The Case of Mr. Jacob Mason
The Case of Mr. Jacob Mason is a novella by Arthur Morrison, first published in 1897. It tells the story of a man named Jacob Mason who is accused of murdering his business partner. The novella explores themes of class, race, and social inequality in Victorian England through the lens of a crime mystery.
By Arthur Morrison · First published 1897 · Genre: Mystery, Detective Fiction, Crime · 3 chapters · 15,434 words
First lines
The mystery of Denson's death remained a mystery, despite all the police could do. The coroner's jury returned a verdict of "Murder by some person or persons unknown" -- which, indeed, was all that could be expected of them; for they had no more before them than the bare fact that the body, disguised in the clothes of a labourer, had been found on the steps near the Duke of York's column, just before midnight, by a police constable. But for the housekeeper's identification, even the name of the victim would have been unknown. The jury certainly wasted some time in idle speculation as to the strange triangular mark found on the forehead, without a speck of evidence to help them; but in the end they returned their verdict, and went home.
What this Textopian page supports
The Case of Mr. Jacob Mason is listed on Textopian as a novel by Arthur Morrison, dated 1897 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Arthur Morrison
- Date: 1897 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Mystery, Detective Fiction, Crime
- Length: 15,434 words
- Structure: 3 chapters, 178 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Case of Mr. Jacob Mason by Arthur Morrison
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Case of Mr. Jacob Mason?
- How does this novel by Arthur Morrison fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Mystery first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Mystery — The title infers a case to be solved centred around the character Mr. Jacob Mason, suggesting a mystery or puzzle to be unravelled.
- Detective Fiction — The book is written by Arthur Morrison, who is known for his detective fiction writings. The phrase 'The Case' in the title also alludes to this genre.
- Crime — Usually, cases to be solved revolve around some form of crime, hinting the book to be of the crime genre.
Tags
mystery · detective · thriller · crime · suspense · victorian · london · noir · gothic · horror · supernatural · psychological