Chapter 7 Ellery Quinn's Influence and Contribution to Later Generations

100 years ago, in 1905, two new lives were born in the Brooklyn residential area of ​​New York, USA. 100 years later, in 2005, we can still find their burning dazzling afterglow in the world.Ellery Quinn, one of the greatest detective novelists of all time, turns 100 this year.Whether as a writer, editor or even a detective, Quinn's name is like a vivid brand, telling the guarantee of quality and powerful inspiration. From 1929 to the end of the country name series and the tragedy series, during this period, Quinn's works have some fascinating features: very clear reasoning process, the use of death messages, and the reasoning embodied in the works. The depth seemed unparalleled then and today.In many of Quinn's works, we can read such words: "...that is a certain pattern...", or "...something is wrong..." and so on, such a kind of intuitionism It proves that Quinn still inherits some of Van Dyne's styles. Quinn's own characteristics do not lie in this, and what we pay attention to is only the splendor of reasoning and the surprise of truth.Judging from the answers in Quinn's earliest works, his "dichotomy" reasoning has already taken shape, that is, an either-or reasoning, and the detective muttered: "It can be known from such and such clues that such and such person is definitely not the murderer; Or, since it’s not like this, then it must be like that.” So when the scope of the truth gradually narrows, we can see the soul-stirring conclusion of reasoning such as "The Tragedy of Z" --- after one point and another point, the murderer Totally locked in, of course (this is perhaps the most brilliant use of Quine's dichotomous reasoning).We can see a similar situation in and, especially the eloquent detective statement in the last chapter of the former, accompanied by a huge turning point in the truth, I believe the impact on many people is still unforgettable.

Let us look at another notable feature of Quinn's work --- fair competition.Except for "The Mystery of Twins" in the series of national names, Quinn without exception made a declaration to challenge readers before revealing the truth: So far, all the clues have been clearly presented in front of your eyes. Readers, I believe at this moment, should be able to discover the truth of the facts together with the detective.In order to create a sense of surprise of the truth, there are usually two ways. The first is to use whimsical tricks, and the second is to use the exquisite layout of the puzzle. Carl is the master of the former, while Quinn perfectly interprets the latter.Therefore, please don't think that the more clues the better, because the two brothers have long been laughing at the end of the road full of forks.We even get hints from detectives in many works, telling us what is impossible and what is inevitable, such as "The Tragedy of Y" and (this often makes readers overwhelmed, which is another feature of Quinn), and finally The distance we are close to the truth is only a drop in the bucket compared to the total length.What's more, we have been dazed by the multiple solutions of some works, which is also the reason why Detective Quinn's intermittent depression.

Quinn may not be a genius with such fantastic ideas, but he is definitely a master.Many elements in detective novels have shown an extremely amazing charm from him. Quinn also had novels containing death messages before, such as Conan Doyle's "Boscombe Valley Mystery" and Agatha Christie's , but the abstract wordless death message in "The Tragedy of X" contains a reasoning art and beauty that surpass those of the predecessors.Quinn also writes about impossible crimes, but it is not the secret room murder that we often refer to. What is more, what Quinn refers to is the incredible disappearance.Whether it was the .25 caliber pistol in the movie, or the huge train in "Snowball in July", they all disappeared in style.Through these high-volume and high-quality works, Quinn has shown us his versatility—a point that no one seems to surpass.

The difference between Quinn and Carl and Christie is that the puzzle-solving process is not very bizarre, but in the end all the puzzles are solved reasonably and perfectly.Perfect foreshadowing, fascinating mystery, interesting characters, unexpected prisoner settings, etc., all his works show that he is a model of a true mystery novelist.Most people often say, "Aren't mystery novels just about solving puzzles?" But writing mystery novels is very difficult, especially if you insist on writing them for half a century. After reading Quinn's novels, you will have a clear understanding.

