15 MINUTE INTRODUCTION OUTLINE 151 (fill in details--sign your name next to items you are responsible for)

1. LATE Victorian Era (1837-1901) (Brenda & Lizette visuals) Industrial Revolution: The context for why the Mystery Genre became popularized o Brought people from farms (agriculture) to the cities (industrialization) o People were drawn to the cities because of job opportunities o Too many people came pouring in at once (overpopulation, not enough resources to support everyone) Social Order: Hierarchy, rich get away with everything, large clustered lower class Thus, the Holmes stories present a view of the socioeconomic context of the late Victorian era o Overpopulation led to high crime rates--hence, the interest in crime/police/detectives o Emergence of police and criminology to make justice more fair Logic vs the Supernatural o Belief in the Supernatural: seances, spirits, ghosts o The Age of Reason began to overtake the Age of Religion/Superstition o Doyle disproves the supernatural (theres a scientific explanation for everything)--this attitude was the popular attitude in the late Victorian Era

2. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle [Becca] (Linda: Visuals) Portrayed Sherlock Holmes after his college professor Joseph Bell who introduced him to inductive and deductive reasoning Portrayed Dr. Watson after himself (Doyle was an eye doctor)

3. Mystery Genre Conventions A. THE STOCK CHARACTERS (Korayma -visuals) o Detective (Sherlock Holmes) 3 things that a detective needs: Observation, Knowledge, Deduction Uses logical deduction (general assumption to final conclusion) Ex: The Hound of the Baskervilles<<NOTE: DO WE WANT TO USE SIGN OF THE FOUR AS EXAMPLES HERE?. Everything has a scientific explanation behind (including the hound) 2. Stapleton is a naturalist (scientific background) 3. Connection between the hound and Stapleton o Sidekick (Watson) Holmes sidekick--relationship between Holmes and Watson Represents the late Victorians idea of the proper British gentleman Relates to audience (doesnt have extraordinary deduction skills like Holmes) Ex: Watson is lost, confused, relating to the audience (The Red Headed League)

Client Villain B. THE ROLE OF THE POLICE (Michelle - Visuals) o Incompetent, biased, jumps to conclusions o Just wanted to be known for capturing criminals

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C. CLUES (Michelle - Visuals) Physical evidence, concrete evidence, specifics that lead to a general conclusion Prints, blood sample Preservation of crime scene was crucial Pieces of the puzzle come together to show a clear picture Keeps the audience engaged Holmes changed the crime scene, making it a vital clue as compared to before D. THE BASIC PLOT FORMULA (Elysia - Visuals) o Holmes and Watson are at Baker Street o A client arrives o Holmes deduces things about the client from an object or the person him or herself o The problem is outlined (presentation of case) o Holmes and Watson discuss the case when the client is gone o The investigation begins o Holmes identifies what happened o Holmes explains it all to Watson back at Baker Street.

4. Modern-Day Texts Introduction o Revisionist Stage o The mystery genre is still popular House M.D. (Dan) o Include rhetorical situation o House is a medical genius who uses clues, in the form of symptoms to form diagnosis o Every case begins in Houses office o He is a Vicodin addict o Excellent deduction skills o Wilson is the Watson figure; he has more insight about the case. o Watson cant solve a case o Wilson can solve a case o House has a sense of humor o Both House and Holmes are eccentric, they go outside of the boundary Psych (John) o broadcasted on USA Network o interesting fact: created by Steve Franks, a UCI graduate o Include rhetorical situation

