. The way Dickens has used the constant listing of verbs ‘tearing, yelling, screaming’ makes it a fast pace to read and hard to draw breath which shows how hectic and breathless it was in the crowd.

▪ Why has Dickens shown it like this?Dickens was a social reformer so wanted to remind readers of how awful it looks to do something like chase after a nine-year-old boy through the streets. He wanted the readers to imagine how it must feel to be Oliver by making the reader breathless too through the pace of his words, so they would show some compassion.

1. “Onward bear the mob, a whole audience joining the rushing throng, swell the shout, and lend fresh vigour to the cry, "Stop thief!. Stop thief!“ They gain upon him every instant, they hail his decreasing strength with still louder shouts, and whoop and scream with joy.”

WHAT is the attitude of the crowd?HOW is this shown? (What words/language techniques etc. can you find? E.g. what are the connotations of the word ‘mob’?WHY does Dickens want to show readers the crowd like this? Why is he showing them screaming with ‘joy’?

2. “There is a passion for hunting deeply implanted in the human breast. One wretched breathless child, panting with exhaustion; terror in his looks; agony in his eyes; large drops of perspiration streaming down his face”

WHAT is different between the attitude of the crowd and of Oliver?HOW is this shown? ? (What words/language techniques etc. can you find? What are the connotations of ‘passion’, ‘hunting’, and ‘terror’?)WHY does Dickens want to show the readers how Oliver is feeling? Why might it change their own behaviour?

3. "I did that, sir," said a great lubberly fellow, stepping forward; "and I cut my knuckle against his mouth. I stopped him, sir.“ The fellow touched his hat with a grin, expecting something for his pains; but, the old gentleman, eyeing him with an expression of dislike”

WHAT is the attitude of the ‘great fellow’?HOW is it shown to be different to the old gentleman’s? (What language shows us this?)WHY does Dickens want to show the difference between them?

4. "Don't hurt him," said the old gentleman, compassionately."Oh no, I won't hurt him," replied the officer, tearing his jacket half off his back, in proof thereof. "Come, I know you; it won't do. Will you stand upon your legs, you young devil?“

WHAT is the attitude of the policeman?HOW do you know this? (Think about the connotations of the word ‘devil’ in religious Victorian times).WHY does Dickens want to show the policeman like this? How would this be received by the audience at the time?

▪ Imagine you are the policeman in the moments immediately after this encounter takes place.

▪ Write a diary entry which shows your attitude towards Oliver, what you think of people like him and explain what you believe his punishment should be.

▪ Try to write as you believe the policeman would speak – remember, he called Oliver a ‘devil’ which we know had strong meaning to a religious Victorian audience.

▪ Imagine you are the old gentleman in the moments immediately after this encounter takes place.

▪ Write a diary entry which shows your attitude towards Oliver, what you think of what has just happened and what you would like to happen next.

▪ Try to write as you believe a gentleman at the time would speak – remember, he looked unimpressed at the man who harmed Oliver and asked the policeman not to hurt him.

▪ Have you set out the work like a diary entry on the page? E.g. does it include the date and begin with ‘Dear…’. (1 mark if it does)

▪ Have you written in 1st person as it is your diary? E.g. ‘I couldn’t believe what I was seeing’. (1 mark if you have)

▪ Have you attempted to speak like the character? E.g. Have you used quite gentle words for the older man? Have you used insults to describe Oliver as the policeman? (1 mark for every word you think fits the character)

▪ Have you tried to use some ambitious vocabulary? If not, try using a thesaurus to change some of your words! (1 mark for every word you think is ambitious)

▪ Have you used any language devices? E.g. ‘The devilish boy ran off like a hare when we tried to get him! He is a demon.’ (This uses a simile ‘like a hare’ and a metaphor saying ‘he is a demon’.) Think of other devices you know: personification, alliteration, rhetorical questions etc. (1 mark for every device used)

▪ Have you used paragraphs throughout for each new idea? (1 mark if you have)

▪ Have you used capital letters and punctuation throughout? Go back and read through! (1 mark if you think you have)

▪ Does your diary entry make sense from beginning to end? (1 mark if it does)

Week Two: Mystery Conventions and Short Stories

(approx. 3 hours of work)

SEE

HEAR

THINK

EXPLAIN

UNDERSTAND

DIFFICULT

RUBBISH

OLD FASHIONED

▪ Fill in the blanks using the words from below – (answers on the next page):

▪ Mystery is something that is ________ or __________ to ___________ or ___________.

