38 Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal 2020, Vol. 11, No.

An Analysis of the Use of Suspense in the Plot Development of

Agatha Christie‟s Tape-measure Murder

Aye Aye Soe

Abstract
Detective fiction is one of the most popular narrative genres today. It includes any story that
has a crime and its solution as a central feature of its plot. In detective fictions, suspense plays
a very important role and it supports the development of the plot. This paper focuses on the use
of suspense in the plot development of the detective short story Tape-measure Murder written
by Agatha Christie. The research was carried out to analyse the phases of the plot and to
classify the types of suspense used in the story and to investigate the impact of suspense on the
plot development of the story. In conduction this research, the phases of the plot were analysed
by applying Pyramid Theory proposed by Gustav Freytag (1900) and the types of suspense
occurred in each phase were classified by applying the classification of suspense proposed by
Nino and Tarmar (2013) and Reedsy (2018). According to the research, the use of horrific
suspense is mostly found to express the fact that each occurance of suspense affects the plot to
be more horrific and shocking. It is found out that the use of suspense in the plot development
provides a satisfactory impact on the readers who love detective fictions as it promotes their
critical thinking and problem-solving skills together with the detectives. It is hoped that
detective stories can be used as classroom materials in teaching English Literature.
Key Words: detective fiction, suspense, plot development, Agatha Christie, tape-measure

I. INTRODUCTION
Narrative fictions usually comprise with theme, setting, plot, character and point of
view. In detective stories, the plot is the arrangement of the ideas or events that make up a story
and determine the reader‟s experience. Among the significance of plot devices, suspense is a
crucial one in detective fictions. This paper studies the use of suspense which coincides with
the plot development of the story Tape- Measure Murder written by Agatha Christie. The story
is taken from the collection of Miss Marple Final Cases (1979) which deals with the theme of
jealousy. It discusses the development of the plot and what types of suspense were used to
support the plot development in the story. The research was carried out by applying Freytag‟s
Pyramid Theory (1990) in examining the plot development and the theories of Nino and Tarmar
(2013) and Reedsy (2018) in classifying the types of suspense.
1.1. Aim and Objectives
This research aims to study the use of suspense in the plot development in Agatha
Christie‟s „Tape-Measure Murder‟. This study is carried out with the following objectives: to
analyse the phases of the plot which help develop the story, to classify the types of suspense
used in the story, and to find out the impact of suspense used for the plot development.
1.2. Research questions
1. How many types of suspense are found in the story?
2. What is the most used type of suspense and what is the least used one?
3. What is the impact of suspense on the plot development?


Lecturer, Department of English, Yangon University of Foreign Languages
Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal 2020, Vol. 11, No. 1 39

II. CASE STUDY

2.1. Literature Review
The German Critic Gustav Freytag proposed a method of analyzing plots, now known as
Freytag‟s Pyramid which can be conveyed to analyse the structure of the plot in a short story.
(Ansen Dibell, 1999) Freytag‟s Pyramid divides a plot into five phases: exposition, rising
action, climax, falling action and denouement.

FREYTAG’S PYRAMID
Climax:
The most suspenseful part
The turning point for the protagonist

Falling Action:
Three or less events that
Rising Action: the conflict between the
At least three major events that add protagonist and antagonist
suspense or tension to the plot that leads to resolution
(complications or frustrations)
that leads to climax

Resolution: Denouement:
Exposition: Conflict: Conflict is resolved and Tying up of
Background information Initial incident discovered whether the loose end
of the plot that includes first occurs in the plot protagonist achieve the
characters and setting goal

