Section 1: The thriller genre

This essay will explore 7 authors and critics who have defined the thriller genre. These are: G. K. Chesterton, Northrop Frye, John Cawelti, W. H. Matthews, Pascal Bonitzer, Lars Ole Sauerberg and Noel Carroll. All these people had their own opinions on what a thriller should consist of.
G. K. Chesterton was a thriller writer in the early 1900s. He labelled the thriller as a modern genre that was mainly set in urban landscapes. It was an attempt to find 'the poetry of modern life.' The thriller finds excitement in everyday environments and transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Northrop Frye, a Canadian, was one of the most distinguished literary critics and literary theorists of the 20th century. He builds upon Chesterton's critique by adding that the hero is often an ordinary person. An example of this idea is the film 'Derailed.' It's set in the urban landscape of Chicago and the ' hero' of the film is a normal man with a family who live in the suburbs and a job in the city. The ordinary turns into the extraordinary when he meets someone travelling to work.
John Cawelti is an author of mostly the detective fiction and western genres, but he has his own ideas of what the thriller should include. He combines Chesterton and Frye's thoughts. He says a thriller should transform the city (the setting) from a modern centre of commerce into a place of enchantment and mystery. This is achieved by introducing 'The Exotic' into the everyday world.
W. H. Matthews' work relates to mazes and labrynths in fiction. It's based upon the image of Theseus descending into an underground maze full of twists. He thinks that if a thriller narrative was to be designed, this idea should be used. Therefore, a thriller film should be a puzzling journey for the audience. An example of this is the film 'Flightplan.' It all takes place on a plane journey so it sounds simple. However, it doesn't include physical twists and turns e.g. setting and character changes, but psychological ones.
Pascal Bonitzer is a teacher at La Femis (France's national film school.) He thought Matthews was describing 'Partial Vision' when he advocates mazes. This relates to the audience because he thinks they should only see so much. This will keep them hooked on the film until the end when the answers are revealed.
All thriller narratives are built around the structuring and then release of information. The method of suspense is created by the audience's access to narrative information. This is a theory suggested by Lars Ole Sauerberg, which he names concealment and protraction.
The question-answer model is a dominant feature in a thriller according to author Noel Carroll. This is mainly used in non-linear narratives, for example we might see the ending first and then we find out how the characters evolved throughout the story and reached that ending. This model is also prominent in a film that uses flashbacks and flash-forwards.
Some directors who make thrillers either choose to follow the stereotypical conventions illustrated by these authors and critics or choose to go against them for a more alternative style. These people have all defined the thriller genre and made them what they are today.