Essay Questions

Do you think Arthur Conan Doyle might be suffering from writer’s block while writing this book? Why or why not?

The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes seems to have repetitive themes like those of earlier stories. The Adventure of The Lion’s Mane and The Adventure of The Speckled Band are similar in more than one aspect. So is The Adventure of Three Garridebs, that is similar to The Adventure of The Red-Headed League. The Adventure of The Mazarin Stone, which was written in the third person as it was to be developed in a play, has the least amount of observation and deduction skills Holmes is popular for. The play seem to focus more on Count Negretto than Holmes and describes him as a most cunning villain in spite of him carrying the stolen diamond around in his pocket (which is not a very intelligent move). The Adventure of The Veiled Lodger is more of a confession than an investigation. It is entirely possible that Doyle had begun to run out of ideas. He had already tried to ‘kill’ Holmes and had to ‘revive’ him after considerable public demand. It is plausible that either Doyle was having a writer’s block or he had begun to lose interest in the character or maybe was trying his hands at different forms of narratives.

Can Sherlock Holmes stories be classified as science fiction?

Sherlock Holmes stories are mystery and suspense based, but they do incorporate elements of latest scientific developments in the cases. Holmes uses fingerprints to speculate a criminal, a technique not in use during that time, in A Case in Argentina. He also observes microscopic elements as minute traces of metal to guess one’s profession as in The Adventure of The Shoscombe Place. He notices the irregularities in the print of a type-writer in A Case of Identity and uses it mark the perpetuator. Holmes’ education in science gives him an edge over other people. Most of his investigations work around logic. He likes to build theories on the data he collects, unlike the police who make theories and then try to fit data in them.

Discuss the role of women in Holmes’s universe.

Women are described as motherly and helpless creatures, as Mrs. Emsworth or Mrs. Maberley, to cunning and deceiving creatures as Kitty Winter or Isadora Klein. Holmes mentions more than once that he believes women to be more secretive and cunning than men. He has a great respect for his former adversary, Irene Adler. The women in Holmes’ universe are not stereotyped as women have been in most fiction books of the nineteenth century. They come from all sections of society and treated as intelligent creatures. They are capable of anything, including murder, threatening, plotting, and protecting their loved ones and Holmes does not prejudice them on the basis of their gender. Their characters are not one-dimensional, they are revengeful and considerate at the same time.

Discuss Holmes as a character.

Holmes is a private detective who uses his powers of observation to make deductions. He comes across as a man of ever-increasing curiosity. He has over-developed senses and mind and needs constant flow and variety of cases to satisfy his needs. He is also a drug-addict and uses opium and heroin frequently. He is also irritable when bored and lazes around when not playing the violin. He likes to observe people and surprise them with his abilities, with his power to know about their life more than they can think. He is also arrogant and likes to chide policemen, most frequently Lestrade, and Watson for their lack of observation skills. He has a set of high morals, but doesn’t shies away from committing crime for the sake of good. He's not a one-dimensional hero with the motive to rescue the damsel-in-distress and fight the bad men, but get the facts out in open and make sure that justice is met.

Discuss the relationship between Holmes and Watson in their later years.

Watson and Holmes seem to have fallen apart in their later years. Watson has married and shifted to live somewhere else. Holmes continue his practice alone for a while before retiring to the country. He mentions in The Adventure of the Lion’s Mane that Watson occasionally visited him. Holmes seem to have disapprove of Watson’s marriage and Watson begins to have doubts over their friendship that why a sharp man like Holmes would even need Watson whom he proclaims inobservant and simple. There seems to be a love-hate relationship between them. They care for each other but are annoyed over the other one’s habits.