Thriller

From Wikinfo

The thriller is a genre of fiction in which tough, resourceful, but essentially ordinary heroes are pitted against villains determined to destroy them, their country, or the stability of the freeworld. The hero of a thriller faces danger alone or in the company of a small band of companions. The protagonist may be a law enforcement agent, a journalist, or a soldier, but typically he or she is cut off from the resources of "their" organization. The hero may even be an ordinary citizen drawn into danger and intrigue by circumstances beyond their control. The plot of a thriller is usually driven by the villain, who presents obstacles that the hero must overcome. A thriller uses suspense as an indispensable ingredient, evoking feelings of tension and excitement. Plot devices such as MacGuffins, red herrings, foreshadowings and cliffhangers are employed in abundance.

Literature

In literature, thrillers constitute a distinct genre, but often incorporate elements from other genres such as adventure, detective fiction, and espionage. Homer's Odyssey is one of the oldest stories in the Western world and is regarded as an early prototype of the thriller. The hero Odysseus makes a perilous voyage home after the Trojan War, battling extraordinary hardships in order to be reunited with his wife Penelope. He has to contend with villains such as the Cyclops, a one-eyed giant, and the Sirens, whose sweet singing lures sailors to their doom. In most cases, Odysseus uses cunning instead of brute force to overcome his adversaries.

Contemporary thriller fiction, sometimes called "suspense fiction", is a genre of literature that typically entails fast-paced plots, numerous action scenes, and limited character development. It is sometimes called suspense fiction because of the heightened level of stress or excitement that it induces in the reader. Along with the aforementioned suspense fiction, it has more than a dozen sub-genres, including action-adventure thriller, techno-thriller, conspiracy thriller, medical thriller, serial killer thriller, political thriller, military thriller, romantic thriller, legal thriller, forensic thriller, and spy fiction.

Thriller fiction has its origins in the adventure stories of Edgar Allan Poe and Robert Louis Stevenson. In the early twentieth century, many more adventure stories saw their way into print in the dime novels and pulp magazines of that era. The thriller novel as we know it today was virtually invented by the author Edgar Wallace. Writing in the late 1920s and early 1930s, Wallace produced many of these quickly paced novels until his death in 1932. After Wallace's death, imitators and pulp magazines continued the trend.

In the 1950s, the invention of the spy thriller by Ian Fleming, contributed to the genre. Also in that decade, the arrival of the author Alistair MacLean helped to raise the level of popularity of the genre. MacLean's exciting and action packed novels were appealing to readers of the genre. In the 1970s, Robert Ludlum began to write thiller novels in the modern style as we know it today. His action heavy novels were best sellers, though derided by critics for their lack of in depth characters and limited psychological subtext. Many of his novels were also conspiracy thrillers. Many popular authors of thriller fiction today include Clive Cussler, James Patterson, John Sandford, Tess Gerritsen, Dan Brown, and Robin Cook.

Film

The Bourne Identity is a modern example of a thriller, both as a novel and a film. A man with gunshot wounds is found floating unconscious in the Mediterranean Sea. Brought ashore and nursed back to health, he wakes up with amnesia. Fiercely determined to uncover the secrets of his past, he embarks on a quest that sends him spiraling into a web of violence and deceit. He is astounded to learn that martial arts, firearms and tradecraft seem to come naturally to him.

Other examples of the thriller in literature and film include The Hunt for Red October, The Day of the Jackal, The Da Vinci Code, and Jurassic Park. Novelists closely associated with the genre include Robert Ludlum, Frederick Forsyth, Dan Brown, Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, Ian Fleming and Alistair MacLean.

Outside of literature, the thriller has also become a staple in other media. 24 is a fast-paced television series with a premise inspired by the War on Terror. Each season takes place over the course of twenty-four hours, with each episode happening in "real time". Featuring a split-screen technique and a ticking onscreen clock, 24 follows the exploits of Federal agent Jack Bauer as he races to foil terrorist threats.

The Manchurian Candidate is a classic film of Cold War paranoia. A squad of American soldiers are kidnapped and brainwashed by Communists. False memories are implanted, along with a subconscious trigger that turns them into assassins at a moment's notice. They are soon reintegrated into American society as sleeper agents. One of them, Major Bennett Marco, senses that not all is right, setting him on a collision course with his former comrade Sergeant Raymond Shaw, who is close to being activated as an assassin.

Ronin is a suspenseful tale of conflicting loyalties. A team of post-Cold War mercenaries gather in France to carry out an ambush and steal a mysterious suitcase. The mission goes awry when the group turn on each other. The contents of the suitcase are never revealed, but it is obviously something worth killing for. Other examples of the thriller in movies include: Psycho, The Thirty-Nine Steps, North by Northwest, In the Line of Fire, The Fugitive, The Silence of the Lambs and Marathon Man.