The Modern View of Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes Stories

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The Modern View of Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes Stories

How successful is Conan Doyle in writing detective fiction that

appeals to a modern reader?

Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes stories were written in the Victorian

times and were based on some events in his life. Sherlock Holmes was

based around a friend Dr Joseph bell, who would deduce injuries just

by looking at them.

People enjoy Crime fiction because in detective stories , like

crosswords, you have to figure out the clues to the problem, also it

makes the reader feel they are working alongside the detective. The

stories build up tension and suspense to make people feel on the edge

of they’re seats. Conan Doyle use’s many different techniques to write

good stories for example he uses personification, to describe

settings, imaginative characters etc… Doyle makes his characters

resemble animals, this is so the reader can immediately identify the

hero, villain and victim.

One of the factors that enables readers to appreciate Sherlock Holmes

stories is Watson, His role as narrator is important because he asks

the questions that the reader wants to know. For example in the red-

headed league Watson asks,

“But how could you guess what the motive was?”

This shows us that even Watson cant get to the solution, like the

reader, but somehow Holmes can, he asks what the reader is thinking,

this gives Holmes the chance to show off his intelligence when he

explains how he knew what had happened and what was going to happen.

Watson is admired by Holmes

“This gentleman( Watson) has been my partner and helper in many of my

most successful cases.”

This shows Homes respects Watson and thinks of Watson as a massive

help to him in all his cases, and needs Watson to help in solving the

mystery, this is proved when Holmes says “some of my most successful

cases.”

The structure of Conan Doyle’s stories also adds tension, suspense and

excitement. All stories follow a outline. They have a situation a

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