Ronald Knox's Decalogue

GPTKB entity

Statements (20)
Predicate Object
gptkbp:instanceOf gptkb:rulebook
gptkbp:alsoKnownAs gptkb:Knox's_Ten_Commandments
gptkbp:author gptkb:Ronald_Knox
gptkbp:hasRule All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course.
The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow.
Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable.
https://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#label Ronald Knox's Decalogue
gptkbp:numberOfFloors 10
gptkbp:publicationYear 1929
gptkbp:publishedIn introduction to The Best Detective Stories of 1928-29
gptkbp:purpose guidelines for writing detective fiction
gptkbp:rule10 Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them.
gptkbp:rule4 No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end.
gptkbp:rule5 No Chinaman must figure in the story.
gptkbp:rule6 No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right.
gptkbp:rule7 The detective must not himself commit the crime.
gptkbp:rule8 The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader.
gptkbp:rule9 The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader.
gptkbp:bfsParent gptkb:Golden_Age_of_Detective_Fiction
gptkbp:bfsLayer 6