Point of View
One of the things that make the Sherlock Holmes books distinctive is their point of view. The books are written as memoirs of Dr. James Watson, chronicling the achievements of Sherlock Holmes. This book, in particular, is unique in its point of view. The first few chapters are told in past tense, as Watson recalls the events; the next few chapters are present tense, in the form of extracts from Watson’s diary or letters sent to Holmes from the hall; the last few chapters shift back to past tense recollections. The sole hindrance of having the book written as an account of the accomplishments of Holmes from the point of view of someone who reveres him is a slightly biased view of the great detective. Watson views Holmes as infallible and if Watson recognizes any faults of Holmes, they are viewed as merits as well by Watson, as seen in this quote: “One of Sherlock Holmes defects – if, indeed one may call it a defect – was that was exceedingly loathe to communicate his full plans to any other person until the instant of their fulfilment.” p.154. The shortcoming referred to in the quote would be viewed by many as a grievous fault, yet Watson, in his love of Holmes, has the ability to view it as an asset; this fondness for Holmes results in an interesting perspective of the case and how it’s solved in the end. What sets this book apart from many of the other Sherlock Holmes books is that Watson is working alone for most of the book. In most of the other
In the story “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” the author Conan Doyle portrays many different narrative techniques. He uses these techniques to provide meaning for the audience as well as help them visualize the situation that was being described. The different techniques used are narrative discourse, suspense, conflict, close, and focalization in his story. Narrative discourses are events, to describe a series of events that are contingent one on another. Typically focuses on one or more performers of actions. Personal experience can influence narrative discourse due to the explaining of significant events in the life of the narrator. Narrative discourse is made up of exposition/ setting, developing conflict, climax, final suspense, and conclusion. The narrative discourse is being portrait in the story by Sherlock trying to find the mystery. Helen Stoner goes to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson for help on figuring out the mystery of her sister’s death, and they both investigate. It all begins with the renovation that was done to the room. Holmes arrived to Dr. Grimesby Roylott’s home in order to investigate the noise that his daughter seemed to be hearing from the bedroom that the sister was killed in. Holmes describes the room “very strange” he found the ventilator open into another room as well as the bell-rope. The ventilator was the small opening between two rooms as well as the bed was fastened to the floor. “A ventilator is made, a cord is hung, and a lady who
The author utilizes a narrator with an omniscient point of view. This allows the reader to get an insight into the thoughts and feelings of Tom. The use of this type of narrator also allows the author to control what and how much is revealed to the reader in building suspense. The point of view used influences the effectiveness of suspense as the narrator reveals the various thoughts and feelings of Tom at the correct point in the development of the story to keep the reader absorbed by the developments. The narrator's perspective affects your understanding of the story. The tone in this story is seemingly neutral and factual, but on closer assessment it becomes clear that the author, Jack Finney, portrays a sympathetic view towards the character Tom Benecke.
Conan Doyle uses uses a combination of literary devices to build up tension and create a sense of mystery I chapter 3
The classic mystery novel, Sherlock Holmes, features a murder-mystery detective Sherlock Holmes, and his army doctor colleague Dr. John Watson. The story revolves around the main character, Sherlock Holmes, and his unique method to solving crimes. The story is mainly all about Sherlock and his abilities, which then rises the question about the importance of the character of Dr.Watson, both to the chaarcter of Sherlock Holmes, and towards the readers.
The legendary fictional character Sherlock Holmes was constructed by a basis of a French criminal expert and a famous police investigator. He is known for his prowess in perception and analysis. On the other hand, Holmes sympathy towards people is near absent. Holmes loves to breakdown the story of each person he comes in contact with it. However, he does make a mistake occasionally. Although, there are many positive representations of Holmes, the Downey-Holmes is the best.