Some changes have taken place in Quinn's later works, and there are new features in the characters and scenes of the story: metaphor and allusion.I don't want to discuss this too much here, because I think this aspect involves Quinn's own thought changes and changes in the pulse of the times, which did not have a great impact on later writers. Rex Stout (Rex Stout, 1886-1975), like Quinn, is also a famous writer of detective stories in the United States.His "Nero Wolfe" (Nero Wolfe) series of detective novels are also deeply influenced by Van Dyne and Quinn in terms of character dialogue, psychological analysis, and plot settings.Like the personable Quinn, his characters' dialogues are sharp, witty, tit-for-tat, and read with the eloquence of ancient Greek dramas. Childhood theater experience played a huge role in this respect.These dialogues are often combined with a large number of descriptions of the characters' psychological activities and personality traits, and are used as a means to identify the murderer.Also like Quinn, he favors a two-piece frame.At the beginning of the story, the murder occurs, and the detective characters appear.Immediately afterwards, the murderer's modus operandi was revealed.The second half focuses on how to find the real culprit.The plots of his stories are all spread out from point to surface, interlocking, and a series of events one after another are not only the process itself, but also form an organic whole due to their respective connections.In addition, he is also good at creating a real atmosphere. All the characters in the works are given fixed roles and appear in each film.He cleverly integrated the narration of the case into the monotonous and repetitive daily chores, successfully creating a more realistic virtual world.

Stuart Palmer (Stuart Palmer, 1905-1968) is a relatively recognized writer influenced by Quinn, and the spinster Withers is the main detective in his works.Amateur detectives and the NYPD, does that remind you of Quinn?Yes, Withers’s debut, The Penguin Pool Mystery (1931), may have had shadows: Prosecutor Piper is similar to Richard Quinn; the same city, New York; The crime scenes are crowded places, the aquarium at Penguin Pool and the theater at the Roman Hat; the two also have a lot in common in terms of clues provided by the hats involved in the two cases. As soon as "The Mystery of Penguin Pond" was published, it was well received, not losing to Miss Marple who made her debut the previous year.

The works of another famous writer, Craig Rice (1908-1957), are considered to be more like Quinn.Craig Rice's real name is Georgiana Randolph. In 1939, she published her first detective novel, Eight Faces at Three, under the pseudonym Craig Rice.According to her own introduction, the creation of this novel took two years.At first, she finished the first chapter smoothly, but she didn't know how to write the following chapters, and then she finally finished the book perfunctorily.Unexpectedly, the detective protagonist in the book, John Malone, was recognized by readers, and she became a well-known best-selling author.Craig Rice had a short life, writing only 28 detective novels.The plots of these novels are tortuous and vivid, and the logical reasoning is interlocking, reflecting the typical delicate layout of Quine.In the field of detective novels, she formed a "surrealist trio" with Futrell and Quinn --- focusing on constructing a series of strange appearances, and all kinds of abnormal characters and events arouse readers' great curiosity and potential interest. A sense of fear; but finally through the chains of logic, they are completely unified.Chronologically, Rice is the latest to debut, so it's no surprise that she's Quinn's number one fan.In her works, in addition to the similar scene settings, there are even characters with the same identities in Quinn's novels that are almost exactly the same.

In addition, the eight "Thatcher Colter" detective novels by Anthony Abbot (1893-1952) also have the following iconic Quinn features: they are good at complex and vivid plot ideas.Especially the early creation of "About the Murder of Geraldine Foster" (About the Murder of Geraldine Foster) puts great emphasis on the investigation of the murder scene, attaches great importance to the testimony of eyewitnesses, and puts the focus of solving the case on knowing the truth of the murder. when, where and how.However, the detectives described by the above writers are very different from Ellery Quinn. One is an old maid, one is a drunk pervert, and the last is the police chief.On the one hand, it shows that Quinn's influence on other writers mainly lies in the "plot" of the article. On the other hand, it also shows that Quinn did not pay attention to the shaping of characters in his early years.