EASY

IMPOSSIBLE

SIMPLE

SILLY

▪ Fill in the blanks using the words from below – (answers on the next page):

▪ Mystery is something that is IMPOSSIBLE or DIFFICULT to UNDERSTAND or EXPLAIN.

▪ In literature and films, mystery usually involves solving some kind of puzzle, often a murder.

▪ Sherlock Holmes (books and film)

▪ Artemis Fowl books

▪ A Series of Unfortunate Events (books and series)

▪ Scooby Doo

▪ Holes

▪ Nancy Drew

▪ Pretty Little Liars

▪ The Witches

▪ National Treasure

▪ The Pink Panther

▪ Harry Potter

▪ James Bond

These are only some

examples, you may have

thought of different ones!

TASK: List anything that

you think links the

stories/films/TV shows

that are on both our lists.

Any similarities?

▪ There is some kind of puzzle/riddle/murder to solve.

▪ There is often a main character who may have some of these qualities:- intelligent- mysterious- heroic- a tragic or unfortunate past

▪ There may be a sidekick.

▪ There may be violence.

▪ Characters have or find out secrets.

▪ There are clues hidden throughout the novel/film/series.

▪ Everything links together in the end and the mystery is usually explained.

▪ Independently, research and find your own definition of what a genre is.

▪ List as many different types of genre as you can think of.

▪ This project focuses on the mystery genre.

▪ All the similarities we listed on the previous slide are known as the genre ‘conventions’.

▪ Research and find out what we mean by the ‘genre conventions’.

▪ Make sure to write down and record your research and we will compare to my definition.

▪ Genre: A style or category of art, music or literature.E.g. Science-fiction, romance, horror, comedy, rock, pop etc.

▪ Convention: A way in which something is usually done.

▪ Genre convention: The shared or typical features of a certain genre. This could include themes, characters, plotlines and settings.E.g. In the horror genre a typical convention could be that the novel is set in a graveyard.

▪ Task: Choose your favourite genre of book/film/series and list all the conventions around it you can think of.

▪ There is some kind of puzzle/riddle/murder to solve.

▪ There is often a main character who may have some of these qualities:- intelligent- mysterious- heroic- a tragic or unfortunate past

▪ There may be a sidekick.

▪ There may be violence.

▪ Characters have or find out secrets.

▪ There are clues hidden throughout the novel/film/series.

▪ Everything links together in the end and the mystery is usually explained.

▪ What do you already know about this character?

▪ Who is he and what does he do?

▪ How might he link to the mystery genre?

▪ Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective who was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the Victorian era – just like Oliver Twist.

▪ Sherlock Holmes is a very intelligent detective who often has people visit him to tell him a mystery, a murder or a puzzle they need solving and he helps them out.

▪ There are many short stories involving Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick – Dr Watson.

▪ Dr Watson is the narrator of the story so we see the story from his point of view.

▪ He is good friends with Sherlock Holmes and is always surprised by how quickly he works things out and how intelligent he is.

▪ We are going to read the short story of Sherlock Holmes and the Speckled Band, we will read a section at a time and for each section there will be an explanation of the story and questions for you to write answers to.

▪ We are introduced straight away to the characters of Holmes and Watson.

▪ They have a young lady visitor – Miss Helen Stoner.

▪ What do we learn straight away about Holmes and his intelligence?

▪ Conan Doyle uses words like ‘terror’ and ‘horror’ about Miss Stoner, what is the effect of this?