Exposition introduces the characters especially the protagonist, and how they relate to
one another, their goals and motivation as well as their moral character. During exposition, the
protagonist learns their main goal and what is at stake. Rising action starts with a conflict, for
e.g., the death of a character. This phase is the turning point of the plot that begins the conflict.
It involves the buildup of events that add suspense to the plot, complication and frustration that
leads to climax which is essential to a story.
Climax is the turning point or the most suspenseful part of the story. The protagonist
makes the single big decision that not only occupies the middle of the story but also defines the
outcome of it. At this phase, the protagonist clears away the preliminary barriers and engages
with the adversary. Falling action phase, according to Freytag, consists of events that lead to
the ending. Characters‟ actions resolve the problem. The protagonist has never been further
away from accomplishing the goal. In the phase of denouement, the protagonist and antagonist
have solved their problems and either of them wins the conflict which ends officially or legally.
Some stories show what happens to the characters or what happens to them in the future.
Suspense is created in a story to heighten tension during a plot, and it can occur through
almost any phase of the plot in the story. There are five types of suspense in detective fiction:
long-term (narrative) suspense, short-term suspense, mysterious suspense, horrific suspense,
and romantic / comedic Suspense. (Nino and Tarmar, 2013; Reedsy, 2018) Long-term
(narrative) suspense, also described as “narrative,” refers to tension that builds throughout the
entire story. In narrative suspense, the writer poses a problem, or mystery at the beginning,
divulges more about it as the plot progresses, and wraps it up near climax or ending. The writer
wants to continuously hint at its resolution, giving a constant pressure. With that pressure, with
character development and plot progression, long-term suspense can be found. Short-term
Suspense is just a brief scene of suspense that provokes a powerful reaction from the reader.
This may tie in to the story‟s long-term tension, or alternately can serve as a distraction or
40 Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal 2020, Vol. 11, No. 1

subplot. One of the best applications of short-term suspense is to create cliffhangers –scene or
chapter endings that leave the reader desperately in suspense. Cliffhangers cut off the story at
critical moments when the readers want to know what happens next. Mysterious Suspense is
often used in thrillers and mystery stories. Though all types of suspense involve mystery in one
way or another, mysterious suspense differs in that something is deliberately being concealed
from the readers. They know it keeps them on their toes. The writer needs to add something
unique to prevent the story becoming predictable –an excellent plot twist to resolve the mystery.
Horrific Suspense is when the readers know something awful is going to happen, but naturally
it remains unclear. It is most common in horror and sometimes thriller stories. Agatha Christie
often intertwines mysterious and horrific suspense, making the readers question both
“whodunit?” (mystery) and then “when will they do it again?” (horrific).
Romantic / Comedic Suspense may also occur when the readers don‟t know what‟s
going to happen, though this tension is typically lighter than other forms of suspense. Romantic
suspense may occur in lighthearted or more dramatic fiction whereas comedic suspense, almost
exclusively occurs in farce.

2.2. Brief biography of Agatha Christie

Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an
English well-known writer of crime and romantic novels of the 20th century. She was born on
September 15, 1890 in Torquay, Devon, England and died on January 12, 1976, Winterbrook,
United Kingdom and was buried at the Church of St Mary, Cholsey, Oxfordshire, England. She
is best remembered for her sixty-six detective novels and fourteen short story collections,
particularly those revolving around fictional detectives, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She is
considered to be the best-selling writer of all time. Her writing was quite clear and it is easy to
get absorbed in the story‟s flow.

2.3. Characters in the story Tape-Measure Murder

The characters in the story are Miss Politt, the dressmaker; Miss Hartnell, the neighbour;
Miss Marple, the Detective; Colonel Melchett, the Chief Constable; Mrs Spenlow, the
deceased; Slack, the Inspector; Mr Spenlow, the husband of Mrs. Spenlow; Gladys Bent, Mrs
Spenlow‟s maid; Palk, the Constable; Gladys Bent, Mrs Spenlow‟s maid; and Ted Gerard, the
young man.

