The Detective Story Genre Essay -- Year 10 GCSE Coursework

In this essay I will be analysing The Speckled surround, The Red-HeadedLeague, and The Blue Carbuncle by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I will beshowing and examine the plots of all three stories, the settings,the structure, and language used, characteristics of Holmes andWatson, and my own conclusion. All three stories were written in the1890s.Crime writing was very popular in the 19th century, people beit to be very entertaining. It all started with a man called EdgarAllan Poe, he wrote the very first detective story The Murders in theRue Morgue. Poe was a bang-up inspiration to Doyle he was the one whomade Doyle what he is today. Doyle just loved Poes writing and heused Poe as a model when he set out to write detective storieshimself. Detective stories thus began in the diaphragm nineteenth centurywhen police forces organised in U.S., France and England. They werethen produce in magazines in instalments. The main plots of the three stories all have one thing in common andthat is t hat they are all mysteries. The mystery for The SpeckledBand is how and why Julia Stoner really died. The story starts withHolmes waking up Watson because a client (Helen Stoner) has arrived at221B Baker Street early in the morning. Helen Stoner has a case forHolmes and she tells him that she is afraid because her sister Juliadied in mysterious circumstances. Holmes and Watson travel to StokeMoran, Surrey to solve how Julia had died and why there is a lowwhistle in middle of the night which had been the herald of Juliasdeath. Holmes and Watson start to examine Julias bedroom and findthat she was killed by a snake which Dr Roylott had been training forit to poison people to death. Dr Roylott is then ma... ...lmes methods, but as Holmes always points out he never observes.Overall I think that the 3 short stories The Speckled Band, TheRed-Headed League, and The Blue Carbuncle work as large detectivestories because as you keep reading they seem to interest you more soyou never out the m down. The stories have become so great because mostof the characters are based on real people who have a strongconnection to the character. Between all three stories I desire TheSpeckled Band more because it seems more interesting and the case thatneeds to be solved is very mysterious due to the strange death. Thetitle is scour intriguing it makes you want to read it. When you readup to the part where Holmes finds out who is killing everyone thatjust makes you ask yourself so many questions as to why that happenedso its more exciting and you just have to keep reading.