▪ We are told Miss Stoner’s backstory, about how her father died, then her mother and she now lives with her stepfather – Dr Roylott – a very angry man.

▪ What is your first impression of Helen Stoner?

▪ What is your first impression of Dr Roylott?

▪ What do you think they mystery may be about?

▪ Are there any conventions of mystery shown so far?

▪ We learn that Dr Roylott is very aggressive and owns lots of exotic animals, such as a cheetah, at his house.

▪ We find out the Julia Stoner is dead and this is the reason Helen is visiting Holmes.

▪ We find out that on the night of Julia’s death, she heard a whistling noise which she told Helen about.

▪ Helen heard screams, Julia ran out with her face in ‘terror’ and said it was the ‘speckled band’ and pointed at Dr Roylott’s door before she died.

▪ What do you think the ‘speckled band’ could be?

▪ How do you think Julia died? Who was responsible?

▪ How is the typical of the mystery genre so far?

▪ List all of the clues from Helen’s death that you think might be used to solve the mystery.E.g. her door was locked and barred at night.

▪ We find out Helen is scared, as she now wants to marry and is hearing the whistle noise – she needs Holmes’ help.

▪ Dr Roylott is a violent man who has also hurt Helen before – which Holmes notices.

▪ Holmes agrees to help and is discussing the mystery when he is visited by Dr Roylott, who insults and threatens him.

▪ Why do you think Roylott visited Holmes? How has he made himself look?

▪ Dr Roylott would have hardly any money if both the sisters had married.

▪ Holmes and Watson arrive at Stoke Moran to meet Helen while the Dr is out.

▪ How does the description of Stoke Moran make the building seem mysterious? Choose the words/phrases that show mystery and explain why. Use this section to help:“The building was of grey, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central portion and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab, thrown out on each side. In one of these wings the windows were broken and blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved in, a picture of ruin”.

▪ Holmes examines the rooms of the house, including Dr Roylott and Helen’s bedrooms.

▪ List as many clues as you can that Holmes finds from the bedrooms.E.g. the dummy bell pull – why would there be a fake bellpull?

▪ Holmes comes up with a plan for Helen to stay in her old bedroom and Holmes and Watson to stay in her room to find out what is happening.

▪ When Holmes and Watson are speaking alone, what impression do you get of their relationship? For example, does one look up to the other? Why?

▪ Holmes and Watson make it the bedroom –having seen the baboon outside – and wait.

▪ How is this section of the story successful in building up the mystery and tension?Choose two quotes which show mystery/tension and explain why.

▪ The commotion in the bedroom begins.

▪ Choose three quotes which you think best show a sense of fear in this section and explain why.E.g. “his face was deadly pale and filled with horror and loathing”. Holmes has seemed quite laid back in the story so far so now that he is scared it builds up fear for the reader. His face being described as ‘deadly pale’ seems like something unnatural and you fear for his life. The words ‘horror’ and ‘loathing’ give connotations of something creepy and terrifying which also builds fear.

▪ We find out that the speckled band is one of Dr Roylott’s pets – an exotic snake – which turned ad killed him in the end.

▪ When reading page 19, look back at the list of mystery genre conventions. Which of the conventions does this section of the story fit into?

▪ Why is this section of a story so important to the mystery?

▪ What would the reaction be from the reader if the story ended immediately after Dr Roylott’s death?

▪ We have seen the type of mystery Sherlock Holmes deals with on a daily basis.

▪ All of Holmes’ short stories are structured in a similar way – a member of the public comes to him with a puzzle or mystery to solve and does it using his intelligence with plenty of clues along the way.

▪ It is now your turn to create your own mystery.

▪ You need to think of an idea for a mystery/murder/puzzle that is interesting enough that it would convince Sherlock Holmes to help to solve it.

▪ Once you have your idea of your mystery, the characters involved and where it would be

set, then you need to write a letter to Holmes persuading him to help you with your case.