Gus is black (exhibits the multicultural aspect of the show) and like Watson, has a background in the medical field o Shawns power of observation relates his character to Holmes o Police is known for not solving the case correctly, always up to Shawn to solve the case o Shawn uses deduction and has keen observation skills o Shawn and Gus have a more modern friendship rather than a professional relationship o Shawn lies about his skills; claims hes a psychic Sherlock Holmes (Films) (Bella) o Include rhetorical situation o Films is more of an action genre as compared to the Conan Doyle stories o Watson is more capable of doing things in the films than in the Conan Doyle books Better at making deductions Saves Holmes life often o The relationship between Holmes and Watson is more brotherly o Sherlock Holmes has a closer relationship with Watson o Sherlock Holmes is more of an action super hero in the modern day text o Action and comedy are both added to the movies to appeal to the younger audience o There is a supernatural villain o Women are looked down upon in the movie and in the books as well o Sherlock Holmes is more of a modern day superhero Sherlock BBC [Becca] o Include rhetorical situation o retelling of the books, with the same plot but with a modern twist o modern plot (21st century London) o same conventions o relationship between Sherlock and Watson is more emotional o Sherlock is very obnoxious (for the humor of the audience) Elementary (Jasmine - presenter) o Include rhetorical situation (Created after BBC Sherlock; American version) o Located in NY o Watson is an asian female surgeon; most active Watson (smarter) o Holmes attends rehab and AA meetings (heroine addict and alcoholic) o The Brownstone is the 21st century version of the 221B Baker Street o Holmes uses deduction to solve mysteries o Both eccentric - needs to stimulate his mind

INTRODUCTION SCRIPT
***PRESENTERS - Make sure your script includes all of the details Lynda wants; refer to bullets above (some notes were taken) & include any pictures you want in the slides by Friday, so the visuals group can work. Practice the script to make sure it is exactly the amount of time given in blue. Post any questions you have below!
1. Introduction/Four Stages (Kimmy) [1 min] Good evening everyone! Welcome to the mystery genre writing 37 class presentation. Our class has focused on analyzing the genre conventions of Sir Arthur Conan Doyles The Sign of the Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles. We will begin with an introduction of the Victorian era, then we will follow with the components of the mystery genre. To fully understand our genre, we studied its four stages: primitive, classical, parodic and revisionist. The primitive stage introduces a new genre to an audience. The classical stage is the peak of popularity for the genre, so the audience knows what to expect. The parodic stage follows and the genre is well-known, so many humorous parodies are developed. Finally, the revisionist stage creates modernized revisions of the genre through television shows and texts. Our class mainly focused on the classical and revisionist stages through Conan Doyles novels and modern-day television shows and movies.

2. LATE Victorian Era (Kimmy - script) (Brenda - presenter) [2 min] During the late Victorian era or the 19th century, the industrial revolution brought the people to the cities in order to get jobs. This mass movement to a densely populated area was due to the factories need for workers and the technology boom. Soon overpopulation became a problem for places like London and people began to struggle. This led to a massive gap between the rich and the poor and a socioeconomic disconnect between the two groups. Problems began to arise and soon crime became a big issue in these cities. Up until the late victorian era the police force had been small but once thievery and murders became a part of the daily news, the need for law enforcement was established. Soon the police force began to fight crime but often times were unsuccessful. The people of the victorian era took interest in the news of their city, which was often crime related. Thus, the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle came out and presented a view of the socioeconomic context of the late Victorian era. The debate between logic and supernatural was extremely apparent during this time. The Age of Reason began to overtake the Age of Religion or Superstition; therefore, Conan Doyle disproved supernatural because he believed that there is a scientific explanation for everything. Why the mystery genre was important?

OUTLINE for slides: late victorian era title -> industrial revolution -> rush to the cities for factory jobs -> overpopulation -> separation between lower- upper classes -> rise in crime -> rise of the police force -> interest in crime arises among citizens -> rise of the mystery genre -> doyle shows that science triumphs the supernatural (old) During the late Victorian era, the industrial revolution was the mystery genre became popularized through the Industrial Revolution, in which brought people from farms to cities because of job opportunities. But because there were too many people pouring in at once, overpopulation arose and there were not enough resources to support everyone. This led to high crime rates, hence the interest in crime, police, and detectives was increased to create a more fair and justice system. Also, a strict social hierarchy was enforced, so most of the upper wealthy class got away with the crimes they committed, but the lower class was usually convicted of any crime. Thus, the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle came out and presented a view of the socioeconomic context of the late Victorian era. The debate between logic and supernatural was extremely apparent during this time. The supernatural usually included seances, spirits, and ghosts. The Age of Reason began to overtake the Age of Religion or Superstition; therefore, Conan Doyle disproved supernatural because he believed that there is a scientific explanation for everything. This belief was popular among the society. 3. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Kimmy - script) (Rebecca - presenter) [1 min] Sir Arthur Conan Doyle based Sherlock Holmes after his college professor, Joseph Bell, who introduced him to inductive and deductive reasoning. Holmess sidekick, Dr. Watson, was portrayed after Conan Doyle himself because they are both doctors and typical British gentlemen.

