The Guilty Vicarage

i find it very odd that someone who would want to take on the task of writing a mystery or detective novel would have to follow an algorithm so precise as this one, even down to what they characters think and where the setting of the novel is. In the composition of music, the first rule of composing is to break the rules of composing, so hopefully the same rules apply. i would imagine if you must follow this exact algorithm then there would be a loss of creativity. I was very fond of the use of charts and bullets, made the read more interesting and gave a great sense of organization to the passage. It really catches my eye when i see something thats not just another sentence. My biggest question is probably what is the importance of this formula? Is it essential to the novel, without it, would the novel be "incorrect" in a sense? As a high school soon-to-be junior, I'm not exactly sure what it's importance's in the world of mystery novels.

    Nothing is more guilty than a guilty pleasure and that is accurately displayed in W.H Auden's A Guilty Vicarage. With the essay displaying Auden's own guilty indulgence of detective novels, he has every aspect of a "Whodunnit" analyzed. He no doubt possesses and voices each of his opinions eloquently and thoroughly. Throughout the essay Auden describes all of which a detective story should entail and shouldn't include. While reading this, I was thoroughly perplexed as to the scrutiny the author placed upon classic literary characters, many people have enjoyed these tales and what should Auden's opinion make change of? Nothing. Nevertheless I was curious as to how Auden is capable of enjoying his guilty pleasure of literature with seemingly similar stories each time? As a reader myself I can understand selectivity, but not to this degree. One who only reads a certain genre where the main character must possess certain attributes and the plot but be carried out in a particular fashion is nothing but boring in my opinion.
    Furthermore the quotation, "I can to some degree...so that instead of dreaming about indulging my desires, I dream about the removal of the guilt which I feel at there existence." demanded my attention upon my first reading and I did note that I read it more than once over. With Auden stating he would rather dream away his guilt, than dream away the action in which the guilt was created I was left with my brow furrowed. I do not believe I have come across this type of approach to a situation. When a person typically possess guilt, they wish and dream so to speak that the action had not occurred. This may be seen by some as wanting to be rid of guilt but I do not see it entirely as so. Auden's choice of not regretting his indulgence and rather wishing it had not felt like an indulgence is creative. 
   
        

In his essay “The Guilty Vicarage” W.H Auden dissects the two types of detective stories he believes exist. The judgment he gave each variation of the mystery genre was quite harsh and a bit uncalled for and slightly pretentious. I was able to enjoy the fundamental breakdown of the “Whodunit” kind of novel he did, identifying each step and piece of the puzzle in a mystery.
Interestingly, he makes us realize that the detective story comes from Greek tragedy and instead of the gods declaring something fate, the crime has already been committed and now only needs to be solved. Going through the motions of a detective story takes most of the mystery away from it and boils everything down to the mechanics of the writing. I find this thoroughly uninteresting and prefer to enjoy a story as I read it, not tear it apart or put it down the moment I find out it is not set in rural England. What may have irked me the most in this essay was the unforgiving analysis he placed upon well known literary detectives.
I think Auden was so critical in his essay because of the guilt he feels he “suffers from a sense of sin”. He also states that novels that deal with murder “…compel an identification with the murderer which he would prefer not to recognize.” This is one thing I do agree with. The line between right and wrong is so thin for some people and morals can become skewed because humans are flawed beings. I believe people read anything to escape their own lives and explore another time, place or world. Murder mysteries allow one to indulge in their fantasies while being completely separate from the horrific happening s of the book. One is able to read such a novel and identify with both the murderer and the detective without actually admitting to any of their personal feelings. The end of the novel has satisfied their need for some risk in the fantasy world and they are left with their sense of innocence as the criminal is brought to justice.