▪ Remember, it has to be interesting enough that the great Sherlock Holmes will want to solve it.

▪ There is a checklist of things to try and include on the next slide, which you will then use to mark your work.

✓ Remember to set out you work in the form of a letter – you need to address it to Holmes (make up an address) – think what else we usually see in a letter.

✓ Remember to use paragraphs.

✓ Remember to use capital letters and punctuation – re-read to check your spelling.

✓ Remember it needs to be interesting enough to capture his interest!

✓ Remember to try and use persuasive language devices in your writing – e.g. similes, metaphors, alliteration, the rule of three, rhetorical questions, emotive language etc.

✓ Remember your ambitious language – use dictionaries and thesaurus's if you have them, you can also get these on your phone or device!

✓ Try your best to sound like you are in need of his help, think about how scared Helen Stoner was at the beginning! Is your character scared, angry, anxious, confused?

✓ The form of a letter – you need to address it to Holmes, date it, write ‘dear’ and end ‘yours sincerely’ or another signoff. (1 mark if you did this).

✓ Use paragraphs correctly for each fresh idea. (1 mark for this).

✓ Use capital letters and punctuation – see if you can get somebody to check your spelling – (1 mark if you are mostly correct).

✓ Do you think it is an interesting plot? (Maybe ask somebody else to get a second opinion, if it is then 1 mark).

✓ Use persuasive language devices in your writing (1 mark for each used).

✓ Ambitious language (1 mark per ambitious word/phrase).

✓Have you shown the personality of your character? Ask someone (if you can) what tone they think your character has – e.g. angry, scared, confused – (1 mark if they guess correctly).

Week Three: Modern Mystery

▪ We have looked at Victorian literature and their idea of what makes a good mystery.

▪ TASK: Can you list all the conventions of a mystery that you can remember?

▪ We will now move on to modern mystery.

▪ Do you think the conventions will change or stay the same? – Remember it is a still a mystery.

▪ Can you remember any modern mysteries which you wrote on your list?

▪ There is some kind of puzzle/riddle/murder to solve.

▪ There is often a main character who may have some of these qualities:- intelligent- mysterious- heroic- a tragic or unfortunate past

▪ There may be a sidekick.

▪ There may be violence.

▪ Characters have or find out secrets.

▪ There are clues hidden throughout the novel/film/series.

▪ Everything links together in the end and the mystery is usually explained.

▪ TASK: List all the ways you think a modern mystery will be different to a Victorian one – (E.g. The Speckled Band).- How has life changed since then? What new technologies do we have? How could they help or hinder solving a mystery? Will the type of crime/murder/puzzle be different? Why/why not?Could the person investigating be different? Why?

▪ New technology including smartphones, internet, GPS locations etc. could make it easier to find criminals, find out where someone has been, track somebody down.

▪ Invention of social media may make it easier to know more about a person without having to spy on them for clues.

▪ However, it could make it more difficult to know what is a lie and what is the truth.

▪ Detectives like Holmes don’t really seem to exist in our day so there could be a different type of investigator.

▪ There could be children/young adults trying to solve their own mystery.

▪ Mysteries could take place in more modern locations or at schools, prisons, camps, online – rather than being in big stately houses.

▪ You may have had many other ideas too!

There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. There once was a very large lake here, the largest lake in Texas. That was over a hundred years ago. Now it is just a dry, flat wasteland.There used to be a town of Green Lake as well. The town shrivelled and dried up along with the lake, and the people who lived there.During the summer the daytime temperature hovers around ninety-five degrees in the shade— if you can find any shade. There's not much shade in a big dry lake.The only trees are two old oaks on the eastern edge of the "lake." A hammock is stretched between the two trees, and a log cabin stands behind that.The campers are forbidden to lie in the hammock. It belongs to the Warden. The Warden owns the shade.Out on the lake, rattlesnakes and scorpions find shade under rocks and in the holes dug by the campers.Here's a good rule to remember about rattlesnakes and scorpions: If you don't bother them, they won't bother you.Usually.Being bitten by a scorpion or even a rattlesnake is not the worst thing that can happen to you. You won't die.Usually.Sometimes a camper will try to be bitten by a scorpion, or even a small rattlesnake. Then he will get to spend a day or two recovering in his tent, instead of having to dig a hole out on the lake.But you don't want to be bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard. That's the worst thing that can happen to you. You will die a slow and painful death.Always.If you get bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard, you might as well go into the shade of the oak trees and lie in the hammock. There is nothing anyone can do to you anymore.

