Examine the settings which Arthur Conan Doyle has chosen for his stories in "The Speckled Band" and "The Man with the Twisted Lip". Consider the effects the writer has created and how they contribute to the atmosphere.
"The Speckled Band" and "The Man with the Twisted Lip" are both mystery stories and both give a glimpse on how London was back in Arthur Conan Doyle's time. London, in times of Arthur Conan Doyle (Victorian times) was a place of unease/ unsettlement and in some senses eerie. Streets were badly lit as there was no electricity. The criminal underworld was at its peak as the police force were not in its best form, and were corrupt. Also the force did not have the technological advances of today. They could not finger-print, D.N.A test etc. and they were just to grips with photography. Furthermore the murder-rate was of is highest in its time and women were looking to prostitution to keep them clothed and fed. London was a dark place to be not just because of its murders and high crime rates but also because of industry. Factories caused so much pollution that there was a cloud of black-smoke in the sky. Doyle constantly used the "real" London in his stories but details like housed to which he visited were not always true. Doyle using Holmes he super detective suggests to readers that he wanted a change himself and it wasn't just for the writing.
Doyle used Holmes to a great advantage as readers would welcome a detective who could solve their problems. Readers would always be in astonishment to how Holmes would solve the case keeping them in suspense throughout the story. Doyle would usually end his stories with a solution, making the readers feel at ease. An example of this is in " The Speckled Band" there is much build up as Holmes waits for something to happen in the room of Miss Stoner and the reader is very tense but it ends quickly as the doctor/murderer nearly immediately dies making the reader finally feel at ease and comfort.
"The Speckled Band" and "The Man with the Twisted Lip" are both mystery stories and both give a glimpse on how London was back in Arthur Conan Doyle's time. London, in times of Arthur Conan Doyle (Victorian times) was a place of unease/ unsettlement and in some senses eerie. Streets were badly lit as there was no electricity. The criminal underworld was at its peak as the police force were not in its best form, and were corrupt. Also the force did not have the technological advances of today. They could not finger-print, D.N.A test etc. and they were just to grips with photography. Furthermore the murder-rate was of is highest in its time and women were looking to prostitution to keep them clothed and fed. London was a dark place to be not just because of its murders and high crime rates but also because of industry. Factories caused so much pollution that there was a cloud of black-smoke in the sky. Doyle constantly used the "real" London in his stories but details like housed to which he visited were not always true. Doyle using Holmes he super detective suggests to readers that he wanted a change himself and it wasn't just for the writing.
Doyle used Holmes to a great advantage as readers would welcome a detective who could solve their problems. Readers would always be in astonishment to how Holmes would solve the case keeping them in suspense throughout the story. Doyle would usually end his stories with a solution, making the readers feel at ease. An example of this is in " The Speckled Band" there is much build up as Holmes waits for something to happen in the room of Miss Stoner and the reader is very tense but it ends quickly as the doctor/murderer nearly immediately dies making the reader finally feel at ease and comfort.
