Comparing A Case of Identity and The Stolen Cigar Case
There are two forms of detective story: there is the 'who dunnit' idea
in which gentlemen detectives are called upon in all sorts of
impossible situations, but always manage to solve the crime. In this
type, the reader has a good idea of who committed the 'crime';
however, the characters in the story don't. The other type of story is
a mystery, in which neither reader nor investigators know who is
responsible for the crime; together with the characters, the reader
too is invited to figure out the sequence of events.
In the Sherlock Holmes stories the focus is on the character of the
detective himself (Sherlock Holmes) and follows the story of him
solving a mystery. Sherlock Holmes (S.H) was a legendary figure as he
was the very first fictional detective; his stories were written in
the Victorian times by the writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The S.H stories have many common features. For example S.H is seen to
be very well organised and by the end, his efforts have concluded in
solving the mystery/crime. This has made it easier for Bret Harte to
parody Conan Doyle's style; he uses many similar features like the
same old fashioned language and also in having Sherlock Holmes or
Hemlock Jones (as he is called in the parody), portrayed as a very
precise, eccentric detective.
In the original story, we are told of how Miss Mary Sunderland goes to
S.H to find Mr Hosmer Angel-her missing bridegroom-who disappeared on
the day of their wedding. S.H manages to find this man, so uncovering
the fact that it is her step-father in disguise!
In the parody; 'The Stolen Cigar Case', Hemloc...
... middle of paper ...
...ered your honour for it-that stolen cigar
case was the purchaser of the sealskin coat". This left Watson
stunned. However by the time H.J has finished his long speech about
how Watson must have taken it, Watson was left doubting his own
sanity, Even though he knew deep down he hadn't stolen the cigar case.
When Hemlock realised that it had been in his draw all along he was
"vexed" and in shock as he said slowly "I have been mistaken", despite
this he still didn't apologise to Watson for accusing him.
I think Bret Harte did an effective parody of the Sherlock Holmes
stories as they are already over the top to start with, so it must
have been difficult to compete with that. I think he achieved a comic
affect within his version of the story and was good at enlarging the
ridiculousness of it for the humour of the reader.
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.
This case involved an unknown suspect stealing the victim’s vehicle while it was parked in an unsecured parking lot in violation of PC 487(d)-Grand Theft Auto.
Would there be a difference in two fictional detectives in England, one living in the 12th century and the other in the 20th? Of course, not only because of different literary styles employed by authors but also in character development. G.K. Chesterton, famed English theologian, writes about the adventures of a Catholic Father with the name Brown, the latter of these two detectives. Brother Cadfael, a Welsh, living in medieval England came out of the imagination of an author with the pseudonym of Ellis Peters. Besides being set in two different periods, the detectives differed in their view of man, their sleuthing skills, and motivation for solving the crimes.
the play is that it is a typical detective story. This is due to the
Vane Dine, S. S. “Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories.” The Art of the Mystery Story:
A common feature of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories is mistaken identity. Holmes frequently assumes a different identity to achieve his goals as a detective while investigating his various mysteries. Holmes has the ability to transform and renegotiate his identity to serve a particular purpose. In “A Scandal in Bohemia”, Irene Adler, as an actress, is capable of this shape shifting as well. In this story, Holmes is hired to recover some criminating letter and photos of Irene Adler and the King of Bohemia, who is fearful that his fiancé will learn of his impropriety. During his investigation Holmes follows Alder disguised as a drunken man, and later disguises himself as a clergyman. Holmes’ identity is often manipulated by him, but his position as they skilled detective is never lost. Unknown to Holmes, Alder also disguised herself as a young man. At the conclusion, Adler leaves behind a letter addressed to Holmes explaining how she has bested Holmes. In her letter, she...
A detective story is a genre of fiction in which a person attempts to solve a crime. The detective may be a professional or an amateur, and generally has nothing to gain from solving the crime. However in Sophocles’ “Oedipus the King”, the main character Oedipus is not only determined to solve a crime, but he is also in pursuit to find his own identity. This is similar to Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Scandal in Bohemia” where Sherlock Holmes has been hired to work as a detective in return for monetary compensation. Both situations enable Oedipus and Sherlock to gain from unraveling the mysteries that sweep their towns hence making these stories different from most detective stories.