2.4. A short summary of Tape-measure Murder by Agatha Christie

Miss Politt, the dressmaker of St Mary Mead, went to Mrs Spenlow with the new green
winter dress ready for fitting. She knocked the door of Laburnum Cottage three times, but saw
no sign of Mrs Spenlow. When she saw Miss Hartnell, the neighbour, she told her that she had
made an appointment. Miss Hartnell took Miss Politt to the house. They looked inside the house
and found Mrs Spenlow lying dead on the hearthrug in a small sitting room. Miss Hartnell told
Constable Palk that she suspected Mr Spenlow for the murder and so did most people of St.
Mary Mead. Miss Politt had an alibi which could make her look innocent. She and Mrs
Spenlow used to work together in the same house and involved in a robbery years ago. She was
jealous of Mrs Spenlow whose florist business was prosperous. So, she decided to kill Mrs
Spenlow. Finally, Miss Marple, solved the mystery and proved that Miss Politt had strangled
Mrs Spenlow with a tape-measure.
Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal 2020, Vol. 11, No. 1 41

2.5. Methodology
This study mainly focused on the suspense used to support the plot development of the
story “Tape-Measure Murder” written by Agatha Christie. In doing this study, the story was
taken from the collection of Miss Marple Final Cases (1979). The analysis was carried out by
applying Pyramid theory proposed by Gustav Freytag (1900) and the classification of suspense
by Nino and Tamar (2013) and Reedsy (2018). The phases of the plot were analysed and the
types of suspense occurred in each phase were classified. The analysis was shown in the tables
with the extracts from the story and their interpretations. After the analysis, the frequencies of
the use of suspense were calculated. The percentages were shown in the table with the
frequencies.

2.6. Analysis
In this analysis, the classification of the types of suspense was shown in the phases of
the plot – exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement in the following
tables.

Table 1. Analysis of exposition and types of suspense

No. Phase of the plot Extracts from the story Types of Interpretation
suspense
1. Exposition: „It‟s rather awkward, you Long-term Miss Politt went to see Mrs
see, I was to fit on Mrs Spenlow for fitting a new
The story starts
Spenlow‟s new dress this dress but she saw no one. She
with a murder.
afternoon. Three-thirty.‟ The 3.30 was the time of an
Starting a story
appointment.
with an event
like this is a great
way to get the
Miss Hartnell confirmed that
reader interested „Why doesn‟t Gladys Long-term Mrs Spenlow was in the house
as they wanted to answer the door? …. it‟s
alone.
find out who the Thursday – Gladys‟s day
murderer is. out.‟
There was no response. Short-term No one replied to Miss
Hartnell, though she called
out.
She knocked the door, and
Miss Hartnell, it is true, saw Horrific saw no one but Mr Spenlow
no sign of life. Mrs Spenlow lying dead in a small living
lying on the hearthrug – room.
dead.
(Chapter-I)
42 Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal 2020, Vol. 11, No. 1

Table 2. Analysis of rising action and types of suspense

No. Phase of plot Extracts from the story Types of Interpretation
suspense

2. Rising Action: „I said to her. “You stay Mysterious Miss Hartnell explained the
here and I‟ll go for police that she told Miss Politt
The witness
Constable Palk.” ….. but I to stay at Mrs Spenlow‟s
talked about the
paid no attention at all.‟ house while she was reporting
persons who
but she was unwilling to be
were to be „Frankly, I suspected Mysterious left there. The writer hints the
suspected. The something at once! He was
clue for the suspect of the
case became far too calm. He didn‟t seem
murder case and it turns out to
complicated. surprised in the least. ….. it
be a mystery. Again, Miss
Conflict occurs isn‟t natural for a man to
Hartnell told the police that
in this phase. hear that his wife is dead
she suspected Mr Spenlow for
and display no emotion
This phase keeps the crime as he showed no
whatever.‟ (Chapter-I)
up the readers surprise nor no emotion.
with deeper So suspicious did they Another suspect is shown for
interest as Miss consider Mr Spenlow‟s Mysterious the murder case. The police
Marple‟s detachment, …… money agreed with Miss Hartnell for
explanation of went to her husband under a Mr Spenlow‟s detachment as
the way the will made soon after their he showed no sign of emotion.
murderer did, marriage, they were more Mrs Spenlow‟s money had to
false phone call suspicious than ever. go to her husband according to
and another the will. He was under
Miss Marple, ….….. was suspicion. Miss Marple, an
person under Comedic
interviewed very early –
suspicion. elderly spinster lived next
within half an hour of the
door to the Spenlows. The
This event shows discovery of the crime.
police came to interview her
the main suspect
„Lying on the floor in the within half an hour of the
of the story. Mysterious crime. The deceased was lying
sitting-room, strangled
This introduction possibly – by a very narrow on the floor in the sitting
of the protagonist belt. But whatever it was, it room, being strangled by a
gives the story a was taken away.‟ narrow belt but the thing was
character and to taken away. But the police
„You did not ring up Mr Mysterious
couldn‟t imagine what the
be willing to go
Spenlow at two-thirty?‟ thing was. Palk asked Miss
on reading the
(Chapter-I) Marple if she called Mr
plot line. Miss
Marple talked „Pretended to get a phone Spenlow. The police thought
about the clue. call …….. he lied, or that Mysterious that Mr Spenlow pretended to
call was put through from a get a phone call from Miss
The writer Marple. The police talked
public telephone booth.
creates the story about the robbery that she
lighter and less Don‟t think she was mixed seemed to be involved. They
tense to show the up in it, do you, sir? Mysterious mentioned Ted Gerard who
reader how Miss (Chapter-II) visited Mrs Spenlow very
Marple is often. Miss Marple talked
Ted Gerard. A good-looking
involved in the Mysterious
young man …… and the about the peculiarity of the
crime. kimono that the deceased was
slippers and scarfs that were
made for him! wearing at the time of being
murdered.
„A kimono. Not a dress.‟
Mysterious
(Chapter-III)
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Table 3. Analysis of climax and types of suspense

