A. E. W. Mason

• Born: May 7, 1865
• Birthplace: Camberwell, London, England
• Died: November 22, 1948
• Place of death: London, England

Type of Plot: Police procedural

Principal Series: Inspector Hanaud, 1910-1946

Contribution

A. E. W. Mason’s five Inspector Hanaud novels and seven other mystery novels are but a small portion of the output of a very prolific writer. Indeed, Mason’s primary contribution should be considered to be his historical and adventure novels. By combining excitement with character development, Mason advanced the genre of adventure fiction beyond the simplistic level that was standard for his time.

In his mystery novels he tried to “combine the crime story which produces a chill with the detective story which aims at a surprise.” His most famous detective, Hanaud, is “first of all a professional; secondly, as physically unlike Mr. Sherlock Holmes as he could possibly be; thirdly, a genial and friendly soul; and fourthly, ready to trust his flair or intuition and to take the risk of acting on it, as the French detective does.” Although not in a class with later great English mystery writers such as Agatha Christie, Mason significantly contributed to the art of detective fiction that was, in 1910, still in its infancy.

Biography

Alfred Edward Woodley Mason was born on May 7, 1865, in Camberwell, a southern suburb of London, England. He was the youngest son of William Woodley Mason, an accountant, and Elizabeth Hobill Mason. He was educated at Dulwich College, London (1878-1884), and at Trinity College, Oxford University (1884-1887), where he earned a degree in classics. While at Oxford University, he was interested in acting and in public speaking; he appeared in numerous plays and was a notable speaker in the Oxford Union, the university’s debating society.

On graduation from Oxford, he turned to acting for his first career. Although moderately successful on the stage, in 1894, encouraged by Oscar Wilde, he wrote his first novel, A Romance of Wastdale (1895). Over the next seven years, he published other novels, plays, a short-story collection, and many short stories. He then wrote and published his most successful and famous work, The Four Feathers (1902), which was to set his style of writing, modern adventure, for the next forty years. Throughout his life Mason traveled widely and sought adventure through activities such as exploring, sailing, and mountain climbing. For five years he was a Liberal Member of Parliament for Coventry. During World War I he served in the Royal Marine Light Infantry and was involved in Naval Intelligence Division secret service missions in Spain, Morocco, and Mexico.

After the war, Mason returned to writing and achieved substantial success for the next twenty-five years in a variety of genres, including adventure, mystery, and historical fiction. His best work is considered to be in the historical novels, in which, as he matured as a writer, he showed insight and understanding of character development. Several of his novels were adapted to the screen in the 1930’s (Fire over England, which was published as a novel in 1936, and The Four Feathers, among others). Mason was also a dramatist, although he was far less successful in that area.

Mason’s writing success resulted in his being financially secure; he was also a member of many famous clubs, a much sought-after guest in society, a brilliant storyteller, and generally a well-liked man. Mason was never married and “refused a knighthood since ’such honours mean nothing to a childless man.’” He died in London on November 22, 1948.

Analysis

In the first decade of the twentieth century, the detective novel was still young and unestablished. Nineteenth century mystery fiction writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle had already established a style and formula for the writing of detective novels. The genre had become very popular, as is evidenced by the number of inexpensive, mass-produced detective-fiction magazines published at the turn of the century. Yet these stories usually focused primarily on action with very little character development. A. E. W. Mason’s chief contribution to the genre was that, while he certainly utilized action and realistic backgrounds in his novels, he paid much attention to character development.

Mason researched the locales for his novels thoroughly. In an era when Great Britain in particular and European nations in general administered and maintained peace throughout most of the world, he traveled widely. Using his yacht and his substantial income, he explored the Sudan, Morocco, Spain, South America, South Africa, India, Burma, Ceylon, Australia, and many other areas of the world. Always seeking adventure, he sailed oceans and rivers whenever he could; he also became an avid mountain climber, climbing the mountains of England, Switzerland, and Morocco. As might be expected, Mason’s experiences during World War I were also adventurous; he was a secret service agent in Spain and Mexico. Using his keen eye for detail and an almost photographic memory, Mason observed many scenes that later appeared in his stories. For background information for his crime stories, Mason attended many notable trials in Great Britain and on the Continent, using these details in his stories as well.

Yet while others researched similarly, Mason’s true forte in writing was character analysis. Mason’s first career on the stage had taught him how to learn from observation instead of experience. He had learned to study characters and to form himself into the role that he was to play. Of necessity, he had also learned to study other characters in the plays. To develop this ability, he began to study his friends and acquaintances in order to learn their motivations and their responses to various stimuli. This passion for character development was transmitted directly to his novel writing. One need only note that many of his novels ultimately became plays, or vice versa, to see the correlation between the two. At trials, Mason would carefully study the criminal in the dock as well as the witnesses on whom the fate of the criminal rested. He wanted to know how these people felt and acted. This insight, in his best novels, led to strong character development and to insight into human behavior.

In analyzing Mason’s crime novels, particularly his Hanaud series, one is immediately struck by his understanding of the importance of the detective. Mason himself wrote, for an article titled “Detective Novels” in 1925, that

all the great detective novels are known by and live on account of their detectives. . . . The detective must be an outstanding person, actual, picturesque, amusing, a creature of power and singularity. Without such a being, the detective novel, however ingenious, will pass back to the lending library. With him it may find a permanent place on the bookcase.

