How does Conan Doyle use descriptions of settings, images and characters to build up the atmosphere in "the hound of the Baskervilles"?

How does Conan Doyle use descriptions of settings, images and characters to build up the atmosphere in "the hound of the Baskervilles"? In this essay I will be exploring Conan Doyle's use of description on the settings, images and characters that build up the atmosphere and tension in the book. I will be looking to see effect that the description off atmosphere has upon the reader. Conan Doyle was born in 1859 and died in 1930.The hound of the Baskervilles was written in 1902 but was set before 1893 when he killed Sherlock Holmes off. He took a degree of medicine and based Holmes on his professor. He was interested in spirituality from an early age and later on, after his son was killed in World War 1, he became a spiritualist. The interest he had in spirituality shows itself in the book. In the book, Conan Doyle writes from the perspective of Dr. Watson, in a 1st person narrative, thus all the views of characters; settings, feelings and scenery are of Watson's view. As the story unfolds, the reader follows Watsons thought paths and his feelings about Barrymore, Stapleton and the other neighbours in turn. Barrymore is the first to fall under suspicion and scrutiny when his night-time wanderings are discovered. Watson and Sir Henry follow Barrymore and see him "crouching at the window with the candle held against the glass." This is where Barrymore e is caught and the truth

  • Word count: 649
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Sherlock Holmes was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He was created first of all to accumulate money and although was not hated by his creator, he was not particularly liked either as he did not consider it "serious" writing. Arthur after writing the first series of six volumes of shelorck Holmes he decided to move on and to write novels that interested him more. These were popular although they fell short of the new-found popularity that Sherlock Holmes had reached. At this point Arthur was in need of money once again and so in his spare time at his clinic he began to write the second series of Sherlock Holmes covering once again six volumes of books. Around this time he was also loosing large amounts of patients and had also several children all of whom required clothing and feeding. He took up more offers of creating new series. Sherlock homes wrote in popular magazines which means that he trid to make his writing popular and at the same time he was learning what the public wanted to read about. Sherlock Holmes with his writings often used outside information to which he knew a great deal about. For example, in the book titled "The Speckled Band" he had the villain be a doctor. Arthur himself was a doctor and so knew a large amount of information in any case with regards to medical affairs, and could write the doctors character perfectly, regarding his

  • Word count: 1450
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Sherlock Holmes - Features of Detective Fiction.

Sherlock Holmes Coursework- Features of Detective Fiction The coursework that we are doing is about Sir Author Canon Doyle, who made the fictional character Sherlock Holmes. I am going to seek to describe the character of Sherlock Holmes and compare it to his abilities and behaviour as a detective. This should serve as a testimony to the accuracy and mental ability of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's style of writing. We had to read three books based on his stories and write a short summary and description of each. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was an incredible novelist, as he was able to capture the minds of his readers by bringing the character of Sherlock Holmes to life. Although Doyle was able to create a life for the detective unlike any other, there are many similarities and agendas in the way that he told the story, for example, he always used a second person to say the story. They are both complex characters in their own ways, though Holmes is more mysterious. This may be because Watson narrates the stories, so we can see what he suspects; he is there to ask questions that the reader would ask. It is shown Watson isn't as considerate as Sherlock Holmes when he says 'Did you see anything more then me?' and Sherlock Holmes replies 'No, but I fancy I may have deduced a little more,' it shows that Holmes uses his intelligence more then Watson. The author always gives the readers

  • Word count: 2160
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Sherlock Holmes Media Essay

