The Barnum Museum - Featuring "A Game of Clue" - 1990
"On the board there are seventeen doors, all exactly the same: yellow, with four gray panels. Like the furniture, they are all pictured from above in sharp perspective..."
Written by Steven Millhauser, this collection of short stories begins with the 61 page "A Game of Clue". The dust jacket reads:
"...witness 'A Game of Clue,' in which Colonel Mustard plots a devious seduction of Miss Scarlet, Mr. Green plays the role of voyeur, and Professor Plum plunges deeper into the secret passages of the manor while the players around the board tease out the knots of their familial bonds."
The work attempts to flesh out not only the characters of the clue game but the players playing the game in alternating storylines. The writing is very well done and worthy of college level analysis in order to gain understanding of the deeper rooted metaphors.
The author describes in great detail every aspect of the (US 1950) game down to how many words appear on the board. Despite his unusual writing style, the work is very interesting - certainly to a Clue fan.
The author creates an unusual vision of the Clue characters:
Miss Scarlet is a beautiful woman trapped in an emotionless world. She has a severe dislike for the Colonel. Colonel Mustard is man who believes the seduction and conquering of women is a game. Mrs. White is a very beautiful woman driven to hysterics when her fiance, Mr. Boddy, is murdered. Mr. Green, a former Reverend, is severely repressed - and still lives with his mother. Mrs. Peacock worries a bit about her appearance and is somewhat jealous of Mrs. White Professor Plum exhibits his descent into madness by combing the unknown reaches of the mansion's secret passages throughout the story. His controlled resistance is slowly removed as he ponders which of the many paths to take - if any.