Whodunnit? A Web of Influence Among Writers of Early Detective Fiction Main Menu Introduction Cluster Dendrogram Network Graph of the Authors Top Ten Words using Voyant-Tools

Final Thoughts

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By comparing an analyzing these texts with the real life connections between the authors, I discovered that personal connections do not really matter.  Instead, these authors use similar words across the board, with the most used words being "man", "think", "know", and "time".  These are the core words that make up detective fictions.  The word "man" is used to promote mystery, but also serves as a reflection of a male dominate genre.  The word "think" represents the logic and calculations that both the detective and the audience must use in order to solve the mystery.  The word "know" reflects the gathering of clues and an understanding of the mystery that is so essential to the detective novel.  Finally, "time" is at the core of almost every detective story.  there is a feeling of limited time in almost every one of these mysteries, as the detectives race to solve the mystery.  Not to mention that time is often an important factor in how the mystery takes place, and who commits the crime.  The use of these words in almost every texts shows that detective fiction is its own, unique genre. 

Further research is needed to gain a complete picture of detective fiction, especially in the study of female writers and writers of the golden age. However, this first step shows not only how these words define this famous genre, but also how the writing has changed and evolved over time, finishing with a greater emphasis on knowledge and intelligence. 

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  1. Whodunnit? A Web of Influence Among Writers of Early Detective Fiction Abby Niederman