Some people also believe that Carl was influenced by a certain degree of Quinn, such as Carl's logic and criminal investigation procedures, the depth of thinking about the scene, and his insight into potential incentives, new information, and new clues.Both Quinn and Carl spent a lot of pen and ink describing the location, actions, and reactions of everyone at the time of the incident, which eventually constituted a complex and huge stage.Unlike Agatha's investigation into a character's hidden past, the two are concerned only with the crime itself.It's also worth mentioning that Carl followed suit shortly after Quinn became the pioneering writer of detective radio dramas.

In contemporary times, there are more writers who grew up reading Quinn's books.Take the "King of Short Detective Stories" Edward D. Hoch (Edward D. Hoch, 1930-2008) as an example. When he was 9 years old, he read his first detective novel, which was Quinn's. Said it was a reading that affected his life.In a tribute to Quinn (in The Tragedy of Mistakes (1999)), Hawke wrote: "I guess you could say it changed my life, It also explains why my early short stories were always submitted first to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine." In 1969, Edogawa Ranpo's works were mentioned in Ellery Quinn's monograph on the history of short detective stories "Quine's Selection" (Second Edition).Although Ranpo's novels were not included in the list of the 125 most important short detective stories, three of his collections ("Psychological Tests", and "Fantasy and Weirdness") are mentioned. In 1978, Quinn edited "Twelve Selected Masterpieces of Japanese Mystery Novels". In the preface, he also briefly discussed the development of Japanese mystery novels.In the subsequent "World Short Story Masterpieces 2" (1982), he put Matsumoto Seicho and Natsuki Shizuko's novels side by side with British and American famous detective novels in one book, making him the first person in Europe and America.Not only that, Quinn and his works also have a huge influence in Japan.

