How does Arthur Conan Doyle create an atmosphere of mystery and build suspense in 'The Speckled Band'? To what extent are his methods typical of all the other stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes?
English Coursework: Sherlock Holmes Ali Hlaiyil - 11/06/2002 How does Arthur Conan Doyle create an atmosphere of mystery and build suspense in 'The Speckled Band'? To what extent are his methods typical of all the other stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes? The story 'The speckled band' was written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1982 and is one of the many stories in the large Sherlock Holmes series of stories. As known the stories are based on inquiries and investigations, because of course Sherlock Holmes is an investigator, this in itself gives a sense of excitement to the story because you know that there will e a constant thrill throughout the story, especially seems as it is likely that it will be based on something like a murder, or an affair, etc. As soon as the story starts, Holmes gets straight into the action, as a poor victim comes round to his home and asks him for help. She is portrayed to the reader as being in a very poor and vulnerable position by "her face (being) all drawn and grey, with restless, frightened eyes, like those of some hunted animal", she is also shivering from fear and so now the reader knows that there is a vulnerable victim, that something is wrong, and that something unjust will be done against her, and so it builds the excitement and suspense in the readers mind. This same scenario is presented in A case of Identity when Miss
Watson as a Narrator for a Victorian and Modern Audience
Watson as a Narrator for a Victorian and Modern Audience Sherlock Holmes is the fictitious creation of the great author Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle. Doyle originated from Edinburgh, Scotland which is where he studied medicine and also is thought to have received his inspiration for the Holmes detective character; this inspiration came in the form of his professor Dr. Joseph Bell who was a master at observation, logic, deduction, and diagnosis. Edinburgh University is also where he met other future greats of literature James Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson. Before Sherlock Holmes the detective genre was pioneered by other seemingly omniscient crime solvers Edgar Allan Poe's "Inspector Dupin" and Charles Dickens' "Sergeant Cuff" and "Inspector Bucket". All these characters ostensibly had an influence on the nature of Holmes, especially Dupin. All detective novels follow similar rules which include the need for one dominant detective. This throws the question of the importance or need of Watson in the stories; however another vital factor in a successful detective story is that the reader is presented with clues and questions not answers, until the end, which makes having Holmes as a narrator preposterous as his superior criminal knowledge is always presented with the essential information before Watson, his sidekick narrator, or the audience understands. To assess the
Examine the settings which the writers have chosen for their stories in 'The Signal Man', 'The Man With The Twisted Lip', 'The Red Room', and 'The Withered Arm'. Consider the effects that each writer has created and how they contribute to the atmosphere.
Examine the settings which the writers have chosen for their stories in 'The Signal Man', 'The Man With The Twisted Lip', 'The Red Room', and 'The Withered Arm'. Consider the effects that each writer has created and how they contribute to the atmosphere In this essay I will be comparing the differences and similarities of four short stories I have read, , 'The Signalman', The Red Room', 'The Man with the Twisted Lip' and 'The Withered Arm' also I will be looking at how the writers have created an atmosphere. The four stories are all of mystery and try to keep the reader gripped until the end, all have areas in which there is suspense. In 'The Signalman' Charles Dickens keeps the reader in suspense because when the ghost visits the signal man you don't really know who the haunting warning is for. In 'The Red Room' H.G. Wells keeps the reader in suspense because when the ghost is sighted it is never really described. In 'The Man with the Twisted Lip' Arthur Conan Doyle keeps the reader in suspense by not actually telling if it is a murder on just disappearance. Also in 'The Withered Arm' Thomas Hardy keeps the reader in suspense because you find out who Gertrude catches the rash from. Each writer had a setting and different historical background 'The Signal Man' was written in 1866 by Charles Dickens, the surroundings for his story was an old railway station with old steam
"Silver Blaze" by Arthur Conan Doyle.
