Literary Gem: "Red Herring"
Some say the phrase “Red Herring” started in the 19th century. It describes a technique used to decide if a hunting dog was truly ready to track down animals like a fox or rabbit.
After the dog was trained, a smoked herring was tied to a string and dragged across the trail. If the dog ignored the fishy scent, it was ready “The Hunt.” If not, it was back to square one.
I’m Jim Lamb … Let’s get started.
Great authors use “Red Herrings” to distract readers from real clues and hard evidence. The result: A wild goose chase that is both entertaining and engaging—but ultimately useless when it comes to solving the case.
Where do “Red Herrings” work best? Mysteries and thrillers.
Here are a few examples.
In “The Sixth Sense,” well-crafted “Red Herrings” were so well-placed that people paid to watch that film over and over and over again to figure out what was really going on.
“The Usual Suspects” was another film chock full of “Herrings.” That’s why the ending was such a stunner.
But the granddaddy of all “Red Herrings” is “Murder on the Orient Express,” a story teeming with more fishy twists than “Finding Nemo.”
What makes a great “Red Herring”? Well, it should be genuinely plausible—but tinged with a nagging flaw.
Take Cary Grant’s character in “North by Northwest.” The villain and his crew think Roger Thornhill (played by Grant) is a secret agent named George Kaplan. The audience knows he isn’t. The CIA and FBI know he isn’t. Doesn’t matter. Why? Because this fast-paced, adventure-thriller is so filled with relentless twists and turns that there’s no to ponder the possible inconsistencies.
Other watch-worthy herrings include “Shutter Island” and “The Matrix.”
But it’s a film called "The Prestige" by Christopher Nolan that interweaves its surprises in such a clever, dark, and nuanced fashion that by the time story ends, the audience has to take a shower to wash off the fins and scales left by the slew of fishy tales.
And speaking of showers, Alfred Hitchcock’s off-the-scale psycho in “Psycho” set a standard so high for “Red Herrings” that you’d need a flying fish to top it—but don’t let that stop you from using this intriguing technique, especially if you want to engage and entice readers.
I’m Jim Lamb, and you’ve just learned a little Somethin’-Somethin’ about “Red Herrings.”
Copyright 2021