Detective Formula in Agatha Christie's The Murder at The Vicarage and Chandra Bientang Anggarie's Dua Dini Hari Novels

Abstract

This study analyzes the detective story formula in The Murder at The Vicarage by Agatha Christie and Dua Dini Hari by Chandra Bientang Anggarie using John G. Cawelti’s theory and a comparative literature approach. The data in this study consists of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences found in both novels and were analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldana’s data analysis techniques. The findings show that both novels apply Cawelti’s major detective patterns: situation, pattern of action, characters and relationships, and setting. However, the novels differ in their application of the formula. The differences can be seen in the portrayal of the detective, investigation process, narrative atmosphere, and social setting. The Murder at The Vicarage represents the classical detective formula by emphasizing logical investigation and the restoration of social order. Meanwhile, Dua Dini Hari represents the hard-boiled detective formula by focusing on violence, corruption, and the detective’s struggle against harsh social realities. This study demonstrates that Cawelti’s detective formula remains relevant in contemporary detective fiction, as its fundamental patterns are still applied in modern works such as Dua Dini Hari, although adapted to contemporary social realities.