✓ TASK: List all the things you would include when writing an opening of a story to make it interesting for a reader.

✓ An introduction to some form of puzzle or mystery.

✓ A strange or mysterious setting.

✓ A character with a strong personality – secretive, aggressive, cheerful etc.

✓ Detailed descriptions.

✓Varied punctuation, paragraph lengths and ambitious vocabulary.

✓ Possible cliff-hanger.

✓ Some kind of conflict or argument.

✓ A unique plotline.

✓ Use of the five senses.

✓You may have thought of many more!

▪ What made that a successful mystery opening?

▪ How did the words and structure of the opening show that this was successful?

▪ Why would the writer choose to open a story this way?

▪ TASK: Write a paragraph in answer to the above questions.For the second question, use quotes from the text to back up your ideas.

▪ Remember – successful would mean that story pulled you in, you want to find out more about the mystery and you are interested in the details they wrote about and where they will go next.

▪ Here is an idea of what your paragraph might have looked like.

▪ The writer builds a successful opening to the story through the building of tension, fear and mystery throughout the first chapter.They open with a confusing statement about ‘Camp Greenlake’ having ‘no lake’ which makes the setting immediately mysterious to the reader, especially when you find out that there used to be a town - and people – there, who just disappeared. The use of the words ‘dry’, ‘shrivelled’ and ‘wasteland’ give connotations of death, decay and an unsettling place to begin a story which makes the reader want to find out why anyone would want to go there.The writer then focuses on the dangerous wildlife around the lake – ‘rattlesnakes’, ‘scorpions’ and ‘lizards’ – and what they can do to you which is successful at building fear of Camp Greenlake.The structure and repetition of the one-word sentence ‘usually’ then followed by ‘always’ serves to build tension and finality for the reader of what will happen if bitten by a ‘yellow-spotted lizard’. Most readers will have never heard of a ‘yellow-spotted lizard’ so will be drawn to find out more about this mysterious animal straight away.The writer wants to introduce the mysterious setting of the story straight away in the opening as this may foreshadow what the story is going to be focusing on.

TASK: Have a look at your paragraph. Is there more detail/explanation you could add to your views?

▪ Draw a picture of what you think Camp Greenlakelooks like.

▪ Include:- Yellow-spotted lizards- Rattlesnakes- Scorpions- Lots of dug holes- Dry, desert wasteland- A pothole where the lake may have been- Maybe deserted old town buildings?- Anything else you can picture in your mind from the description – be creative!

▪ The short, second chapter introduces us to the main character: Stanley Yelnats -

“The reader is probably asking: Why would anyone go to Camp Green Lake?Most campers weren't given a choice.Camp Green Lake is a camp for bad boys.If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy.That was what some people thought. Stanley Yelnats was given a choice.The judge said, "You may go to jail, or you may go to Camp Green Lake.“Stanley was from a poor family.He had never been to camp before.”

▪What does the writer mean by bad boys?

▪What kind of characters do you think you will see?

▪What do you think Stanley Yelnats has done to be sent to Camp Greenlake?

▪Do you agree that digging a hole every day in the sun would make you ‘good’?

▪ Is there such thing as ‘good’ and ‘bad’ people?

▪Why does it matter that Stanley is from a poor family?

