How Arthur Conan Doyle Creates an Atmosphere of Mystery and Builds Suspense in The Speckled Band
In many of Holmes' adventures, Conan Doyle used a successful personal
formula to create mystery and build suspense, and "The Speckled Band"
is no exception.
Watson begins the story by stating that he cannot recall any case that
represented more 'singular features' than that of the one he is about
to narrate. Despite this rather impressive beginning, analysis of the
other adventures reveals that this is the fairly 'standard' opening
for Conan Doyle.
The reader then learns that 'The Speckled Band' is about the
assistance that Holmes provided to a helpless young woman, by the name
of Miss Helen Stoner. Miss Stoner is a client who turns up at Baker
Street very early one morning in a 'pitiable state of agitation' to
seek Holmes' help. Her vulnerable state and appearance with 'her face
all drawn and grey, with restless, frightened eyes, like those of some
hunted animal' quickly engage the sympathy of the reader. Generally
speaking, she is portrayed by Arthur Conan Doyle as a naive, weak and
vulnerable woman whom we later discover has been taken advantage of by
her 'evil' stepfather. This is the kind of stereotype Holmes or the
writer had of women, (although the only person to have yet outwitted
Holmes in the adventures is a woman, namely Irene Adler in 'A Scandal
in Bohemia'; yet to the readers and Holmes this is presented more as a
curiosity than fact) as we encounter desperate female characters in
many of the adventures, for example, 'A Case Of Identity', etc.
Miss Helen Stoner's problem turns out to be quite similar to that of
Miss ...
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...d be tragic. Hence, the atmosphere of the story is by
this stage charged with tension and fear.
Holmes then proceeds to clarify upon the whole mystery and reveal the
''elementary'' reasoning which has brought it to a close. It is
customary for the detective to only reveal his methods at this point
to keep the reader in suspense till the very end. The precise nature
of the crime and criminal are then identified and with almost all
Sherlock Holmes' stories, the culprit is brought to justices and
Holmes emerges as the triumphant sleuth and saviour. The reader sees
how Holmes' enigmatic mind has used simple logic to solve the mystery
that neither the police, the client, the readers, or Watson could
solve and so the case of 'The Speckled Band', perhaps the most
interesting story in the collection of the 'Adventures' ends.
The birth of classic detective fiction was originated just in the mid nineteenth century, and was producing its own genre. Classical detective fiction follows a set of rules called the ‘Ten commandments of detective fiction’. The genre is so popular it can bee seen by the number of sales in any good book stores. Many of these books have been created a long time ago and there is still a demand for these types of books. The popularity is still ongoing because it provides constant entertainment, and also the reader can also have a role of detective trying to solve the crime/case committed. Classical detective fiction has a formula, the detective story starts with a seemingly irresolvable mystery, typically a murder, features the astute, often unconventional detective, a wrongly accused suspect to whom the circumstantial evidence points, and concludes with a startling or unexpected solution to the mystery, during which the detective explains how he or she solved the mystery. Formula that includes certain elements such as, a closed location to keep the number of suspects down, red hearings spread around the stories to keep the reader entertained yet interacted.
In John Irving's novel titled, A Prayer for Owen Meany, suspenseful events are of abundance, and there are multiple ways the author creates this suspense. Among these methods of creating suspense, four that stand out are the use of setting, the pace of the story, the involvement of mysteries to be solved, and the ability of the reader to easily identify and sympathize with the protagonist. By placing a character in a gloomy or solitary place, uncomfortable feelings are created, which append to the suspense. Pace and structure of the story also play into the foundation of suspense, as shorter sentences and stronger, more cutting verbs and adjectives are often used to keep the reader highly interested and reading at a rapid speed. Of course, suspense could not be considered what it is if there were no mystery involved. The element of not knowing what is in store for the future and having the urge to find out is the essence of suspense. Also, if the reader cannot easily relate to and sympathize with the character in the suspenseful situation, a loss of interest can arise, and therefore spoil the spirit of the tension. Uncomfortable settings, pace and structure, use of mysteries, and capability to relate to the main character are four techniques that John Irving uses to create suspense.
Exploring the Reasons Behind the Popularity of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Stories Although not a real detective, the character of Sherlock Holmes gave the general public a sense of security because in the stories he is seen to solve cases quite easily, such as in "The Man With The Twisted Lip." Watson says "I wish I knew how you reached your results" and Holmes replies, "I reached this one, by sitting upon five pillows and consuming an ounce of shag. " This gives the readers a sense of security because it seems as if Holmes makes no effort to solve the crimes but they are still solved with the minimum of fuss. At the time of writing the concept of detectives was new, and when the stories were written there was almost no confidence in the police force. This point is brought up in "The Man With The Twisted lip," the police force caught a criminal and then proceeded to let him go.