No. Phase of plot Extracts from the story Types of Types of suspense
suspense
3. Climax: „It – it conveyed the Horrific Mr Spenlow told Miss Marple
impression that he was of that he was suspected to be the
This phase
the opinion that I had – murderer by the people of St.
expresses how
killed my dear wife‟ Mary Mead.
Miss Marple
made a motive. Miss Marple went up to her Horrific Miss Marple went to the post
She took a dress room, hastily rolled up a office. Miss Politt lived in the
and hurried to dress in a piece of brown flat over the post office. Her
the post office to paper, and, leaving the motives were evidently shown
see Miss Politt house, walked briskly up to in that she went to the
there. This the post office. Miss Politt, dressmaker whom she
occurs towards the dressmaker, lived in the suspected to be the murderer.
the end of the rooms over the post office.
Miss Marple met Miss Politt
story, so the
Not till the postmistress in her flat and asked her to
reader can Horrific
returned to her post did alter her crepe. It is obvious
speculate that
Miss Marple go upstairs and that she approached the
this event is
explain to Miss Politt that dressmaker not to deal that
important for the
she wanted her old grey matter, but with the other
murder. She
crepe altered and made intention. The readers can
went straight to
more fashionable if that imagine something horrific
the police after
were possible. had happen.
visiting Miss
Politt as the case (Chapter-IV) The readers feel a lighter
is about to be tension when Miss Marple
The chief constable was
solved. went straight to the Chief
rather astonished when Miss Short-term Constable. It is clear that
Marple‟s name was brought
something important is going
to him.
to happen concerning with the
(Chapter-V) murder.

Table 4. Analysis of falling action and types of suspense

No. Phase of plot Extracts from the story Types of Interpretation
suspense

4 Falling action: Matter of fact he did pick Horrific Miss Marple explained that
the pin up just by Mrs Palk picked up the pin just
During this
Spenlow‟s body. by the dead body. It makes
phase the detail
the reader horrified on
of the crime is
noticing this clue.
explained.
The pin Constable Palk
To a man‟s eye, perhaps, it picked up is not an ordinary
looked like an ordinary Horrific pin but a special one used by
pin, but it wasn‟t. It was a dressmakers. Then the Chief
special pin, a very thin pin, Constable realized what
the kind you buy by the Miss Marple wanted to say.
box, the kind used mostly
by dressmakers.‟
44 Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal 2020, Vol. 11, No. 1