“Stanley was not a bad kid. He was innocent of the crime for which he was convicted He'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It was all because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather! He smiled. It was a family joke.Whenever anything went wrong, they always blamed Stanley's no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.Supposedly, he had a great-great-grandfather who had stolen a pig from a one-legged Gypsy, and she put a curse on him and all his descendants.Stanley and his parents didn't believe in curses, of course, but whenever anything went wrong, it felt good to be able to blame someone.Things went wrong a lot.They always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

How does this set up the story for a mystery?

What do you want to find out?

Can you think of a time you were in the wrong place at the wrong time?

How did it feel?

Mr. Sir laughed. "You see any guard towers?”"No.”"How about an electric fence?”"No, Mr. Sir.“"There's no fence at all, is there?”"No, Mr. Sir.“"You want to run away?" Mr. Sir asked him. Stanley looked back at him, unsure what he meant. "If you want to run away, go ahead, start running. I'm not going to stop you." Stanley didn't know what kind of game Mr. Sir was playing. "I see you're looking at my gun. Don't worry. I'm not going to shoot you." He tapped his holster. "This is for yellow-spotted lizards. I wouldn't waste a bullet on you.“"I'm not going to run away," Stanley said."Good thinking," said Mr. Sir. "Nobody runs away from here. We don't need a fence. Know why? Because we've got the only water for a hundred miles. You want to run away? You'll be buzzard food in three days.“Stanley could see some kids dressed in orange and carrying shovels dragging themselves toward the tents."You thirsty?" asked Mr. Sir."Yes, Mr. Sir," Stanley said gratefully."Well, you better get used to it. You're going to be thirsty for the next eighteen months."

TASK:

What is your first impression of Mr Sir?

Is he going to be a big part of the story?

Why is he daring Stanley to run away?

Why has the writer chosen to tell us that the

Camp is the only place for miles?

Stanley's great-great-grandfather was named Elya Yelnats. He was born in Latvia.When he was fifteen years old he fell in love with Myra Menke. (He didn't know he was Stanley's great-great-grandfather.)Myra Menke was fourteen. She would turn fifteen in two months, at which time her father had decided she should be married.Elya went to her father to ask for her hand, but so did Igor Barkov, the pig farmer. Igor was fifty-seven years old. He had a red nose and fat puffy cheeks."I will trade you my fattest pig for your daughter," Igor offered."And what have you got?" Myra's father asked Elya."A heart full of love," said Elya."I'd rather have a fat pig," said Myra's father.Desperate, Elya went to see Madame Zeroni, an old Egyptian woman who lived on the edge of town. He had become friends with her, though she was quite a bit older than him. She was even older than Igor Barkov.The other boys of his village liked to mud wrestle. Elya preferred visiting Madame Zeroni and listening to her many stories. Madame Zeroni had dark skin and a very wide mouth. When she looked at you, her eyes seemed to expand, and you felt like she was looking right through you."Elya, what's wrong?" she asked, before he even told her he was upset. She was sitting in a homemade wheelchair. She had no left foot. Her leg stopped at her ankle."I'm in love with Myra Menke," Elya confessed. "But Igor Barkov has offered to trade his fattest pig for her. I can't compete with that.“"Good," said Madame Zeroni. "You're too young to get married. You've got your whole life ahead of you.“"But I love Myra."

"Myra's head is as empty as a flowerpot.“"But she's beautiful.“"So is a flowerpot. Can she push a plow? Can she milk a goat? No, she is too delicate. Can she have an intelligent conversation? No, she is silly and foolish. Will she take care of you when you are sick? No, she is spoiled and will only want you to take care of her. So, she is beautiful. So what? Ptuui!" Madame Zeroni spat on the dirt.She told Elya that he should go to America. "Like my son. That's where your future lies. Not with Myra Menke." But Elya would hear none of that. He was fifteen, and all he could see was Myra's shallow beauty.Madame Zeroni hated to see Elya so forlorn. Against her better judgment, she agreed to help him. "It just so happens, my sow gave birth to a litter of piglets yesterday," she said. "There is one little runt whom she won't suckle. You may have him. He would die anyway.“Madame Zeroni led Elya around the back of her house where she kept her pigs. Elya took the tiny piglet, but he didn't see what good it would do him. It wasn't much bigger than a rat."He'll grow," Madame Zeroni assured him. "Do you see that mountain on the edge of the forest?“"Yes," said Elya."On the top of the mountain there is a stream where the water runs uphill. You must carry the piglet every day to the top of the mountain and let it drink from the stream. As it drinks, you are to sing to him." She taught Elya a special song to sing to the pig. "On the day of Myra's fifteenth birthday, you should carry the pig up the mountain for the last time. Then take it directly to Myra's father. It will be fatter than any of Igor's pigs."