Arthur Conan Doyle's Stories and Their Undying Appeal When the Sherlock Holmes books were written, London was rife with croime. The slums, especially, were victims to prostitution, murder and drug abuse. Jack the Ripper was free on the streets, making many people scared. The police couldn't catch him so the public resented the police force as they weren't seen to be protecting them. I think that this is one of the reasons why the Sherlock Holmes stories were so successful.
A comparison between Roald Dahl's Lamb to the slaughter and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Speckled Band
Examining the roles of Sherlock Holmes in two short stories. ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘The Cardboard Box.’ I am going to compare both ‘The Speckled Band’ and ‘ The Cardboard Box’ which are Sherlock Holmes stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle. ‘A Study in Scarlet’ was Arthur Conan Doyle’s first novel, introducing both characters Holmes and Watson and including how they met. ‘A study in Scarlet’ was written in three weeks in 1886 and published in 1887.
Comparing Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter and The Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The novel “The Sign of the Four”, written by Arthur Conan Doyle is about Sherlock Holmes and his partner, Watson. The book follows them throughout their adventures, however, only the beginning will be discussed. What could possibly have sparked much interest in Doyle’s works that film adaptations from 1954-2010 by various movie directors? Was it the resolute mindset of Sherlock Holmes? Was it his uncanny detective work? His professional use of drugs? Or perhaps was it his ideology? Such beginnings are what writers like K.M. Weiland excels in; to craft an irresistible lure for their audience of fish. Doyle’s book introduces us to a multitude of questions and concerns, which according to Tim O’Brien is meant to “not explain or to resolve, but
Examine the role of Sherlock Holmes as a Detective in the Story Of The Speckled Band The creator of the very legendry stories of Sherlock Holmes was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Sir Arthur. As a child he was sent to a harsh, strict and then applied to study medicine. After qualifying, he travelled as a ships doctor, however he had very little success.
In The Hound of the Baskervilles, various factors of Arthur Conan Doyle’s early life, popularity, perspective, and status were all expressed in multiple ways. Spiritualism played an crucial role in his life, greatly impacting his work, specifically “The Hound.” Additionally, his birthplace and upbringing, along with the time period, inveigled his writing. Furthermore, Doyle characterized the people in the story in along with real life scenarios.
In conclusion, the modern and innovative use of multiple narrators by Wilkie Collins in The Moonstone allows for a very thrilling, exciting, and suspenseful read. Due to the fact that there is not one omniscient narrator, which would take away from the suspense and excitement associated with detective fiction as a genre, but multiple narrators, the story is unfolded piece-by-piece, and later assembled in the correct order. This unraveling of the narratives is consequential in order to solve the mystery of the missing Diamond. In essence, the multiple narratives, despite the consistent subjectivities and biases present within them, is a mandatory and important narration strategy for the novel to progress and come to its conclusion.
How Does Arthur Conan Doyle Create Tension And Suspense In The Speckled Band The Speckled Band is just one of the murder mystery stories featuring the famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. Holmes was not any ordinary detective, he was a detective who was famous for solving murders. In this case Holmes is trying to solve the mystery of the 'Speckled Band'. Some examples of tension building techniques are dramatic events and in some instances the inclusion of red herrings. Bad weather and night time are also used as a means of building up atmosphere and tension.
The short story of “A Scandal in Bohemia” by Conan Doyle relates to the BBC crime drama series Sherlock episode “A Scandal in Belgravia”. BBC crime drama was filmed based on the short story that Conan Doyle wrote. The film and the text is based on a similar concept, but contains different details of information. There are three comparisons that is easily identified such as theme, characters and setting. These differences make the text and the film different.
Mysteries have always held great fascination for the human mind, not least because of the aura that surrounds them and the realm of the Unknown into which they delve. Coupled with the human propensity of being particularly curious about aspects which elude the average mind, the layer of intrigue that glosses over such puzzles makes for a heady combination of the literary and the popular. In the canon of detective fiction worldwide, no detective has tickled the curious reader’s imagination and held it in thrall as much as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. The 221-B, Baker Street, London ‘amateur’ detective combines a rare blend of intellectual prowess and sharp wit to crack a series of baffling riddles.
When writing fictional stories it is imperative that the author implements the elements of fiction in the most efficient way possible to not only grasp the reader’s attention but to also. the author has .“South of the Slot” by Jack London which is the primary story in the comparative analysis of characters struggles with identity. The other short stories on which comparative analysis is done are the “Big Me” by Dan Chaon and “The Destructors” by Graham Green. From the three stories, “South of the Slot” by Jack London is considered the strongest.