4. Mystery Genre Conventions A. STOCK CHARACTERS (Elizabeth - script) (Sue - presenter) [2 min] Sherlock Holmes is the detective in Conan Doyles stories. In the novel The Sign of the Four, Holmes states the three qualities that every successful detective needs. These are: observation, knowledge and deduction. According to this definition, Holmes is the ideal detective. Holmes never jumps to conclusions and uses logical deduction when putting all the pieces of a case together to come up with the final conclusion. Conan Doyle created the idea through his stories that every detective needs a sidekick. In the books the detective is played by Watson who represents the late Victorian idea of the proper British gentleman. In the book The Hound of the Baskervilles Holmes says that Watson is the conductor of light which means that Watson is important in helping him solve cases, he also relates to the audience since he lacks the extraordinary deductive skills Holmes displays. A client is always present in Conan Doyles stories asking for Sherlock Holmes assistance and the problem is then outlined. When the client is presented to Holmes he uses his skills to observe the client and deduces things about him.

Every mystery genre needs a villain. In the books the villain is often a male and his evil actions or motives are important to the plot. There is always an incentive to why the Villain is behaving a certain way. I think the pictures are good for my part. Just change the order on the slide about Holmes to be Observation, Knowledge, Deduction thank you guys. :) -Sue

B. THE ROLE OF THE POLICE (Elizabeth - script) (John - presenter) [1 min] The police force in the Victorian Era are incompetent, biased and constantly jump to conclusions. They only wanted to receive recognition and to be praised for capturing the criminals. Because of their ignorance, the police made many mistakes. For example, in one scene, there was a detective who jumped to conclusions and arrested an innocent man who he believed was guilty due to his faulty appearance; this shows how the detective was ignorant, failing to acknowledge the evidence around him.

C. CLUES (Hieu - script) (John - presenter) [1 min] Clues are one of the most important convention of the mystery genre. Clues are pieces of information that sums up and leads to a conclusion of a mystery. Clues are the pieces of the puzzle which come together to show a clear picture of a crime scene and to keep the audience engaged. In Conan Doyles stories, the clues that are presented appear seemingly worthless, yet they are vital to solving the mystery. A mystery story cannot exist, or make sense, without clues. Clues include fingerprints, footprints which was commonly used by Holmes, and blood stains were vital as well.

D. THE BASIC PLOT FORMULA (Hieu - script) (Selena - presenter) [2 min] To every one of Conan Doyles story, there seems to be a repeating plot. It would start out with Holmes and Watson sitting in their apartment at 221B Baker Street, a client would come in and tell them their story, then Holmes would deduce information about the client, and finally outline the mystery. After some analysis, Holmes would go to Watson to tell him what he thinks about the whole situation, they would then proceed to go to the scene and try to solve the mystery. Finally, after all the evidence had been linked together to find a conclusion, Holmes would explain what originally happened, and how he solved the case. Although most of Conan Doyles stories may be deemed repetitive, they were and are still considered legendary.

5. Modern-day Texts (PRESENTERS - Please write your script here, so it can revised, if needed.) Interlude/Introduction [30 sec] Our next presenters will introduce to you the five modern-day texts we have focused on. Many genre conventions from Conan Doyles novels are present; however, they are revised to be suitable for our modern time.