"If it is that big and fat," asked Elya, "how will I be able to carry it up the mountain?“"The piglet is not too heavy for you now, is it?" asked Madame Zeroni."Of course not," said Elya."Do you think it will be too heavy for you tomorrow?“"No.“"Every day you will carry the pig up the mountain. It will get a little bigger, but you will get a little stronger. After you give the pig to Myra's father, I want you to do one more thing for me.“"Anything," said Elya."I want you to carry me up the mountain. I want to drink from the stream, and I want you to sing the song to me." Elya promised he would.Madame Zeroni warned that if he failed to do this, he and his descendants would be doomed for all of eternity.At the time, Elya thought nothing of the curse. He was just a fifteen-year-old kid, and "eternity" didn't seem much longer than a week from Tuesday. Besides, he liked Madame Zeroni and would be glad to carry her up the mountain. He would have done it right then and there, but he wasn't yet strong enough.

TASK: What is the effect of the writer including a flashback to Stanley’s great-great grandfather?

What have we already been told about him? Why could this be important to the story?

▪ Madame Zeroni gave Stanley’s great-great grandfather a very specific set of instructions on how he would marry Myra.

▪ TASK: Write a set of instructions for Madame Zeroni to give to the great-great grandfather.

▪ Make sure the instructions are clear, detailed and exact.Remember, if you were telling someone how to bake a cake you would have to give them precise instructions and this is no different.

▪ Number your instructions as you go, using the whole flashback extract to help.

▪ Once finished, you can illustrate your instructions with pictures you think fit the instruction and the story.

▪ Do you think this was a successful first few chapters to a mystery story?

▪ Did it make you want to find out more?

▪ The text goes on to reveal some interesting things about the people with Stanley at Camp Greenlake, Stanley’s ancestors in the past and what happened to the town and lake that shrivelled and dried up.

▪ If you can, see if you can get a copy of the book ‘Holes’ to read and find out more.

▪ There is also an online copy of the book here:http://www.hayatschool.com/kuwait/articles/Holes_by_Louis_Sachar1.pdf

▪ ‘Holes’ - the film – also sticks well to the story and is fun to watch and is now streaming on Disney+ if you happen to have that.

▪ Enjoy!

It was 7 minutes after midnight.The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs. Shears’s house. Its eyes were closed. It looked as if it was running on its side, the way dogs run when they think they are chasing a cat in a dream.But the dog was not running or asleep. The dog was dead.There was a garden fork sticking out of the dog. The points of the fork must have gone all the way through the dog and into the ground because the fork had not fallen over. I decided that the dog was probably killed with the fork because I could not see any other wounds in the dog and I do not think you would stick a garden fork into a dog after it had died for some other reason, like cancer, for example, or a road accident.But I could not be certain about this. I went through Mrs. Shears’ gate, closing it behind me. I walked onto her lawn and knelt beside the dog. I put my hand on the muzzle of the dog. It was still warm.The dog was called Wellington. It belonged to Mrs. Shears, who was our friend. She lived on the opposite side of the road, two houses to the left. Wellington was a poodle. Not one of the small poodles that have hairstyles but a big poodle. It had curly black fur, but when you got close you could see that the skin underneath the fur was a very pale yellow, like chicken.I stroked Wellington and wondered who had killed him, and why.