The origin of Japanese mystery novels can be traced back to the 20th year of Meiji (1887).Although the term "detective novel" was used (accurately rewritten) by Kuroiwa Reika as a starting point, it should have been created by the Japanese in the twelfth year of Taisho (1923), that is, Edogawa Rampo. The year of the first novel "Two Cents".Japanese mystery novels developed from the center of Edogawa Ranpo at the beginning, and many unique writers appeared, ushering in the current prosperity. In 1929, Ellery Quinn published his first novel, and his works spread to Japan shortly thereafter.Although it was not introduced to Japan in the order in which the works were published, it brought great benefits to the field of mystery novels at that time.Except for the interruption due to the Pacific War, all of Quinn's works were translated to Japan. After the war, Quinn's representative works reflected that difficult time. Like the works of Sherlock Holmes and Edogawa Rampo, Quinn's works, especially the early country name series and tragedy tetralogy, have become must-reads for mystery novelists, and there must be some in the top ten recommended books Quinn's work.Of course that's because of the underlying charm of Quinn's work.Ayukawa Tetsu, the master of reasoning, once said that he admired Quinn from the bottom of his heart ("Ellery's Secret", 1982). In the July 1999 edition of EQ magazine (EQMM in Japanese), detective writers, critics, and readers selected the 100 best detective novels of all time.Among them, the ranking of the top ten detective novels is: 1. History of Adventure (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle) 2. The Tragedy of Y (Ellery Queen) 3. (Agatha Christie) 4. The Innocence of Father Brown (GK Chesterton) 5. Mrs. Ghost (Cornell Ulrich) 6. (John Dickson Carr) 7. (Raymond Chandler) 8. (Agatha Christie) 9. The Tragedy of X (Ellery Queen) 10. Nine Tailors (Dorothy Sayers) In the top 30 detective novels, there are three other Quinn works: (11), (15) and "The Town" (22).Considered by some American critics to be his best work, it ranks only 40 among Japanese readers. Whether it is Mystery, which focuses on theoretical puzzles, or the genre known as true reasoning, Quinn's works are the best and most influential examples.In the year of Quinn's death, a certain detective novel magazine published a questionnaire: the first question of the questionnaire was: Do you care about Quinn's affairs? (A title was specially set up to challenge readers.) Readers responded strongly, and some people said: "For me who did not understand the real reasoning well at that time, it was Quinn who taught me to understand the real reasoning."; "When I was asked about respected people in junior high school, I remember that I answered Quinn. If I didn't know Quinn, I'm afraid I wouldn't be who I am now, and I'm afraid I would walk a completely different path. Quinn is like a god. I deeply I deeply respect him."...Although it is not such an exaggeration, there is probably no writer in Japan who has not been influenced by Quinn.Ayatsuji, who is currently the standard-bearer of Shinbenge, said: "When I was a boy, whenever people asked me: 'Who is the person you respect most?', I always answered without hesitation: 'It's Ellery Quay. Because', until now, this respect has not changed much." The president of the Benge Mystery Club Arisugawa Yusu said: "The works of Ellery Quinn let people see how fascinating and amazing the mystery novels of Benge are. Style, he is my eternal vision and goal.” Nikaido Liren also admired Quinn: “Through Ellery Quinn’s logic magic, we have learned what is the ideal state of modern mystery novels, More importantly, he showed us how fun it is to 'deduce'." The most direct expression of the consciousness of Quinn's work is its title.The series of country names that I thought started has already aroused the interest of Japanese writers. Although the title of "country name + object + mystery" is not Quinn's patent, it is really rare for a mystery novel to be named after a country.At the same time, it can also be seen that Quinn hopes to travel the mountains and rivers. Arisukawa Arisu is a writer deeply influenced by Quinn. In addition to his country name series titles ("The Mystery of the British Garden", "The Mystery of the Swiss Pavilion", "The Mystery of Russian Black Tea", "The Mystery of the Persian Cat", "The Puzzle of the Brazilian Butterfly" etc.), he also used to challenge the reader.Of course, he also wrote many papers on Quinn. Kaoru Kitamura's novel "The Mystery of Japanese Coins" published by Sogensha in June 2005 is a parody of Quinn.The novel is set in 1977.This year, the writer and famous detective Ellery was invited to Japan by the publishing house. During the trip, he became very interested in a serial murder case of children in Tokyo.Nanako was a member of the Reasoning Research Society at the university at the time, and also a member of the Quinn Fan Club.Finally, taking the incident of the toddler serial incident as an opportunity, she became Ellery's guide in Tokyo.A detective and Nanako launch an investigation.Moreover, the titles of Quinn's works have the characteristics that even Sasawa Saho, who thinks he has not been influenced by Quinn, would like to try this naming method. Quinn's "The Tragedy of Y" (Arisukawa Yusu's first novel "Moonlight Game" whose subtitle is "The Tragedy of Y'88") is among the top ten excellent novels, and the tragedy published under the name of Barnaby Ross The naming method of the titles of the 4 parts is also very attractive.Natsuki Shizuko's is very famous, and this work was also influenced by Quinn.Among Japanese writers, Natsuki Shizuko is recognized as the most directly influenced by Quinn (not just Frederick Dennay), especially "Angel's Disappearance", which describes the delicate psychology