The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle (1892), :: English Literature

The Adventure of the dotted Band by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle (1892), The Ostler by Wilkie Collins (1855), and The Signalman by Charles Dickens (1864). All of these are mystery storiesHow do the writers try to create excitement, mystery and suspense?Which of the stories you have read was the most successful and why?I have chosen to write about triad stories The Adventure of theSpeckled Band by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle (1892), The Ostler byWilkie Collins (1855), and The Signalman by Charles Dickens (1864).All of these are mystery stories that have been written in a similarway, with classic mystery and suspense techniques. These storieswere all written in the nineteenth century, and reflect this periodwith the expend of old language and settings. likewise the use of horses &carriage and the disadvantage of there being no electricity. Manyarchaisms are used in all three of the stories and these reflect theperiod. Nobody would use such language today, which also helps to drawthe reader i nto the story because the reader has to concentrate on thecomplicated language and long sentences.The narrative structure in The Signalman and The Ostler is verysimilar, with both narrators reliving the stories and telling them tothe reader, where as, in the Speckled Band, the reader seems to bebeing told the story as it happens. In the Speckled Band even thoughhe is speaking from a term after the events of the story Dr Watsontells us the story as it happens so you feel included, as though youare there in the story with the characters. This also makes the storyseem more believable factual rather than fictional that it truly happened and that Dr Watson was there. This allows us toshare his thoughts and feelings to further include us in the story.For example I find many tragic, some comic, a large number merelystrange. This shows us Dr Watsons feelings. Sherlock Holmes is oneof the main characters in this story and he is very well known for hissuccess as a detective. He is visited by a young woman (Helen Stoner),who needs his help after the very sudden and unexplained death of hersister, as she is worried for her own safety. This character actuallynarrates the first part of the story (after Watsons introduction),while she tells Sherlock Holmes of the unsolved mystery. Her story istold in first person narrative so the reader relives the time when hersister dies. Pathetic fallacy is again used to create an ideal settingfor a murder.