▪ Do you think this was a successful opening to a modern mystery?

▪ What elements make it successful? Think back to our list.

▪ This opening is from a novel called ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time’ by Mark Haddon.

▪ What is your first impression of the narrator?

▪ What reasons could somebody have to kill a dog?

▪ How is this opening similar or different to the opening of ‘Holes’?

One review of the book said this:“The novel, about a teenager with Asperger’s Syndrome who is as brilliant at maths as he is clueless at understanding other people, is at once a detective story, a literary triumph and a commercial success that has grown by word of mouth to beat David Beckham’s autobiography, Harry Potter and the Atkins diet.” - The Sunday Times.

What does this make you expect from the novel?Why might this review make you want to read the novel?What do you now expect from the main character?

▪ In the boxes are some ingredients of what makes up this particular story.

▪ Can you put these in order of when you think they will happen in the story and why?

▪ Do you think there is any right order for these things to happen or does it differ?

A journey

A further

complication

A resolution – a

solution for the

problem

Introducing the

characters and

settings

A complication

A problem that sets

the story going

Climax – the highest

moment of drama or

tension

An investigation

A discovery

My name is Christopher John Francis Boone. I know all the countries of the world and their capital cities and every prime number up to 7,057.Eight years ago, when I first met Siobhan, she showed me this picture

and I knew that it meant “sad,” which is what I felt when I found the dead dog. Then she showed me this picture

and I knew that it meant “happy,” like when I’m reading about the Apollo space missions, or when I am still awake at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. in the morning and I can walk up and down the street and pretend that I am the only person in the whole world. Then she drew some other pictures but I was unable to say what these meant. I got Siobhan to draw lots of these faces and then write down next to them exactly what they meant. I kept the piece of paper in my pocket and took it out when I didn’t understand what someone was saying. But it was very difficult to decide which of the diagrams was most like the face they were making because people’s faces move very quickly. When I told Siobhan that I was doing this, she got out a pencil and another piece of paper and said it probably made people feel very

and then she laughed. So I tore the original piece of paper up and threw it away. And Siobhan apologized. And now if I don’t know what someone is saying, I ask them what they mean or I walk away.

▪ TASK: Create a character profiles for the main character and narrator: Christopher.

▪ Write everything we know about Christopher so far, both inside and outside the shape, then answer the below questions.

▪ What does this tell us about his personality?

▪ Is he the stereotypical person you would think of solving a mystery?

▪ Why might he be good at investigating? Why not?

▪ It is now time for you to create the opening to your own modern mystery story.

▪ You need to think of an engaging opening line that will hook your readers in.

▪ Remember to look back at our list of what makes an engaging opening and try to include as many of these things as possible as that is what you will mark yourself on.

▪ As always, remember to use language devices, such as similes, metaphors, pathetic fallacy etc. to make your writing more interesting.

▪ Don’t forget to check your SPAG - (spelling, punctuation and grammar as you go where you can – remember capital letters and use paragraphs!)

▪ Plenty of description using the five senses.

▪ For your opening you should focus on:- Introducing the reader to the setting of your story.- Introducing the reader to the main character/s in your story.- Introducing the reader to the puzzle/murder/mystery that will be your focus.- Possibly introduce us to some exposition (backstory of your characters or setting).

✓ Did you use the 5 senses to make your description detailed? Sight, smell, touch, taste, sound. (1 mark for every sense).

✓ Did you use paragraphs correctly for each fresh idea? (1 mark for this).

✓ Did you use capital letters and punctuation – see if you can get somebody to check your spelling – ? (1 mark if you are mostly correct).

✓ Do you think it is an interesting opening? (Maybe ask somebody else to get a second opinion, if it is then 1 mark).

✓ Did you use language devices? Simile, metaphor, pathetic fallacy etc. (1 mark for each used).

✓ Did you use ambitious language (1 mark per ambitious word/phrase – use your own judgement).

✓Have you introduced the setting, a character, a problem or a past event/history? (1 mark for each).