of women.After Dannai came to Japan for the first time in 1977, he came to Japan again in 1979.After being visited by Dannai in the following year, Natsuki Shizuko got to know her more deeply and listened to many suggestions on mystery novels, especially the one published in 1982 reflected these very detailed suggestions. After Dannai's death, she What is written, etc. can also be seen. Hozuki Rintaro, who won the 2005 Honge Mystery Award, is a recognized follower of Quinn. The detective in Hatsuki Rintaro's works is also called Hatsuki Rintaro, and the detective's father is also a police officer.This is exactly the same as the setting of Ellery Quinn and Richard Quinn. After more than half a century apart, the two twin stars complement each other.Fazuki Rintaro's series of tragedies (,) also correspond to Quinn's four tragedies.As for the traces of imitation in the article itself, we can see that his "Nightmare Red Again" (1992) imitated Quinn's, telling the story of a serial killer; is quite similar to.The works at this time were even influenced by Quinn's later problems. The detective was integrated into the story and became a part of the incident. The protagonist himself was also feeling the pain that followed, becoming the so-called "distressed detective".When talking about creation, Fazuki Rintaro said: "I myself have an inferiority complex for imitating Ellery Quinn. But because there is Siegel (American sculptor, known as the American sculptor) on the borderline between art and imitation Famous for his realistic plaster casts of ordinary people, I thought it was still possible to break through this inferiority complex." The famous detective Ellery Quinn can still be seen in the works of today's writers, and Quinn's novels have a great influence on the writing skills of the Bengue school.For example, Ayukawa Tetsuya's famous Onibuki police department series has quite good foreshadowing and perfect reasoning, which can be said to be a challenge to Quinn; the mystery novel Nakamachi Shin also challenged Quinn's favorite death news many times.Although not intended, Quinn's work always gives the reader the impression of "challenging the reader".The fastest responder to Quinn's challenge was Ranpo Edogawa. In 1932, when there were only a few long translations, he published an article entitled "Detective Fiction of Chivalry": For Quinn's detective novels, the author and the reader are two knights fighting each other with swords.The reader is presented with a serious challenge book by the author (the challenge book actually appeared in the novel), and then the two have a theoretical debate.Knight Quinn hates the cowardly attitude like a snake. If the reader's knight's sword falls off, Knight Quinn will stop fighting and wait quietly for the opponent to pick up the sword again.This is Quinn's chivalry with fair play as its first tenet. Ranpo Edogawa, who often exchanged letters and gave autographed books, did not see the influence of Quinn on his works.Quinn's footprints can be found, however, at levels other than fiction, such as reviews, research, and magazine editing.In this way, if the relationship with Edogawa Rampo is also included, Ellery Quinn is a writer who has an inestimable and significant influence on the entire Japanese reasoning circle. On the other hand, EQMM played a huge role in promoting the popularity of European and American short stories in Japan. In July 1956, the Japanese version of EQMM was launched by Japan's Hayakawa Study with the support of EQMM edited by Quinn. After the contract expired in 1978, it was published by Kobunsha, named "EQ" magazine (after the contract with Kobunsha expired in July 1999) discontinued). The Japanese version of EQMM inherits the tenet of the parent magazine that the selected articles must be fine, and it is also a famous detective novel magazine in Japan.It not only translates excellent foreign detective novels but also publishes the works of domestic writers.In the last century when Japanese translation was underdeveloped, most of the short story collections available on the market were famous works by famous writers such as Quinn and Christie. Therefore, for readers who love short stories, the Japanese version of EQMM is bound to become such an excellent choice. a window. In addition, this paper must add two chapters (contributions other than Quinn's writers, the influence of EQMM) to be truly complete.But on the one hand, knowledge and time are limited, and on the other hand, these two contents are not included in other articles in the collection (see "Frederick Dennay: Writer, Editor, Scholar" by Ellry and "Ellery Quayne" by Leyang). Because there will be quite a wonderful and comprehensive statement in his magazine "), the author will not repeat it. In the process of writing this article, I would like to thank the following friends for their help: Mr. Masatoshi Saito from Japan——President of EQFC (Ellery Quinn Fan Club), now living in the United States——He provided A lot of very valuable information and suggestions made my writing not impossible; my friend skyshine and Mr. A passer-by in Hong Kong provided meticulous and patient translation support; ellry gave me such an opportunity and at the same time My relevant advice and information. At the same time, I would also like to thank all my friends who love mystery novels and Quinn. You are the driving force for my writing.thanks. 1. Kaoru Yamamae: "Most Good and Greatest お书本: クイーンが日本のミステリー界に和えた Influence" (the best model: Quinn’s influence on the Japanese mystery novel circle), 2004; 2. Ellery Queen: "The Tragedy of Errors and Others", Crippen & Landru, 1999; 3. Michael E. Grost: A Guide to Classic Mystery and Detection, http://members.aol.com/MG4273/classics.htm; 4. Huang Lushan: "History of American Popular Fiction", Yilin Publishing House, 2004.