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When a story is being told, there are many facts and details that the narrator needs to put into the story so that the reader understands what is happening. The way that the storyteller gives the facts to the reader is very important. In The Moving Toyshop, Edmund Crispin tells us the necessities of the story in a wonderful way. Instead of stating the facts, he adds the details into parts of the story, which makes the whole story much more interesting to read. When introducing characters, Crispin gives us a complete description while still continuing with the storyline. Crispin also gives us a great sense of setting by telling us of the time and place in a very subtle way.
We are able to picture the setting without even knowing that he told it to us. The most surprising thing to notice is the way Crispin builds up his murder mystery. We are given small clues throughout the story but do not know they are there until we reread the book. By setting up the mystery in this way, Crispin makes his book one that the reader cannot put down. His entire way of introducing the characters, settings and mystery make this a very remarkable book. Crispin has a very interesting way of introducing his characters.
He throws in facts about them that could be missed if the reader was not paying attention. When describing Cadogan, Crispin does not simply tell us how old he is or what he looks like. We are instead given facts in small parts throughout the story. For example, near the beginning we are told, Cadogan straightened up with a faint sigh. He felt every month of his thirty-seven years. (Toy 10). This little detail is slipped into the story in a barely noticeable way.
By introducing the fact in this way, Crispin makes it seem like part of the story. This way of describing the characters is continued through the entire book. The portrayal of Mr. Hoskins is delivered in a very similar way when Crispin states, Mr Hoskins, large, raw-boned and melancholy, a little like a Thurber dog, blinked mildly. (Toy 27). From this, we get an immediate mental picture of him.
The setting of the narrative is also thrown out at various times throughout the book. Within the first fifteen pages of the novel, we are given the year that the story takes place in. It is told to us as part of the story when Crispin writes, Cars and lorries, it seemed, were reluctant to stop this was 1938, and British motorists were having one of their periodical scares about car thieves (Toy 15). The surroundings are described to us in the same sort of way. For instance, there is a wonderful portrayal of the scene when we are told, throughout the suburb of St Johns Wood.
From the sooty trees, their leaves brown and gold in the autumn sunlight, rose flights of startled birds. (Toy 9). From these two sentences, we now know where, when and what season we are reading about. The most wonderful thing about Crispin's narrative is the way he builds up the mystery of the toyshop. We know early on that Miss Emilia Tardy is dead and that we are trying to discover the murderer. We also know that there is a toyshop that seems to have moved from one place to another overnight. Crispin does a fantastic job of hiding the murderer from us.
Although we are given clues, it is almost impossible to decide whom the guilty one is. This is what makes the book so tempting to finish. The reader cannot wait to find out who committed the crime and how he did it. If a reader rereads this book, he will find many little subtle clues throughout the story that were probably not noticeable during the first read. One of these clues is about Mr. Spode when, Complacently he patted the rather doggy petunia waistcoat which corseted his plump little form (Toy 12).
That piece is told to us at the very beginning of the novel and we do not know until later that we are trying to find, The Old Man of the Westwore a pale, plum-coloured vest- (Toy 66). Crispin also teases us by not telling us who the murderer is until the very end. Throughout the story, he keeps us guessing. In the readers mind, the murderer switches many times. Even if the reader figures out who the murderer is, Crispin adds in other facts that change the readers mind. Crispin makes the murderer seem very elusive.
Throughout the story the crime is referred to as impossible. That makes it all the more tempting to reach the end of the mystery. With all of the pieces of the novel put together, it becomes a very enjoyable, somewhat unusual, murder mystery. What makes it so great, however, is the wonderful style of Crispin's narrative. Instead of a boring story in which all the details are described in an obvious, straightforward way, Crispin gives us facts very slyly by slipping them in to the narrative without warning. This gives us very accurate mental pictures.
By knowing how the setting looks, we are able to enjoy the story much more. It becomes a narrative in which we are not forced to decide how the characters look and what the scenery is like. Crispin tells us what to imagine in a subtle way. The interesting and unusual way that Crispin tells his story is the main reason that he is such a remarkable author. His combination of characters, setting and a great murder mystery makes this a brilliant book to read.
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Research essay sample on Part Of The Story Readers Mind