No. Phase of plot Extracts from the story Types of Interpretation

suspense
4 Falling action She was in her kimono Horrific On the day of the crime, Mrs
(continued): because she was going to Spenlow was wearing a
try on her new dress, and kimono as she was going to
In this phase,
she went into the front try on a new dress. She
Miss Marple
room, and Miss Politt just might go into the front room
revealed every
said something about for the fitting. Miss Politt
detail about the
measurements and put the might have done something
murder.
tape measure round her about the measurement and
She mentioned neck – and then all she‟d put the tape-measure around
lifeless clue in have to do was to cross it her neck, crossed it and pull.
this stage. and pull – quite easy. That was how Miss Marple
guessed how the murder was
An unexpected But the pin shows she‟d
Horrific committed.
past of the two already been in the house.‟
women is also The pin she left proved that
„The robbery. Long ago.
mentioned. Miss Politt had already been
Very valuable emeralds, so Horrific in the house.
This phase I‟ve heard. The lady‟s
enforces the maid and the tweeny. Miss Marple talked about
resolution of the the robbery that the two
All she saw was that she
conclusion. women involved years ago.
might go to prison for a Horrific
robbery she had committed Miss Politt felt jealous of
years ago. So she made up Mrs Spenlow who was
her mind to put a stop to it prosperous. So, she decided
all. to put an end of Mrs
Spenlow‟s life.
I don‟t believe she‟d have
turned a hair if that nice, Horrific Miss Politt was so wicked
stupid Mr Spenlow had that she intended Mr
been hanged.‟ (Chapter-V) Spenlow to be hunged if she
could turn out of the case.

Table 5. Analysis of falling action and types of suspense

No. phases of plot Extracts from the story Types of Interpretation
suspense
5. Denouement: She‟s the kind of woman Short-term Miss Marple reassured the
who will break down at Chief Constable, Melchett that
In the end, Miss
once when she‟s taxed with Miss Politt could break down
Marple got the
the truth. easily on hearing the truth and
evidence – Tape-
she took the tape-measure as
measure that I‟ve got her tape measure. I Short-term an evidence on the day of her
Miss Politt used – er – abstracted it yesterday
visit to Miss Politt‟s flat.
to kill Mrs when I was trying on. When
There the short-term suspense
Spenlow as an she misses it and thinks the
occurs as the reader‟s tension
evidence. police have got it. (Chapter-
is relieved.
V)

As shown in Table 1, the writer exposes the story with the murder. This unique
beginning of the story with such an event is a very impressive way to get the reader‟s attention.
In this phase, long-term suspense occurs when Miss Politt went to see Mrs Spenlow for fitting a
Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal 2020, Vol. 11, No. 1 45

