preview

The Sherlock Holmes By Dr. James Watson

Good Essays

One of the things that make the Sherlock Holmes books distinctive is their point of view. The books are written as an account Sherlock Holmes’ case, written by Dr. James Watson, chronicling the achievements of the detective. 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. Having Watson tell the tale instead of Holmes was a compelling choice. Holmes, with his straightforward logical mind, would have been unable to provide the imagery that Watson did. Watson, who has more of an artistic flair, was able to beautifully describe the disturbing way the fog rolled on the moor, or how the Hall at night was desolate and gloomy. Holmes would have only given a bare-boned factual account of events; none of the dramatic scenes emotional description gifted by Watson. Furthermore, having Watson tell the tale makes Holmes’ methods seem more enigmatic as the perspective is not from inside Holmes’ head. Having this veil of mystery around the techniques Holmes uses makes him seem more impressive and worthy of the reader’s respect. Watson’s perspective also enabled the reader to discover clues and unravel the case along with him. Watson began the case and went to Dartmoor without any idea of who caused Sir Charles death,

Get Access