Liam Baxter Silver Blaze The story "Silver Blaze" by Arthur Conan Doyle is set in Tavistock, Dartmoor. Silver Blaze is the name of the favourite for the Wessex Cup, a horse owned by Colonel Ross that had never lost a single race. After Silver Blaze was kidnapped his trainer, John Straker, was found dead holding the cravat of a stranger who had been lurking around the stables the night before. Straker had suffered a heavy blow to the head and a stab wound to the leg. Although he had had the horse with him, it was nowhere to be seen. Suspicion fell upon the stranger, Fitzroy Simpson, but Holmes was never convinced that he was the murderer. He proves that, having lead a lifestyle beyond his means, Straker had planned to spoil the horse's chances by making him lame. In the process, the horse had reared up on him and kicked him in the head. He also injured himself with his own knife as he fell. Silver Blaze was found on the moors that night, and was hidden by Silas Brown, a rival trainer. Silver Blaze went on to win the Wessex Cup although he was not recognised by his owner as the white flash on his forehead had been painted over. In the story of "Silver Blaze" there are several aspects typical of detective genre. For instance, John Straker was found dead holding Fitzroy Simpson's cravat. Immediately, the reader presumes that there must have been a struggle between the two
Differences and similarities between 'The Landlady' by Roald Dahl and 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Wider Reading Essay by David Marsh There are many differences and a few similarities between 'The Landlady' by Roald Dahl and 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, I am going to write about them and to try to explain them. The first difference is the times in which the stories were written. 'The Landlady' was written in the 1960's, but the 'Adventure of the Speckled Band was written prior to the 1900's. Roald Dahl was often accused of under developing his characters but in his defence he said 'that a short story should entertain.' A reason for the character of 'The Landlady' being under developed is that 'The Landlady' is a 'one off' story, therefore it would be unnecessary to give the character of the Landlady detailed characteristics as it is never going to be used in another story, also in a short story, by its nature, it is short and does not have the time and length to develop characters as a longer novel would. Sherlock Holmes to a 20th century audience is surprisingly popular. People who have never read a Sherlock Holmes story still recognize the name and know he is a fictional detective. On the other hand 'The Landlady' is not as popular or well known. A reason for this is that Sherlock Holmes featured in around seventy different stories. We know this because right at the beginning of 'The Adventure of the Speckled Band Dr Watson says
Explain what makes a good mystery story based on your understanding of:"The Red Room" by H.G Wells"The Speckled Band" by Arthur Conan Doyle"The Signalman" by Charles Dickens
Explain what makes a good mystery story based on your understanding of: "The Red Room" by H.G Wells "The Speckled Band" by Arthur Conan Doyle "The Signalman" by Charles Dickens Ghost stories are made to scare, horrify and build up suspense until you can't bear it any more. Tension, it creates a atmosphere and when you don't expect it strange things start to happen, maybe its paranormal activity or it could just be your mind playing tricks on you. It tends to make you feel as if there is something behind you, the forbidding, panic before you turn around and see what's actually there. The uneasiness of the place builds tension and the anxiety is then so overwhelming that you feel as if you're enclosed into the room or space. Even if you're in the woods of open area you still feel as if you can't escape. The first story I will consider is, "The Signalman". It begins with the narrator, who pays a visit to the signal box, to speak to the person operating it. The narrator shouts out from above the man, "halloa! Below there!" These words are instantly recognised by the signal box operator. Every time these words are spoken a horrific tragedy occurs, killing several people. This suggests to the reader that the narrators a Para-normal spirit. The Signalman's job is lonely and un-sociable. With a monotonous job it would mean that the signalman is a trustworthy and would be a good
How does Conan Doyle present the character of Watson in the Sherlock Holmes stories
How does Conan Doyle present the character of Watson in the Sherlock Holmes stories? Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh and was educated at Stony Hurst College and the University of Edinburgh. From 1882 to 1890 he practiced medicine in Southsea, England. His first novel, A Study in Scarlet, the first of 60 stories featuring Sherlock Holmes, appeared in 1887. this helped boost the start of the crime genre. For a while he finished the stories, but with debts and great public support he created another collection of the Holmes stories, due to the fact they were in high demand. Conan Doyle sadly died in Crowborough, Sussex, England, on July 7, 1930. Holmes is an intellectual detective who although spends a lot of the time by his self still depend on a valiant partner to accompany him on his cases, in this case Dr Watson. Dr Watson, in the Sherlock Holmes stories, is portrayed as particularly as an average British person helping his friend in his cases. Because he is portrayed as this it helps us see ourselves in the story along with Holmes therefore, intriguing the reader to usually read more. Next, In the majority of the stories he is portrayed as a person who shows a great passion for crime along with Holmes. Although, intellectually he can not compete and always seems to become second best; "Holmes," I cried, "I seem to see dimly what you are hinting At. We