new dress– at 3.30, as she mentioned as an alibi for her innocence. Then, short-term suspense is
found when Miss Hartnell, the neighbour passed by and she was sure that Mrs Spenlow was in
the house alone as Gladys, the maid, was day off on Thursday. She called out but there was no
answer. It shows something is going to happen within a short time. Horrific suspense occurs in
exposition when Miss Hartnell, knocked the door of Laburnum Cottage. Instead of the reply,
she saw Mrs Spenlow lying dead on the hearthrug in the small sitting room. The writer creates
the plot with the mixture of suspense for the reader to think something awful had happened.
This phase is also mixed with conflicts when Miss Hartnell told the police that she told Miss
Politt to stay at Mrs Spenlow‟s house while she was reporting the incident but she was
unwilling to be left there. The writer hints the clue for the suspect of the murder case and it
turns out to be a mystery. Actually, Miss Hartnell suspected Mr Spenlow for the crime as he
showed no surprise nor no emotion. The use of mysterious suspense is found as the plot seemed
to be more complicated.
The writer draws the readers‟ attention to rising action (as shown in Table. 2). At this
phase, comedic suspense is found when the writer introduces the protagonist, Miss Marple, an
elderly spinster with a sweet face and a vinegar-tongue, living next compound to the Spenlows.
The police came to interview her within half an hour of the crime. The writer creates the story
lighter and less tense to show the readers how Miss Marple is involved in the crime. It makes
the readers focus on a character to be willing to go on reading the plot line. Miss Marple talked
about the way the murderer used the weapon and the clues that Constable Palk got. Moreover,
the events establish the main suspect of the story. Mr Spenlow‟s detachment was revealed and
he was to be suspected as Mrs Spenlow‟s money had to go for her husband. The police knew
Mr Spenlow‟s detachment as he showed no sign of emotion. So, he was under suspicion. The
deceased was lying on the floor in the sitting room, being strangled by a thing which seemed to
be a narrow belt. But the murderer took the thing away. There, mysterious suspense is found
when the police couldn‟t imagine what the thing was.
Moreover, Constable Palk asked Miss Marple if she called Mr Spenlow at two-thirty
because the police suspected Mr Spenlow to have pretended to get a phone call from Miss
Marple. She calculated that the murderer might have called Mr Spenlow from the public
telephone booth at the station because there were only two public phones – at the station and the
post office, so it was impossible to use the phone at the police station. Then, another mysterious
suspense is seen when the police talked about the robbery that Mrs Spenlow seemed to be
involved.
The police also suspected Ted Gerard who visited Mrs Spenlow very often as he was
said to be seen at the station. Miss Marple mentioned the kimono that the deceased was wearing
at the time of being murdered. Here, the uses of mysterious suspense are vividly found in rising
action as things became more mysterious and deliberately being concealed from the readers.
The story gradually reaches climax (as shown in Table. 3) when Miss Marple took a
dress and hurried to the post office to see Miss Politt once there. Miss Politt lived in a flat over
the post office. Miss Marple spent a few minutes waiting in the post office and then ventured to
Miss Politt and asked her to alter one of her dresses. As this occurs towards the end of the story,
the readers can speculate that this event is of importance regarding the murder. Horrific
suspense is found when her motives were evidently shown in that Miss Marple went to the
dressmaker whom was under suspicion. The reader can imagine something horrific would
happen. Then she went straight to the police after visiting Miss Politt as the case was about to
be solved. Short-term suspense is found as there is a lighter tension when Miss Marple went
straight to the Chief Constable to talk about the solution.
46 Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal 2020, Vol. 11, No. 1

During falling action (as shown in Table. 4), the detail of the crime is explained for
resolution. Miss Marple explained that the pin Constable Palk picked up by the dead body was
not an ordinary pin but a special one used by dressmakers. Then the Chief Constable realized
what Miss Marple wanted to say. According to Miss Marple, on the day of the crime, Mrs
Spenlow was wearing a kimono for fitting a new dress. Miss Politt might have done something
about some measurement and put the tape-measure around her neck, crossed it and pulled. That
was how Miss Marple guessed the way the murder was committed. The pin she left proved that
Miss Politt had already been in the house. Moreover, Miss Marple talked about the robbery of
emerald at Abercrombie‟s place that the two women involved years ago. Miss Politt, who was
only a village dressmaker, felt jealous of prosperous Mrs Spenlow. So, she decided to kill Mrs
Spenlow. Miss Politt was so wicked that she intended Mr Spenlow to be hanged if she could
turn out of the case. In this phase, the resolution of the murder become clearer.
As shown in Table.5, in denouement, Miss Marple got the evidence – the tape-measure
that Miss Politt used to kill Mrs Spenlow. Miss Marple reassured the Chief Constable, Melchett
that she got the tape-measure which she took on the day of her visit to Miss Politt‟s flat. There
is short-term suspense as the reader‟s tension becomes lighter with the evidence which resolved
the crime.
III. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
According to the analysis, the use of suspense supporting the plot is found 27 times. The
percentages of the use of suspense is shown in the following table with the frequencies.
Table.6. Frequency and percentage of the use of suspense in the story
Phases of Types of suspense Total
plot Long-term Short-term Mysterious Horrific Comedic
Exposition 2 1 0 1 0
Rising 0 0 9 0 1
Action
Climax 0 1 0 3 0
Falling 0 1 0 7 0
Action
Resolution 0 1 0 0 0
Frequency 2 4 9 11 1 27
Percentage 7.41% 14.81% 33.33% 40.75% 3.70% 100%
As shown in Table.6, from 27 times of the use of suspense, the most used is horrific
suspense (40.75%) and the least used is comedic suspense (3.70%). The use of long-term
suspense is (7.41%), short-term, (14.81%), and mysterious, (33.33%).
The use of horrific suspense is mostly found, one in exposition, three in climax and
seven times in falling action as the story involved in something very awful and precise as it
remains unclear until falling action. Each occurrence affects the plot to be more horrific and
shocking on seeing the incident that two women, Miss Politt and Mrs Spenlow, had a close
relationship while working in the same house and involved in the same robbery.
Being a detective fiction, comedic suspense is found just once when the protagonist,
Miss Marple, appeared on the scene as the significant character. However, it provides a big
impact on the plot, becoming less tensed and more amusing on seeing the protagonist who is
Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal 2020, Vol. 11, No. 1 47

