An Instance of the Fingerpost

Stephen Witowski · 05 Jan 1999, 15:25 · from urth-v0022.mbox · original

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From: "Stephen Witowski" <stephenw at libraries.manchester.gov.uk>
Subject: Re: (urth) An Instance of the Fingerpost
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1999 15:25:02
Message-ID: <urth-v0022-0068 at digest.urth.net>
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Michael Straight wrote :

>This sounds like it was inspired by a novel from the mid 1800's by Wilkie
> Collins called _The Moonstone_, which T.S. Eliot called "the first and
> greatest of English detective novels" (it introduced the idea of giving
> the reader all the clues necessary to solve the mystery and of having a
> "detective" to put it all together).  It features chapters written by
> each of the witnesses to the crime.  I don't know if they contradict each
> other, as, alas, I haven't read it yet.=20

A quick recommendation of _The Moonstone_. I love Wilke Collins' fiction
and perhaps this is the best of his novels, with a wonderful complex plot
and great characters (the detective Sgt. Cuff is great) and a marvelous
sense of place this is of interest to Wolfe fans. As far as I can recall
the Chapters written by various characters do not contradict each other
they move the plot on seamlessly and are only written by divers hands
because some of the narrators are not on hand to describe all of the
events.

Stephen
-----------
Stephen Witkowski
Librarian/Information Officer
City Architect's Library , Manchester. UK.
E-Mail : stephenw at libraries.manchester.gov.uk
Phone : (0161) 234 4357

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