The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Literary Elements

Detective story, mystery

London in the late 19th century

The twelve detective stories are recounted in the first person by Dr. Watson. He relates his experiences and Sherlock’s detections. There are also many conversations in the form of dialogues between the characters.

The investigations of different murders provide readers with a sense of mystery. The tone and mood of Watson’s narrations is suspenseful. We know less about Sherlock’s investigations and that’s why it attracts the reader.

The main protagonist is Sherlock Holmes. However, each detective story has its own antagonist. For example, in “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” the main antagonist is Dr. Grimesby Roylott.

The major conflict is based on the clash of justice and lawlessness. In the end, justice proves victorious.

In the narration “The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor,” the climax occurs when Miss Hatty Doran discovers that her husband Frank is alive. That’s why she escapes from the wedding.

In the narration “The Five Orange Pips,” characters receive a letter with five orange pips. These pips foreshadow the deaths of these characters. For example, when Sherlock’s client John Openshaw gets this letter, he dies.

In all the stories, the way Sherlock solves the crimes is not vividly described. The author only gives hints, not direct statements. Thus, the truth is suppressed until the very end. This method keeps the narrative intense and the reader attentive.

The story mentions many outstanding figures: French authors Gustave Flaubert and George Sand Horace, British novelist George Meredith, Roman poet Horace, violinist Pablo de Sarasate, and murderers William Palmer and Edward William Pritchard.

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In “A Scandal in Bohemia” the action of the story takes place in March 1888 with Watson’s mentions of his recent marriage. However, Watson married Mary Morstan, the heroine of the story "The Sign of the Four," whom he met only in September 1888. In “The Red-Headed League,” when Dr. Watson starts to listen to the story of Mr. Wilson, Holmes asks him to write the release date of the newspaper. Watson calls the date "27 April 1890. Exactly two months ago." Later we see from the story of Wilson that the current date (the date of the dissolution of "The Adventure of the Red-headed League") is October 9, 1890.

Irene Adler is scheming against Holmes at the same time as he is scheming against her.

“His sharp eye is able to notice every little thing, to put them together and draw an image.” The sharp eye in the example refers to Sherlock himself.

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