Tales of Ratiocination: the Detective Story and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

(1859-1930)

Read the short introduction to Doyle in the Sherlock Holmes Reader (the Reader, the Courage Books edition, at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/105-5430451-7458055?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Sherlock+Holmes+Reader&Go.x=12&Go.y=11; also peruse the information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle (note that you can click on most of the Holmes’ stories from this page) and at the official Doyle Homepage at http://www.sherlockholmesonline.org/. Click on Sir Arthur Conman Doyle’s biography at the Doyle HomePage. See Doyle’s beloved Undershaw at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14077743/.

To orient yourself to the Holmes stories and how they evolved, read the essay by Doyle in The Sherlock Holmes Reader (218). Read the essay by Christopher Clausen (207). As you read Clausen, note what the character of Holmes represents: “the pattern of intellect at war with mystery” (208). What is the “ruling passion” of Sherlock Holmes, according to Clausen? How is that ruling passion, however, embellished in the character in order to enable him to successfully solve the mysteries that engage him? Describe Sherlock Holmes. What kind of mysteries interest Holmes? What part does Watson play in the narratives? How does Holmes’ “anti-convention” (somewhat iconoclastic) point of view help him solve mysteries?

Note the information about the Victorian Age, particularly the fin d’siecle (final decade of the 19^th Century) at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era and note the informational links “Great Exhibition,” “Industrial Revolution,” “Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood,” “Jack the Ripper,” “Railways,” “Origin of Species,” and other interesting links that will give you a sense the contradictions and complexities of the period. Also, see the information about British Colonialism at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire, noting particularly the decline of Colonialism and British influence through out the world. What are the prevailing prejudices, concerns, and fears current at the end of the 19^th Century, regarding the Empire, Industrialism, and radical social changes on the horizon? Explore also the lives of women in Victorian England at http://www.victorianweb.org/gender/fallen.html and http://www.victoriaspast.com/LifeofVictorianWoman/LifeofVictorianWoman.html.

Read “A Scandal in Bohemia” (31). As you read, note the following. Why is Irene Adler so important to Holmes? What does she represent in terms of “The Woman Question,” a hotly debated topic during the fin d’siecle? How does Watson’s portrayal of Adler reflect Doyle’s position concerning “The Woman Question?” What personal characteristics make Irene Adler such a formidable opponent for Holmes?

Read “The Red-Headed League” (57). How does this adventure reveal the contradictory nature of Holmes? Note the “net” or “chain” image referenced at the end of the story. How does the “net” function in the detective mystery genre? What is the purpose for the Red-Haired League in terms of the story’s plot? What does the tale say about Victorian prejudice and jingoism in the late Victorian period?

Read “The Five Orange Pips” (83). Note the setting at the beginning of this mystery. Why does John Openshaw’s uncle return to Britain after making his fortune in America. What does receiving the five orange pips mean for each of the Openshaw men? Who is responsible for sending such a dire message? How does Holmes view the police? Why does Holmes mention at the beginning of the mystery, “I have been beaten four times—three times by men, and once by a woman” (85). Note again the web image in this mystery. Despite Holmes’ careful planning, what happens to John Openshaw? Is Sherlock Holmes more concerned about the morality of Openshaw’s fate or something else? What does this say about the fictional icon?

Read “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” (105). Explain Watson’s opening comment. A young woman, Helen, comes to seek Holmes’ help, without being compelled for any specific threat, but rather a general fear. How does this mystery tap into the British Colonial mindset during the fin d’siecle? What might the deadly adder from the jungles of India represent regarding Victorian fears? What happens to Helen’s sister? Note that Dr. Roylott, the girls’ step father, associates himself with gypsies? What is suggested about Victorian society in Holmes’ readiness to accept gypsy involvement in the crime at hand? What is the real reason for the crime? Explain the story’s denouement.

Read “The Final Problem” (133). Note the images associated with Reichenbach Falls near Meiringen at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichenbach_Falls. This mystery most fully develops the “web image” that meanders through the Sherlock Holmes’ stories. How does Doyle use the image here? Moriarty functions as much a doppelganger as a nemesis or villain in the story. Perhaps Holmes’ most formidable antagonist, Moriarty has vowed that he will kill Sherlock Holmes, who has foiled his evil doings one time too many. While Holmes is guarded about involving Watson, who now has family responsibilities, he cannot accomplish this “last” mission without his assistant’s help. As the heroes wend their way to Geneva and then on to the Interlaken area, Holmes is in perhaps the best spirits ever. Why is he so up-beat for this incredibly dangerous mission? What is suggested at the end of the mystery, when both Holmes and his nemesis, in a fatal embrace, fall to their deaths?