Azeem Qadir 11G Sherlock Holmes Media Essay I am going to review Sherlock Holmes and the two films starring Basil Rathbone in the role of being Holmes. In English the two films I have watched recently are: The Pearl of Death and The Scarlet Claw. I enjoyed the film: The Pearl of Death because it is based upon the story "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons." The film was made in 1944 in Hollywood, and is updated to the 1940s London in the Blitz. Sherlock Holmes is in disguise very often. He looks realistic to the person he is imitating and there is no recognition of his original form. The unique feature in the film is the introduction of the Hoxton Creeper. In the story the villain is Beppo but we see Rando Hatton performing as the Hoxton Creeper in the film. Holmes calls the Hoxton Creeper "a monster with the chest of a buffalo and the arms of a gorilla." This is an exciting way to describe the Creeper - this makes us want to see what the Creeper looks like, and when we see him we are not disappointed. The Creeper adds an excellent dimension to the story. He always appears in shadowy places and he is an enormous actor who suffers from acromegaly. This is a progressive glandular deformity which causes enlargement of the extremities. This makes the film more deadly. The Hoxton Creeper's face is only seen at the end of the film - he moves in silhouette through all the scenes.

  • Word count: 1134
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Keeping up Appearances Comparing and Contrasting "The man with the twisted lip" with "Front"

Wide Reading English Coursework Keeping up Appearances Comparing and Contrasting "The man with the twisted lip" with "Front" The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast two similar stories from different centuries. The stories I chose were "The man with the twisted lip" written by Arthur Conan Doyle taken from the 19th century (1892), and "Front" written by Jan Mark taken from the 20th century (1990). The reason I chose this two stories was because throughout life everybody tries to be somebody there not. There are many similarities and differences in both "Front" and "Twisted lip", but the most apparent relation between the two stories is the keeping up appearances (or keeping down appearances in the case of "Twisted lip") theme, meaning they are about someone or something trying to conceal the truth or simply the truth isn't so obvious in the case of "Front", the other less prevailing similarities/differences will be analysed later on in the essay. The beginning of both stories differ quite strongly, "Front" begins with a narrator describing her experiences of seeing something that she would compare to as "one of the seven wonders of the world" and there some definite references to class "Five streets down" the comma after the word "down" brings emphasis towards it and sets the impression that the narrator feels (or later on in the story, felt) that she is in

  • Word count: 2874
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Both the Adventure of the Speckled Band and Lamb to the Slaughter share some characteristics of murder mysteries. Which story is the most typical one? Which story is most successful in creating suspense?

Both the Adventure of the Speckled Band and Lamb to the Slaughter share some characteristics of murder mysteries. Which story is the most typical one? Which story is most successful in creating suspense? Attracting readers of all ages for hundreds of years, it is evident through these two stories that the murder mystery genre has evolved from a more stereotypical "whodunit" structure, however still continuing to enthral its reader by creating a sense of the unexpected, and engaging them in anxiety through the effective use of language and characters. The Speckled Band and Lamb to the Slaughter share characteristics of murder mysteries and demonstrate the significant difference, which has changed the typical structure through the years. The Speckled Band written in the Victorian times (1882) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle during the reign of Queen Victoria, features one of the finest ever adventures of the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes whereas on the other hand Lamb to the Slaughter demonstrates a less predictable or typical "whodunit" structure written in the 1950's by Roald Dahl. Those essential elements of a murder mystery are witnessed in both stories including the detectives, villains, motives, atmosphere, and the narration allowing the reader a more direct participation. The Speckled Band looks at how a tragic death has left Helen Stoner, who lives in Stoke Moran

  • Word count: 5729
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Introduction and Conclusion

In What Ways is Sherlock Holmes the embodiment of Victorian Ideas of Progress? "You are yourself not luminous, but a conductor of light" The Victorian era was a time of great scientific advance, during which there were several scientific inventions and discoveries. Sherlock Holmes uses scientific vocabulary such as "a conductor of light," this shows that he uses scientific methods throughout the novel, therefore Holmes can be considered an embodiment of Victorian ideas of progress and can be compared to a scientist. Although the above quote is said by Holmes to Watson, it could be interpreted that Holmes is "luminous" as he illuminates the darkness in people's minds and crimes, such as the Hound of the Baskervilles that other, less scientific detectives are unable to. The reason that Holmes tells Watson that "you are yourself not luminous" may be because he believes that he is luminous. Holmes uses his clear and logical mind to destroy myths with his scientific method. He also uses forensic methods to solve complex crimes and mysteries, similar to a scientist. Holmes uses tools like a scientist to analyze data that he has gathered and so then he can deduce information from this and take important facts to focus on and solve complicated problems. Conan Doyle's creation, Sherlock Holmes, can therefore, be likened to a leading scientist such as Darwin, who attempted to destroy

