Channel your inner gumshoe and take the challenge of figuring out “whodunit” in the upcoming murder mystery course offered by The Enrichment Academy.
Just in time for Halloween, students can become detectives in Dr. Frank Ancona’s “Murder 101 — Intro to Murder and Mayhem” program on Oct. 30 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Ezell Recreation, 769 Marilee Pl, The Villages.
The class begins at the beginning. The beginning of time, as Ancona explains that mystery and mayhem have existed since the beginning of the human race.“During the historical era, mysteries can be found in Egypt and the cradles of civilization as well as the depiction of Cain’s fratricide in the biblical book of Genesis,” Ancona said. “However, it can be argued that the modern age of mysteries made a formal appearance during the Gothic period, these dark and ominous tales were mostly about shock-and-horror, supernatural melodramas.”The class will also explore how mysteries are treated around the world and guests can put their knowledge to the test with several minute-mystery challenges embedded into the 90-minute class.“We discuss the elements of mysteries and how they work together to fashion one of the most popular literary genres worldwide,” Ancona said. “We also focus on how mysteries change and adapt to each generation until we reach today’s advent of women detectives by first tracing the history of the first women mystery writers.”
For those who want to be the mastermind in control of the mysterious story line, a portion of the lesson will explain how to write a great mystery.
“One needs to be creative and curious. Also, it is important to read, watch, and enjoy mysteries. And perhaps, most importantly, one needs to begin with an ‘impossible’ crime that even the writer can’t solve,” Ancona said. “Read mysteries. Allow yourself to learn from them. What worked? What didn’t? What did you enjoy? How can you do it better? Then, free your imagination and write.”The mystery doesn’t end when the class is over.
Guests will get to take their work home as they receive an overview of a real-life murder case that hasn’t been solved in over 180 years. Ancona’s class of detectives will receive information about the case of Mary Rogers, also known as the “Beautiful Cigar Girl,” which occurred in 1820. The unsolved murder inspired Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Mystery of Marie Roget”.
“(The case) presents a maze of curious clues and contradictions. We trace all the known facts, present the main characters and suspects, and explore motives, opportunities, and abilities,” Ancona said. “There is a lot of information about this case online, so if they are inclined to do so, participants can work from home to try to solve it.”The twists and turns in the complicated cold case give class participants a lot to examine and take a shot at solving the mystery.
“Theoretically, nothing is impossible, so following that logic, it seems that every mystery could be solved,” Ancona said. “But realistically, there are numerous ‘cold cases’ that have never been solved. One in point is the murder of Mary Rogers, which we peruse at the end of the session. No one, not even Poe — though he tried — has solved this case for nearly two centuries.”
If this sound like the perfect challenge for you, registration for the class is $15 for Villages residents and $21 for guests.
Additional classes will be held in the coming months, including Dec. 4 at Rohan Recreation, Jan. 25 at Lake Miona Recreation, and March 26 at Water Lily Recreation.
Each class will be at the same time from 1 to 2:30 p.m.
For more information about The Enrichment Academy or to sign up for the course, visit theenrichmentacademy.org.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
