Part of The Student Room Group

  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

What are the features which make a good detective story?

Extracts from this document...

Introduction

English Coursework What are the features which make a good detective story? Analyse The Hound of the Baskervilles and comment on the elements which Conan Doyle employs to make it a classic in this genre. Detective stories have always been and will probably always be very popular, there are many features that make detective stories enjoyable for people. I will outline some of the main features that I believe are important to include to make a detective story good. One of the most important features which make a good detective story is having a large element of mystery to keep the reader guessing and interested in what will happen next. Twists and turns in the plot also help to keep the reader interested in what is going to happen next. When a 'red herring' is thrown into the plot then it throws the reader off track and can confuse them but the author always explains and makes sense out of what has happened, this is another feature that keeps the reader interested. ...read more.

Middle

Around the time of 1902 it was an age when many people were interested in historical matters to do with their ancestors. Most of the popular books in this age were in the supernatural and detective genres. The Hound of the Baskervilles was first done in series in a magazine from August 1901 until April 1902, and each month the chapter would end with a cliffhanger. The Hound of the Baskervilles is regarded as Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle's best novel was a classic in the genre of detective stories. Detective stories have special features which make them good and The Hound of the Baskervilles definitely contains some of the features that do make an exciting and gripping detective story that a reader will enjoy and almost feel part of. The novel is all about finding out how the late Sir Charles Baskerville died and who or what was responsible for his death. There is a lot of mystery which is an important element to include in a detective story. ...read more.

Conclusion

Watson (Sherlock Holmes side-kick) spots a lonely figure keeping watch over the moors; this could be another possible suspect and adds more mystery as we don't find out who it is until it is later revealed that it is actually Holmes himself. Holmes said he didn't have time to deal with this case and sent Watson and Mortimer there to solve it themselves. This shows Holmes' arrogance and how he will be the only person capable of solving the case. The main detective is always arrogant and has the right to be as it is always them that solves the case and pieces the puzzle together. The Hound of the Baskervilles includes many of the features which make a good detective story. Mystery, twists and turns, a detective who seems so clever compared to everyone else and making the reader feel part of the investigation are all features portrayed in this novel. These features are why The Hound of the Baskervilles is recognized as a classic in the detective and supernatural genre, and is extremely popular to this day. ...read more.

The above preview is unformatted text

This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle section.

Found what you're looking for?

  • Start learning 29% faster today
  • 150,000+ documents available
  • Just £6.99 a month

or


Not the one? Search for your essay title...
  • Join over 1.2 million students every month
  • Accelerate your learning by 29%
  • Unlimited access from just £6.99 per month

See related essaysSee related essays

Related GCSE Arthur Conan Doyle essays

  1. How does Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle create interest and suspense in the opening three chapters ...

    Holmes also saw a link between the man with the beard who was stalking Sir Henry in London and Barrymore, Sir Charles's butler who also has a beard but to test if Barrymore was in Devon not in London Holmes sent a telegram to see if he was the one

  2. Analyse Conan Doyle's "The Hound of the Baskervilles" exploring how the author uses the ...

    The main reason why Conan Doyle includes Watson in the novel is because he acts as a narrator and therefore this creates a greater sense of atmosphere and suspense as everything is very detailed as it is seen form the point of view of Watson.

  1. Question: What features of Arthur Cannon Doyle's a story make them typical of the ...

    The use of forensic science was new to Doyle's audience, and gave them immense hope in Sherlock Holmes, so that when Doyle killed off the detective in 1893, there was a public outcry and Doyle received death threats warning him to keep the detective alive.

  2. To what extent are chapters 5 and 6 of Doyle's Hound of the Baskervilles ...

    or the commission of a crime, some featuring both, however, they emphasise on the search for the solution. A detective story can be distinguished from other forms of writing by the fact that it can be seen as a puzzle.

  1. What do we learn about the Victorians' attitude to crime from a reading of ...

    Yes, I should not be surprised to learn that what we have heard is the cry of the last of the bitterns, Dr Watson. Oh, excuse me an instant. It is surely Cyclopides'" 'Stapleton was rushing with extraordinary energy and speed in pursuit of it'.

  2. Explore the detective story genre with particular reference to Conan Doyle's stories.Show it's social, ...

    on the night of the murder. The story is however extremely unusual in two ways: 1. Sherlock Holmes fails to save the victim who came for help. 2. He hardly does any detective work. The story revolves around the history of a young man who went by the name of John Openshaw whose uncle had adopted him.

  1. In the beginning of my second story, written by Charles Dickens, The Signalman, the ...

    The language the story is written, also relates to how the author has created the feeling of a lifestyle a century ago. Such as, "Out yonder' said he.' -this kind of language is not used by modern English society. But it may just be setting a scene for rich people,

  2. The Hound Of The Baskervilles Coursework

    Sir Charles's death was inscrutable "Sir Charles lay on his face, his arms out, his fingers dug into the ground, and features convulsed." It appears that he has died in a mysterious manner, there is no evidence of a

  • Over 160,000 pieces
    of student written work
  • Annotated by
    experienced teachers
  • Ideas and feedback to
    improve your own work