Sherlock Holmes essay Compare the two short stories Man with the twisted lip and The Speckled band
What do you learn about Detective Fiction in nineteenth century from a comparison of short stories "The Speckled Band" and "The Man with the twisted lip" Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was among the first writers of detective stories and novels in England. The first novel recognised as a detective story was written in 1868, by Wilkie Collins entitled "The Moonstone". Other writers followed and started writing detective fiction such as people like Edgar Allan Poe and Agatha Christie. One of the main ones was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of the "Sherlock Holmes stories". He first wrote in a weekly magazine called the "Strand", the public loved these stories, and eventually they were published as books. The character of "Sherlock Holmes" was so convincing that people actually thought he existed, this shows that the writer developed his character well. In the 20th Century Detective fiction got so popular it started being shown on TV and there were many famous pairs such as Inspector Poirot and Hastings, and Jonathan Creek and Maddie Magellan. They all work as pairs, like Holmes" and "Watson. Arthur Conan Doyle's character, "Sherlock Holmes", lived in Victorian London during the 19th century. His stories are set in a dark and isolated environment. The atmosphere is far from welcoming. The streets are overrun with crime, beggars and prostitutes and seedy areas like the "opium den" in
Compare and contrast four different crime stories, 'A wife in a million', 'Superfluous murder', 'The man with the twisted lip', and 'The reluctant detective'.
Reading the four different crime stories has allowed me to take different views on each detective. In the first story, 'A Wife In a Million', Maggie Staniforth solves a strange case in which the criminal is poisoning innocent people. 'Superfluous Murder' is about a crime involving John Mansbridge and his cousin Felix which is solved by an unnamed Superintendent. During the third story, 'The Man with the Twisted Lip', Sherlock Holmes investigates the peculiar disappearance of Neville St Clair. And finally, In the the fourth story, 'The Reluctant Detective', Fredrick Herring and his girlfriend Dawn set up their own detective agency and crack a mysterious case. I will now explore each character and decide who I feel is the most convincing detective of the four. When looking at the word 'convincing', there can be two different meanings relating to these stories. Firstly, is the character realistic in the way he/she is set out to the reader? Secondly, is the detective convincing in the way he/she solves the case i.e: is he she a good detective? I think that both these factors have to be considered before making a final decision. Maggie Staniforth in 'A Wife in a Million' is a very realistic person as she is described in a humane manner. She feels a tremendous amount of strain as she desperately tries to put a stop to the killing spree as "lines of strain around her eyes" and
Title: Review two stories for a magazine called "Crime Monthly", saying why such old examples of the crime genre are still popular today. IntroductionMany people say that the short stories of Sherlock Holmes
GCSE Coursework Draft: pre 1914 prose study Title: Review two stories for a magazine called "Crime Monthly", saying why such old examples of the crime genre are still popular today. Introduction Many people say that the short stories of Sherlock Holmes were the best detective stories ever written. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote these stories, which were first published in the Strand magazine in 1890. These stories included "A Scandal in Bohemia", "The Hound of the Baskervilles", "The Copper Beaches", "A Case of Identity", "The Man With The Twisted Lip" and others. People in Victorian England really enjoyed reading the stories, the main reason for which was that there were many murderers running free at the time, which the police force couldn't catch so people didn't believe that the police was sufficient. Arthur Conan Doyle's character was very liked because no case seemed to challenge him and he always defeated the evil villain. "The Red Headed League" was first published in 1891 and "The Speckled Band" was first published in 1892 in the Strand magazine. One of the key elements of Victorian detective stories is that the crime must be solved by logical means, not by supernatural causes or by a lucky accident. This is what happened in all of the Sherlock Holmes' stories. In both "The Red Headed League" and "The Speckled Band" Sherlock Holmes solves the crimes by using