  • Word count: 1942
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Prose study, tension in the red room, the ostler and the speckled band.

Prose study, tension in the red room, the ostler and the speckled band The Red Room We as the reader are immediately attracted to the title "The Red Room" because it raises so much curiosity and leaves many unanswered questions. "What is the red room?" "Why is it red?" The colour red is associated with fear, danger and maybe even blood so is the room dangerous? Our minds can create so many thoughts about this one title that we are filled with an urge to read on to find the answers to our questions. In a short story, we are influenced by the writers first and last lines, so they have to carry meaning. "I can assure you,' said I, 'that it will take a very tangible ghost to frighten me." From this first line, we see a glimpse of the characters personality. He is an educated man who may be stubborn and inexperienced, or quite wise. However, it is that the story already involves a ghost that prevents the reader from putting the book down. A short story often gets straight to the point. H.G Wells cleverly sets the scene in a warm and comforting environment. A large fire in the centre of the room makes you feel secure. The three old people huddled closely together provide the beginning of the story with a sense of eeriness that reminds you not to relax. We never find out their names and their unsightly features make you feel suspicious of them. Tension is built by the opinions

  • Word count: 3916
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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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.

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. Arthur Conan Doyle's character, Sherlock Holmes, lived in Victorian London during the 19th century. His perception of the streets is portrayed as a dark and isolated environment. The atmosphere was far from welcoming. The streets were overrun with crime, beggars and prostitutes. Through the dense smog, the gas lamps provided feeble lighting which flickered as passer-bys walked on their way. The odour which drifted through the air was vile. This was the result of no sewage system and low levels of hygiene. In 'The Man with the Twisted Lip', Arthur Conan Doyle creates a contrast by describing the home of Watson which is conveyed as a warm, welcoming safe-haven. The Watsons are portrayed as a secure and predictable couple. Their sitting room, described as "cheery", shows the reader that it is a place where all is cosy and peaceful. The reader is shown that Watson is comfortable with the setting of his own home: "...sat up in my chair" The use of the word 'my' gives the sense of belonging and ownership to Watson. It also shows he has a stable retreat after returning from work. A symbolic simile is used to describe how approachable Watson's wife is: "...like

  • Word count: 1551
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Hound of the Baskervilles

Hound of the Baskervilles coursework. This piece of coursework aims to show how Arthur Conan Doyle uses the setting and language to successfully create atmosphere and tension in the story of "The Hound of the Baskervilles" Arthur Conan Doyle lived in London in the late 19th century. His career was not exactly very successful in the early stages of his life. It started as him being a doctor onboard a ship, he was then an general practitioner in Southsea, but this career did not work for him either, and later he became an unsuccessful optician! So Doyle made the decision to dedicate himself to writing. Undoubtedly his most famous works are the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Watson. They were loved by all the public, who made Holmes a cult figure. At the time, the streets of London were full of crime. There were uncountable murders occurring and there was always someone breaking the law, whether it was petty theft, stealing, or even murder. The police force at the time were very disorganised and undisciplined and there were only a few of them who actually did their jobs properly and an even smaller number that were actually out on the streets. This enabled London to become a crime infested city, with such well-known criminals as Jack the Ripper being able to kill without being caught. This influenced Doyle's writing to a great extent. Holmes was made to be the perfect

  • Word count: 2987
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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