The story is told by Watson, not Holmes. Watson is never likely to be at the same thinking level as Holmes. There are some parts which are kept secret from us, things that Watson does not know, the reader also does not know. ‘Holmes leaned forward and whispered something in the trainer’s ear’. Here Holmes whispers something, so clearly he wants to keep it a secret from Watson. This keeps the reader guessing what Holmes might have said; hence it creates suspense as well as tension. However there are times when Watson is great help to Holmes, in Silver Blaze, when Holmes
The looming prospect of Miss Morstan becoming extremely wealthy clearly weighs on Watson, and he becomes insecure with his own life and his ability to be able to love this woman. “What was I,” he asked, “an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker
Analyse the use of Dr Watson as the narrator of The Hound of the Baskervilles
The main character in the story is Sherlock Holmes; he is the hero of the book, a very important factor in a mystery book. The Victorians would have loved this character because he was not a part of the police force; he was a character that could be relied on, when the police force was so corrupt. Holmes’s life was his job, as the reader gets further into the story; they see that Holmes works for personal satisfaction, ’my profession is its own
“…and to listen with a mocking smile to the general chorus of misplaced congratulation.”(The adventure of the Devils foot)
He chases butterflies and studies the moor and it’s inhabitants. In the book mortimer is a very creepy person and studies humans and skulls. While in the film mortimer is a acts in a more serious manner while Stapleton is incredibly creepy, he asks would you have an objection to me running my finger along parietal fissure? Also he makes more points about Holmes’ skull (Attwood, The Hound of the Baskervilles). This ends up making Stapleton a very creepy character for the suspense of the movie. In the book Watson looks up to Holmes with great respect and takes his smallest compliments and appreciates them greatly. Holmes states with great pride, “It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of light.” (Doyle 3). By saying this he means, Watson is such a fool that he makes Homles seem even smarter than he is. In the film, however, Watson stands up to Homles at the end when he saves Homles from drowning in the moor pit even though he got shot by stapleton (Attwood, The Hound of the Baskervilles). Also, when Watson finds out Holmes has been investigating the case after Holmes told him that Holmes had work to do in london, He was outraged. There is also other small details in the story that do not have a huge effect on the plot but still change it slightly. For example, Laura Lyon does not exist in the film, even though in the book
Sherlock Holmes, a creation of Scottish Author and Physician Sir Author Conan Doyle, is a fictional detective famous for his prowess at using logic and astute observation to solve cases. Sherlock is a very unique individual and he is so realistic that many people believe he was a real man existed in the late 19th century. In fact, Sherlock possesses a very interesting set of personality and his distinctive characteristics plays a big role in captivating the heart of the audience. So, who is Sherlock? What kind of person could draw many people’s attention?
Sherlock Holmes’s intelligence is demonstrated in both “The Red-Headed League” and “A Scandal in Bohemia”. During “A Scandal in Bohemia” he first demonstrates his intuitive thinking by figuring out that Count Kramm, the man introducing him on the case, is actually the King of Bohemia himself. This shows that he is able to make a quick determination about people’s lives just by having a brief conversation with them. This allows Holmes to solve mysteries that others cannot by simply looking at a suspect or location associated with the scenario. He uses this ability later in the story to find where the incriminating photo of the king with Adler is. He does this by creating a situation for himself where he will be able to get into Adler’s home. He then fakes a fire to see where Adler goes first so he can see where she keeps her most valuable possession, the photo. Holmes states “When a woman thinks that her house is on fire, her instinct is at once to rush to the thing which she values the most… Now it was clear to me that our lady of to-day had nothing in the house more precious to her then what we are questing for” (Doyle 19). This line of thinking shows that Holmes knows how to get people to inadvertently give him the information that he needs by putting them in the right situation and observing what they do. This skill
In the first chapter it is revealed that Watson is the narrator. This takes an interesting first hand account of the book. The author makes it a point to show many instances in which Watson takes his own point of view and sometimes strays from the actual plot of the case and describes his own feelings. An example of this is when Watson show his affection towards Miss Morstan after meeting her when he described, “Miss Morstan entered the room with a firm step and an outward composure of manner. She was a blonde young lady, small, dainty, well gloved, and dressed in the most perfect taste.”
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle utilizes many detail-oriented literary elements to develop the many adventures of the famous fictional British detective Sherlock Holmes and his partner, John Watson. Long winded description and complex vocabulary are infused into Doyle’s writing to accentuate Holmes’s great intelligence. By incorporating such a heavy, educated tone upon the mysteries, the tales of Sherlock Holmes are expressed as very complicated stories that challenge readers in comprehension as well as encourage curiosity through puzzling cases.