The ingredients of a mystery novel, he says, are these:
“The king died and then the queen died” is a story. “The king died, and then the queen died of grief” is a plot. . . . “The queen died, no one knew why, until it was discovered that it was through grief at the death of the king.” This is a plot with a mystery in it, a form capable of high development.
(Quoted from page 4 of Talking About Detective Fiction, by P. D. James. Alfred A. Knopf, 2009.)
For a brief biography of E. M. Forster, click here. For images of or relating to E. M. Forster, click here.
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