Mason’s creation was Inspector Hanaud of the French Sûreté. Hanaud is a large man—adroit and inventive. Although he is the best detective at the Sûreté, he is self-deprecating, describing members of his profession as “servants of chance” who “seize quickly the hem of her skirt when it flashes for the fraction of a second” in front of them. Hanaud, then, is a thoroughly believable character.

At the Villa Rose

Mason’s first Hanaud novel was At the Villa Rose (1910). He had been planning the novel for several years. Indeed, he had visited Aix-les-Bains, the site of the mystery, in 1908 and had ridden between there and Geneva by car (the ride is an important element in the mystery). Moreover, the year before his visit to Aix-les-Bains, there had occurred in that spa the murder of a wealthy elderly woman. Many of the participants in the real murder appeared in his novel. Mason wrote, “I had thus a good deal of my story before me, both as regards the characters and the sequence of events.” What Mason did was to add the detective and tell the story through the eyes of the detective’s companion, the slow-witted, wine-loving dilettante, Ricardo. The mystery, however, is relatively easy to solve, and the final third of the novel is a retelling of the story, with explanations by Hanaud.

The House of the Arrow

A far better murder mystery, The House of the Arrow (1924), was published fourteen years later. As before, the story is set in a locale that Mason knew intimately (Dijon, France). Again, the story, that of the murder of a wealthy widow, is based on a similar crime that had occurred in the same vicinity. In the novel, the local police enlist the aid of Hanaud, and through his acute detective abilities, he solves the crime. For several stylistic reasons, this detective novel is far superior to Mason’s first effort. By this time, Mason’s experience and expertise in novel writing is manifest. In this novel he shows his skill at creating atmosphere, developing character, portending evil, and telling a good story. More important, the murderers are not revealed until the very end of the novel. Mason was now incorporating suspense into his work: That is, he was becoming a mature writer.

The Prisoner in the Opal and They Wouldn’t Be Chessmen

For the next twenty years, Mason’s work was never out of print. New works and reprints of earlier work testify to his popularity throughout the period. His mystery novels continued as reflections of the successful formula of The House of the Arrow. His third Hanaud novel, The Prisoner in the Opal (1928), is a morbid story set in the Bordeaux region of France. The Château Mirandel is the site of a Black Mass celebration where a human sacrifice has occurred. Hanaud and Ricardo investigate and solve the mystery. Again, Ricardo is confused by the case but records the detective’s abilities. Seven years later, They Wouldn’t Be Chessmen (1935) was published. This novel is set in Trouville, on the coast of France, and involves murder, stolen jewels, romance, and a perfect crime. In the novel, the murderers plot everything to the last detail, but all goes awry because human beings are involved, not chessmen. This novel became Mason’s most successful mystery.

Other Works

Mason’s other mysteries are essentially suspenseful adventure or historical novels. The mystery occurs in the vagaries of human nature and not so much in the crime. The Watchers (1899), for example, has as its mystery the purpose of a strange group of seafarers who are watching a house. Running Water (1907) is ostensibly a story about a perfect crime but is more about mountain climbing and human motivation. Indeed, Mason was at his best in the adventure and historical novel. It was an adventure novel, The Four Feathers, which assured his place in posterity. As a recognized author, Mason could have published almost anything that he wrote. It is to his credit that he continually improved his style. Indeed, critics deem his greatest work to be Musk and Amber (1942), a novel that he completed when he was close to eighty years of age.

Mason was a prolific writer who was at home in many of the literary genres of the twentieth century. He was a talented observer, both of setting and of humankind, and he deftly transferred his keen observations to the printed page. His technique of exploring the psychological nature of his characters was relatively advanced for his time, and his novels provided a pattern for others to follow.

Principal Series Character:

• Inspector Hanaud , a detective in the French Sûreté, is “stout and broad-shouldered with a full and almost heavy face. In his morning suit, at his breakfast-table, he looked like a prosperous comedian.” Although never pompous, Hanaud has no delusions as to his infallibility. His skill rests in his ability to glean every scrap of information from every possible source and to act swiftly on his conclusions.

Bibliography

Green, Roger Lancelyn. A. E. W. Mason. London: M. Parrish, 1952. Lengthy biography of the author, treating all aspects of his life and work.

Hausladen, Gary. Places for Dead Bodies. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2000. This study of the settings of mystery and detective novels includes extended discussions of the police procedural subgenre and the specific importance of setting within police procedurals. Provides context for understanding Mason’s work.

Morain, Alfred. The Underworld of Paris: Secrets of the Sûreté. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1931. Nonfictional study of crime and criminals in Paris that provides context for Mason’s writing.

Symons, Julian. Bloody Murder: From the Detective Story to the Crime Novel—A History. 3d ed. New York: Mysterious Press, 1993. Symons, a successful mystery author in his own right, argues that mystery fiction evolved over time from being concerned with the figure of the detective and the methods of detection to a primary focus on the nature of crime and criminality. Sheds light on Mason’s work.

Thomson, H. Douglas. Masters of Mystery: A Study of the Detective Story. Reprint. New York: Dover, 1978. Places Mason alongside his fellow “masters” in the process of comparing various national crime literatures, including the British and the French.

Vicarel, Jo Ann. A Reader’s Guide to the Police Procedural. New York: G. K. Hall, 1995. Geared to the mainstream reader, this study introduces and analyzes the police procedural form used by Mason.