Unit-3

Detective Fiction: - Arthur Conan

Doyle: A Study in Scarlet
Contents
• 1- An Overview of detective fiction:

• 2- History of detective fiction:

• 3- Golden Age of detective fiction:

• 4-The Novel "A Study in Scarlet" a historical aspect:

• 5- A Concise Overview of the Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• 6- A Study in Scarlet Summary:

• 7- A Study in Scarlet Character Analysis

• 8-A Study in Scarlet Themes

• 9- Chapter Analysis and discussion:

10: Summary
 1- An Overview of detective fiction:

• In detective fiction, an investigator or a detective, who may be professional,

amateur, or retired, investigates a crime, most often murder. This type of crime
fiction and mystery literature is referred to as "detective fiction."

• The detective story is a subgenre of literature that originated around the same time
as speculative fiction and other types of genre fiction in the middle of the
nineteenth century.

• It has maintained a significant amount of popularity, especially in novels. C.

Auguste Dupin, Sherlock Holmes, and Hercule Poirot are among the most well-
known fictional detectives and heroes in the canon of detective fiction.

• Stories for younger readers such as those involving Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys,
and The Boxcar Children have also stayed in print for a good number of years.
Cont..

• Elements of detective fiction:

• The traditional components of a detective story are as follows:

• (1) the seemingly perfect crime;

• (2) the wrongly accused suspect at whom circumstantial evidence points;

• (3) the bungling of dimwitted police;

• (4) the greater powers of observation and superior mind of the detective; and

• (5) the startling and unexpected denouement, in which the detective reveals how
the identity of the perpetrator was ascertained.
Cont..

• Features of detective fiction:

1. Detective tales usually work on the idea that evidence that seems to be persuasive
just on the surface level is ultimately unimportant.
2. In most cases, it is also axiomatic that the clues from which a logical solution to the
problem can be reached should be fairly presented to the reader at exactly the same
time that the sleuth receives them, and that the sleuth should deduce the solution to
the puzzle from a logical interpretation of these clues.
3. In addition, it is usually axiomatic that the reader should receive the clues at
exactly the same time that the sleuth receives them.
2- History of detective fiction:

• Some academics, such as R. H. Pfeiffer, have proposed that some ancient and
religious literature have parallels to what would later be dubbed detective fiction.
These similarities have prompted them to draw this conclusion.
• The statement given by two witnesses in the tale of Susanna and the Elders in the
Old Testament fell apart when Daniel cross-examined them. This story is located in
the apocrypha of the Bible according to the Protestant interpretation.
• As a rebuttal to this, author Julian Symons has stated that "those who hunt for bits
of detection in the Bible and Herodotus are searching simply for riddles," and that
these puzzles are not detective tales.
• Symons made this point in his article. Oedipus investigates the unsolved murder of
King Laius in the play Oedipus Rex, which was written by the ancient Greek
playwright Sophocles.
• After interrogating a number of witnesses, Oedipus comes to the realisation that he
is the one responsible for the crime.
3- Golden Age of detective fiction:

• It is generally agreed upon that the decades that followed World War I and before World War II
(the 1920s and 1930s) constitute what is known as the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.  

• During this time period, a number of well-known authors came into their own, the majority of
whom were British, but there was also a noteworthy contingent of American and New Zealand
authors.

• Women authors made up a significant percentage of the literary community throughout the
Golden Age. A number of very well-known female authors worked during this era, including
Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Josephine Tey, Margery Allingham, and Ngaio Marsh.  
They were all British with the exception of Ngaio Marsh, who was from New Zealand.
• During the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, many of the genre's various conventions were
standardised, and in 1929, English Catholic priest
4-The Novel "A Study in Scarlet" a historical aspect:

• The events of the story take place in the late 19th century, at the height of British
imperialism, when American pioneers were inspired to continue the country's
westward expansion by the ideology of manifest destiny and the California gold
rush.
• During this time period, Britain was at its most powerful. In addition, the British
Empire had never been stronger than it was at this time. When the story begins,
John Watson has just gotten back to England after serving as a soldier in the
Second Afghan War. He was stationed in Afghanistan for a while.
• This war began in 1878, when the British invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to halt
Russian progress into India. Their goal was to prevent Afghan territory from
becoming part of India.
 5- A Concise Overview of the Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

• Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859 to Irish Catholic parents
named Charles Doyle and Mary Foley.
• His paternal grandfather was also an Irish Catholic. In spite of the fact that he is
most remembered for being the man who created Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle
was also a physician, amateur athlete, avid traveller, and spiritualist missionary.
• Doyle, who was a prolific writer, created the first Sherlock Holmes tale in the year
1886. After Doyle's Holmes tales were paid badly by the publisher Ward Lock,
Doyle started publishing them in the Strand Magazine, which had just been
established at the time.
• Doyle considered his tales about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to be "poor art,"
despite the widespread recognition and popularity they received from the general
audience.
6- A Study in Scarlet Summary

• A Study in Scarlet opens with Dr. John Watson, the narrator, staying in London to
recuperate from a wound and sickness he acquired while operating as a military
doctor during the Second Afghan War.

