Compare The Speckled Band and Lamb to the Slaughter referring to the structure, language and characterisation. In what ways are the stories typical of the detective story genre ?

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Compare The Speckled Band and Lamb to the Slaughter referring to the structure, language and characterisation. In what ways are the stories typical of the detective story genre ?

The Speckled Band was written and set in 1892 by Arthur Conan Doyle. It includes Inspector Holmes solving another mystery involving a woman put into a similar situation to her late sister.

The story Lamb to the Slaughter was written and set in the 1950's by Roald Dahl. It is not typical of a detective story unlike The Speckled Band. It involves a woman killing her husband with a leg of lamb.

The mood at the beginning of The Speckled Band is one typical of a detective story. Set in a late Victorian style and involving a stately manor described as having a "gathering darkness". Whereas at the beginning of Lamb to the Slaughter it is has a much warmer feel to it. The effect upon the reader is one of tranquillity and calm and is completely different to that of The Speckled Band. The Speckled Band relies much more on the Victorian values to create suspense and eerie-ness whereas Lamb to the Slaughter focuses on a more domestic setting and uses the home to put the reader at ease.

The Speckled Band is set in 221B Baker Street (Holmes house) and at the manor of Stoke-Moran. Whereas the Lamb to the Slaughter features a small house 50 years later typical of the time in what feels to be a totally different country. This is one of the best contrasts with the detective story genre. The one great similarity however is the chosen victim is again a unsuspecting, vulnerable cliché of a victim.
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The theme of The Speckled Band is one of immediate mystery as it's an IH story, which is well known, for it's detective genre whereas Roald Dahl (author of Lamb to the Slaughter) is known more for his comic fiction. It may have been this that led to someone being killed with a leg of lamb. Although ironic it's comical, this is one example of Roald Dahl trying to introduce some comedy to the genre. I feel in Lamb to the Slaughter there is little theme and that Arthur Conan Doyle is writing again for the magazine in ...

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