going to untie the knot. Short- term suspense occurs occasionally, one in exposition and another
in climax. The writer builds up the conditions to give the plot more excitement for short periods
of what will come after the next. So, the use of short-term suspense ensures the interest of the
readers to continue reading the story.
As mysterious suspense is seen in rising action, so the plot becomes more complicated,
making the readers compel to think deeply every matter. As the writer has done well, mystery
continues to increase up until climax, or the turning point.
The use of long-term suspense, though occurs twice in exposition, have an impact on its
growth of the story and resolution in the end. The resolution only comes out with the evidence
of the tape-measure which is the most important lifeless clue to arrest the murderer. The police
could calculate the outcome but they didn‟t know how to get the evidence. This long-tern
suspense provides a big impact in the plot development as it influences the whole story and drag
the readers‟ attention to be eager to read till the end. Yet, when Miss Marple helped them by
giving the tape-measure used by Miss Politt, short-term suspense is found as the murder is
about to be solved and the plot becomes less tense. Therefore, the use of suspense for the plot
development provides a satisfactory impact on the readers who love detective fictions as it
promotes their skills of solving the problem together with the detectives. In conjunction with
how problem is resolved and tension is relieved, suspense affects, either directly or indirectly,
readers‟ attitude towards anticipation period, the intensity of the resolution, emotion of
satisfaction, disappointment, and relief in the plot development.

IV. CONCLUSION
This paper highlights the fact that using suspense in the detective story supports the
development of the plot. It is found out that detective fiction motivates the readers to focus on
improving the skills on reading and understanding literary genres. Suspense, as a compositional
device, consists of arranging the matter of a communication in such a way that the less
important, descriptive or subordinate are amassed at the beginning and the main idea is
withheld till the end of the whole story. Thus, the readers‟ attention is held and interest, kept up.
What is significant in this story is that the murder case is exposed at the beginning and the
murderer is introduced. Agatha Christie, being the most famous and all-time favourite writer,
intertwines the types of suspense throughout the story to support the development of the plot. It
is found out that reading detective fictions promote and refine the readers‟ critical thinking
skills in order to make the most out of the information and experiences that surround them in
their daily lives. As a result, they will be able to decode what has been read, interpret the hidden
meaning, draw inferences, and apply the problem-solving strategies by reading them. It is the
belief of the researcher that those who would like to study novels and short stories would
appreciate detective fictions as they will entice, motivate and promote their learning skills.
Therefore, it is hoped that detective fictions can be used as classroom materials in teaching
English Literature to under-graduate students.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Kyi Shwin, Rector of Yangon University of Foreign
Languages, and Dr. Mi Mi Aung, Pro-Rector of Yangon University of Foreign Languages, for allowing me to
submit this research in the Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal. I would also like to
acknowledge my greatest indebtedness to Dr. Ni Ni Aung, Professor and Head of English Department, Yangon
University of Foreign Languages for her invaluable support, suggestion and guidance. My heartfelt thanks also go
to my colleagues of English Department, Yangon University of Foreign Languages, for their kind help and support.
48 Yangon University of Foreign Languages Research Journal 2020, Vol. 11, No. 1

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APPENDIX
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