• One day he stumbles into an acquaintance, Stamford, while in a pub. Watson

confides in his pal that he needs a new housing arrangement, since his prior one
was too pricey. Stamford says that another friend of his has similarly voiced this
wish, and leads Watson to the university laboratory where his buddy –Sherlock
Holmes –is working on an experiment.
Cont..
• Stamford adds some background information about Holmes,
such as the fact that his real occupation is unclear, that he is
odd and bright, and that his knowledge is specialised yet wide.

• After examining their particular eccentricities, Holmes and

Watson decide to live together. Watson studies the mysterious
Holmes and records his unusual behaviour and hobbies. The
living arrangement finds itself acceptable for both guys.
7- A Study in Scarlet Character Analysis

• The great detective Sherlock Holmes

• Dr. Watson
• Stamford
• John Ferrier
• Lucy Ferrier
• Enoch Drebber
• Joseph Stangerson
• Lestrade
• Gregson
• Jefferson Hope
• Rance, John
• Madame Charpentier
8-A Study in Scarlet Themes

• Logic based on induction and deduction

• The inefficiency of the law enforcement personnel
• The risks posed by institutionalised forms of religion
• Revenge
• Modernism
• The study of forensics
• Friendship
9- Chapter Analysis and discussion

• The first chapter of the book consists of Watson providing a first-person narrative
on the recent events that have occurred in his life. He says that he attended the
University of London and got his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1878, but that he
was immediately assigned to wartime duty as an Assistant Surgeon and transferred
to Bombay after graduation.
• In second chapter, Watson relates in his narrative that he and Holmes were content
with their new living quarters and the chambers that they had moved into. Due to
the fact that he kept regular hours and was often absent, Holmes was not a
challenging roommate.
• In chapter-3, Watson relates in his narrative that he and Holmes were content with
their new living quarters and the chambers that they had moved into. Due to the
fact that he kept regular hours and was often absent, Holmes was not a challenging
roommate.
Cont..
• In chapter-4, Around one in the afternoon, Watson and Holmes left Lauriston
Gardens. After Holmes sent a telegram into the mail, the two men drove to the
residence of John Rance
• In chapter-5, Watson, whose head was in a state of disarray following the events of
the morning, decided to lay down and take a sleep as soon as he and Holmes
returned to the home.
• In chapter-6, The next morning, Watson related how several of the local
newspapers had published their own hypotheses on the "Brixton Mystery," as they
referred to it. Many people were of the opinion that the crime had a political
motivation, and that it may have had its origins in the Liberal Administration or the
Socialists.
• In Chapter-7, The aneurism that was growing in Jefferson Hope's brain ruptured
that evening, and he was discovered dead in his cell with a calm look on his face.
10-Summary

 In detective fiction, an investigator or a detective, who may be professional,

amateur, or retired, investigates a crime, most often murder. This type of crime
fiction and mystery literature is referred to as "detective fiction."
 Some academics, such as R. H. Pfeiffer, have proposed that some ancient and
religious literature have parallels to what would later be dubbed detective fiction.
These similarities have prompted them to draw this conclusion.
 It is generally agreed upon that the decades that followed World War I and before
World War II (the 1920s and 1930s) constitute what is known as the Golden Age of
Detective Fiction.
Cont..
 The events of the story take place in the late 19th century, at the height of British imperialism, when
American pioneers were inspired to continue the country's westward expansion by the ideology of
manifest destiny.
 Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859 to Irish Catholic parents named Charles Doyle
and Mary Foley. His paternal grandfather was also an Irish Catholic. In spite of the fact that he is
most remembered for being the man who created Sherlock Holmes, Conan Doyle was also a
physician, amateur athlete, avid traveller, and spiritualist missionary.
 A Study in Scarlet opens with Dr. John Watson, the narrator, staying in London to recuperate from a
wound and sickness he acquired while operating as a military doctor during the Second Afghan War.
 The capacity to dissect seemingly inconsequential bits of evidence and derive meaningful
conclusions from them is what allows Holmes to be so effective at solving crimes.
Thank You