House M.D. [1.5 min] Dan House M.D. was a medical drama that aired on Fox from 2004-2012. The story was based around the main protagonist Dr. Gregory House, a medical genius with keen observation and deduction skills. He finds clues, in the form of symptoms, which he then uses to form diagnoses to save patients. There are many things that set him apart from the average detectives. Like Holmes, House is eccentric, working outside the boundaries to find symptoms. He takes orders from no one, often going behind his bosss back. The majority of the people who come in contact with House considers him to be an ass because he doesnt care about what you have to say. However, as much as everyone hates him, they respect his superior intellect. There are two things that relate House to Sherlock Holmes. First is that they're both drug addicts; House with his Vicodin and Holmes with his cocaine. Next, both of them have amazing brains; both of their peers consider them to be geniuses in their field of expertise, finding that minute detail that everyone else overlooks. The Dr. Watson figure in this show is Dr. James Wilson, House's best and only friend. He is considered a foil character, giving us insight into the mind of House, however not in respect to the case. Wilson gives us the rationality to why House acts and treats people the way that he does. In conclusion, House M.D. is a modern day interpretation of Sherlock Holmes, updating many of the mystery genre conventions along with adding some humor. Psych [1.5 min] John Psych is a comedy drama show that has been broadcasted on USA Network since 2006. An interesting fact about Psych is that it was created by Steve Franks, a UCI graduate who earned a degree in English. The two main characters of this show are Shawn who represents Sherlock and Gus who represents Dr. Watson. Shawn and Gus have a more modern friendship rather than a professional relationship. Shawn is a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department who solves most of the cases because they usually are unable to solve the cases on their own. Shawn is an extremely animated character who sometimes gets himself into trouble by stepping over boundaries. Shawn is similar to Holmes in that they both have a keen and detailed sense of knowledge and observation. Gus, Shawns sidekick, is black which exhibits the multicultural dimension that was unknown in Victorian times and like Watson, Gus has a background in the medical field as a pharmaceuticals salesman. This is Shawn and Gus on a case with the Santa Barbara Police Department.

Sherlock Holmes (Films) [1.5 min] Bella The next modern day text is a direct representation of Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes. It is the films Sherlock Holmes, which came out in 2009, and A Game of Shadows, which came out in 2011, both directed by Guy Ritchie. Holmes is played by Robert Downey Jr and Watson is played by Jude Law. In the films. Holmes and Watson are more brotherly. For example, in the second movie, for Watsons wedding, Holmes is his best man. There is also a scene in the movie where Holmes refers to Watson as his brother. Holmes is seen as a modern day hero. Despite this, he does get into trouble a few times and Watson is the one to save him.

Watson gets his heroic parts in the movies because of Holmes. Watson is more capable of deduction. There is action and humor put into these films to appeal more to the modern day audience and to young adults.

BBC Sherlock [1.5 min] Becca BBC Sherlock was aired in 2010 and is currently still running. It was originally intended for a British audience, however, the show instantly became a hit and was aired in BBC America. The show stars Benedict Cumberbatch voted the Sexiest Man in the UK third year in a row and Martin Freeman star of the Hobbit series. All the genre conventions established by Conan Doyles 19th century texts are modernized but kept the same in BBC Sherlock. Sherlock presents the original Conan Doyle stories as though they could occur today. One revision is the use of technology as seen in one episode where Sherlock doesnt even get out of his apartment, but uses his laptop to video call into the crime scene. Also, the relationship between Holmes and Watson seems to be more emotional. Sherlock gives a touching Best Mans speech at Watsons wedding and admits how much Watson me ans to him as his one and only best friend. Similar genre conventions in BBC Sherlock is Conan Doyles character Detective Inspector Lestrade who is the only police officer Sherlock is willing to work with. Another original genre convention is Conan Doyle s super villain Jim Moriarty, a mastermind equal to Sherlock. Lastly, Holmes is very obnoxious and rude for the humor of the audience.

Elementary [1.5 min] Jasmine Elementary is a crime drama series on CBS, emphasized for an American audience. It was created shortly after the popularity of BBC Sherlock arose in the UK. Elementary first premiered on September 27, 2012 and is currently on season 2. The show stars Johnny Lee Miller as Sherlock Holmes, and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson. In this modern-day text, the setting takes place in New York, rather than in London. Watson is an Asian female surgeon who is hired by Holmes father to be his addict counselor and sober companion, as he just finished rehab. He formerly was a heroine addict, as well as an alcoholic, so in this series he attends AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) meetings. The house that Holmes and Watson live in, known as the Brownstone, is the 21 century version of 221B Baker Street. After living with Holmes and accompanying him on all his investigations, Watson gains interest in solving cases and becomes his apprentice. This particular version of Watson is recognized as the most active Watson because of her intelligence. When Holmes gets stuck while solving a case, she is there to make an observation that sparks up a new lead for Holmes. The relationship between this duo shows more of an emotional and more intimate side of Holmes and Watson because of the fact that Watson is a female.
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