The acclaimed authors, Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle, formulate the characters of Auguste Dupin and Sherlock Holmes respectively, to be similar in the way that they analyze, deduce, and connect segments of desperate and often-thought “unsolvable” detective cases. Through their comparable techniques and system of deduction, Dupin and Holmes never fail to trace back their evidence to the scene of the crime. However, due to the vast difference in the writing styles of Poe and Doyle, the audience observes the main characters not as clones, but rather an analogous pair that think alike, but do not act alike. The personalities of Auguste Dupin and Sherlock Holmes, although present are recognizable differences in their actions, continue to
I’ve decided to write my research paper on the issue of identity theft. Identity theft has occurred all throughout history in various ways and forms. Today, it is one of the fastest growing crimes occurring all over the world. Data suggests that identity theft accounts for roughly $50 billion stolen each year from citizens and businesses in the U.S. I believe that more attention should be targeted towards identity theft because of the detrimental effects it can have on a single victim and on our nation’s economy. Topics I will discuss include statistics about the crime, laws that protect the victims of the crimes, and what we are doing to prevent future attacks from happening.
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.
The story ‘Scandal in Bohemia’ starts of very odd, “To Sherlock Holmes, she is always the woman’. This has already given the reader a hint of suspense as it is something unusual. It was always thought that Holmes had no feelings and no emotions for anyone, but according to this opening the above phrase is incorrect. Conan Doyle has already captured the reader’s attention in a different kind of way, whereas in his other stories such as ‘Red Headed League’ He has the reader interested in a different style. ‘And found him in deep conversation with a very stout, florid-faced, elderly gentleman with fiery red hair.’ This is one part from the opening, notice how it differs from Scandal in Bohemia, yet you still want to know what happens next-why Holmes was in such ‘deep conversation’ and why Doyle has described the elderly gentlemen in a very descriptive way.
The detective story is a tale that features a mystery and/or the commission of a crime, emphasizing the search for a solution. It distinguishes itself from other forms of fiction by the fact that it is a puzzle. The detective story did not just spring into being in its current form, but rather, evolved over time. The first true detective stories were written by Edgar Allan Poe. Many writers and critics have plainly stated that he is the inventor of detective fiction. Poe introduces one of the most basic elements of the detective story, which is the presentation of clues for his readers. This idea becomes very important in all subsequent works of detective fiction. That is, in all such fiction, all of the clues are available for the reader and the detective to solve the crime (usually murder), and at the end of the story, the reader should be able to look back on the clues and realize that he could have solved the mystery. A detective story in which the solution is suddenly revealed to the reader in considered bad form.
Likewise, changes have been made on the level of the character in pursuance of the strong bond between Holmes and Watson. For instance, due to plot change some character have been removed, but John H. Watson and Sherlock Holmes the heart of the whole story indeed are kept. For instance, Sherlock Holmes is portrayed as Watson describes him in the “he was as sensitive to flattery on the score of his art as any girl could be of her beauty” (Doyle 38). Also, Holmes calls himself a “consulting detective” just like the title he gave himself in the novel. Indeed, Holmes as one of the main characters of the story needs to show similar characteristics of the original Holmes, or else the show would have lost its meaning. Although Holmes’ deductive skills are shown pretty clearly in the show, his expertise in cigars are not mentioned as in the book the detective says he “‘can distinguish at a glance the ash of any known brand either of cigar or tobacco’” (Doyle 37). Yet the writers of the show, might reveal Holmes’ expertise later on in the show since they have the 60 different
Sherlock Holmes, one of the most famous fictional characters in literary history is a detective capable of solving the most complex mysteries. The author behind the character, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a very successful British writer. The majority of his literary success is due to his crime-fiction tales such as the Sherlock Holmes series. However, Mr. Doyle and Mr. Holmes himself must not take all the credit because there is another character that plays a major role in the stories success. He goes by the name of Dr. Watson, Holmes’ sidekick. The importance of Dr. Watson is evident in many of Doyle’s stories such as A Scandal in Bohemia and A Study in Scarlett.
Identity theft is a crime where an imposter gets his or her hands on personal information in order to impersonate someone else. Findings show that an estimated 11.3 million people are victims of identity theft (Taylor, C. 2014). Once the impersonator gets their hands on this information, it can be used to obtain credit, merchandise or any other objects in the name of that individual. An imposter could provide false information to police, leaving behind a criminal record or outstanding arrest warrants for the person whose identity has been stolen. Identity theft can be categorized in two ways: true name and account takeover. True name identity theft means the thief will use the personal information they stole to open new accounts. The thief could open a new credit card account, establish cellular phone service, or open a new checking account in order to get blank checks. Account takeover identity theft means the thief uses personal information to gain access to the person's existing accounts. That individual ends up changing the mailing address on an account and they can run up a huge bill before the person whose identity has been stolen realizes there is a problem. With technology expansion, the Internet has definitely made it easier for an identity thief to use the information they've stolen because transactions can be made without having any personal interaction (Mathews, R. 2013).