Analysing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Style of Writing
The detective genre is very popular among the public and there are
many books, films and television programs based on it that, according
to research, are more popular with women than with men. Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle, who was writing in the 1880’s, uses a variety of
techniques to produce suspense in his Sherlock Holmes stories, all of
which are vital for the creation of tension.
All of his stories are structured in a similar way: at the beginning
the reader is given a very detailed account of the crime, then Holmes
and Watson investigate the scene of the crime, and finally right at
the end of the story the solution is provided by Holmes and all
becomes clear: ‘It means that it is all over’. This structural
technique keeps the reader guessing for the majority of the story,
leaving the reader in suspense until all is revealed at the end. This
is good because the reader is (usually) given all of the clues and has
a chance to play the role of the detective to try and solve the crime,
usually without success, which makes it more interesting, and the
reader is kept in suspense for most of the story.
Arthur Conan Doyle uses language that seems relatively old to us but
was normal for him in the 1880’s, and this proves to be very effective
because the words and general language are strong and varied, with a
wide range of vocabulary used. The language is very formal yet easy to
understand, apart from some words that had a different meaning from
what they mean now, for example the word ‘singular’ is used
excessively in the stories and it means ‘extraordinary’, unlike today
when it means the opposite of ‘plural’. At times in the stories when
the tension is escalating into a climax Arthur Conan Doyle speeds up
the writing by using lots of and verbs in sequence, for example in
‘The Adventure Of The Speckled Band’ where it says that ‘Holmes sprang
from the bed, struck a match and lashed furiously with his cane at the
Christopher Morley attempts to show his audience the benefits of laziness through appeals to pathos. With the energetic use of high level language, Morley transforms people’s view on laziness from having a negative connotation to being one of sophistication and wisdom.
When a writer starts his work, most often than not, they think of ways they can catch their reader’s attention, but more importantly, how to awake emotions within them. They want to stand out from the rest and to do so, they must swim against the social trend that marks a specific society. That will make them significant; the way they write, how they make a reader feel, the specific way they write, and the devotion they have for their work. Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgard Allan Poe influenced significantly the American literary canon with their styles, themes, and forms, making them three important writers in America.
The idea of a detective catching an elusive convict or solving an improbable crime has been prevalent in all corners of the world, spread throughout many cultures and societies. The detective genre is held as the idea that an individual has to solve a crime. This detective usually has nothing to gain from solving the crime, but they see it more as an obstacle. The detective doesn’t always take every case, as human beings, we are too often curious of the impossible; our natural instinct is to question why and how things work in this world. People crave mystery, to taste a bit of improbable, to see what the detectives see, to see what is overlooked by many. The idea of an intelligent witty, sharp “sleuth” with an obedient sidekick has been prevalent
Forensics is a scientific method of gathering and examining information about a crime. It is used in the law for figuring out when, where, and what happened at the scene of the crime. Mystery writers must use forensics when writing about crime solving. This draws in the readers because of how realistic the mystery seems. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story “The Red-Headed League,” the author shows his perspective on justice while exemplifying his linear and detailed style, with the main character depicting the story in chronological order and the detective using deductive reasoning to solve the crime.
them to get to know Jane Eyre like she was a friend. She gave them her
Each new episode features a new murderer or a new serial criminal committing a different crime. It is simply unrealistic to believe that the team encounters a different case in every episode. Although it seems blatantly obvious now, thousands of viewers swallow the false information released by the show. The team flies out to a city and quickly begins its work trying to figure out who the criminal might be. They do their best to create a sort of “profile” for each new criminal, which includes an age, a height, a weight, and a personality type. They use the help of the public, to find and identify potential suspects. This in turn, engages the audience in the
Have you ever wondered how police officers know who to arrest for a crime? Well in order to catch criminals, evidence and witnesses must be gathered. Those who perform these tasks are known as detectives. Detectives are also known as criminal investigators. I have always liked solving mysteries and, that is exactly what detectives or criminal investigators do. I was inspired to pursue this career by the television series “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”. I watch this series a lot and, the show gave me a televised perception of what the career might be like. There are many risks when considering becoming a detective. However, the benefits and end results outweigh the risks and disadvantages of becoming a detective.
A virtuoso of suspense and horror, Edgar Allan Poe is known for his Gothic writing style. His style is created through his use of punctuation, sentence structure, word choice, tone, and figurative language. Punctuation-wise; dashes, exclamation marks, semicolons, and commas are a favorite of Poe. His sentences vary greatly; their structures are influenced by punctuation. Much of his word choice set the tone of his works. Figurative language colors his writings with description. Such is observed in the similarities between two of his most well-known short stories, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a British physician and writer, mostly well known for his stories “Sherlock Holmes”, which are generally in the field of crime fiction. He was a prolific writer whose other works include science fiction stories, historical novels, plays and romances, poetry, and non-fiction.
Edgar Allan Poe is a wonderful writer. He is most widely known for his hair-raising stories. His writing style is unique in that he uses subtle details to add suspense to his stories. He also uses dark details to help his audience figure out lingering questions they might have upon finishing his stories. One perfect example of his famous style of writing is, “The Cask of Amontillado”. Throughout the story there are four important details that help the reader realize that the murder of Fortunato was not perfect revenge.
...s. This element makes a good detective fiction story because it eliminates the number of suspects and would not be literally impossible to figure out the crime.
James Baldwin is highly regarded as one of the great writers of his time. In the “Notes of a Native Son” he describes a very influential moment in his life. The essay’s setting takes place during the Harlem riots in New York City and Detroit. The riot in New York all began due the fatal shooting of a young African American boy by a white police officer. Protesters began to protest the police brutality, but then fights and looting broke out when some protesters became unruly. Baldwin’s essay reflects upon his interactions and feelings with and about his father. He analyzes how his father affected him and talks about what kind of person his father was. He also reflects on the impact of his father’s death. All the while, within the essay, Baldwin uses different techniques in order to obtain and intrigue his readers. He primarily makes his essay a narrative. However, he also incorporates his analysis, which usually stem from his use of binaries and contrasts. His use of repetitive words also plays a big part in his style. All of those techniques all intertwined in a way that will help the reader understand Baldwin and his ideas a lot clearer. His combination of both narrative and analysis can be viewed in the very first paragraph.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia, demonstrates how a specific character can be used to expand upon the complexity of the story’s main character. Specifically in the case of Irene Adler, Conan Doyle does not go into much detail about her, as much as he uses her as a contrast to Holmes. Adler’s presence in the story is the antagonist, but seems much more than that to Holmes’. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s use of Adler seems to be very unique and creative compared to some of his other works, though after her appearance, Conan Doyle’s works with Sherlock all come to a similar structure, that Sherlock seems to come to adore the villains, more so the villains intellect, and put up with the people that hire him.
that we wish to know why a convicted murder has chosen the victims that they have. In a novel
The book that got everything started for Conan Doyle, and brought him fame world wide