1. a Sherlock Holmes story by Arthur Canon Doyle
Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
Anglistisches Seminar
Proseminar I Literaturwissenschaft
Contemporary British and
American Crime Fiction
WS 2012/2013
Leitung: Alexander Schindler, M.A.
Referentin: Lea Matuschka
Datum: 24.10.12

2. - Was published in Strand Magazine, a very influential
Newspaper at the time, from 1892 – 1927
• born 22 May 1859 at 11
Picardy Place, Edinburgh,
Scotland
• mostly known for his
Detective series
surrounding Sherlock
Holmes
• developed crime fiction
into a series
• as such he is the
developer of the “epic
single-hero short-story
series”

3. - Was published in Strand Magazine, a very influential
Newspaper at the time, from 1892 – 1927
- Was illustrated by Sidney Paget
• born 22 May 1859 at 11
Picardy
Place, Edinburgh, Scotlan
d
• mostly known for his
Detective series
surrounding Sherlock Sherlock Holmes
Holmes By Sidney Paget
• developed crime fiction
into a series
• as such he is the
developer of the “epic
single-hero short-story
series”

4. - Was published in Strand Magazine, a very influential
Newspaper at the time, from 1892 – 1927
- Was illustrated by Sidney Paget
- Doyle stuck to a very similar build-up within all of his
stories – he used a fixed structure.
• born 22 May 1859 at 11
Picardy
Place, Edinburgh, Scotlan
d
• mostly known for his
Detective series
surrounding Sherlock
Holmes
• developed crime fiction
into a series
• as such he is the
developer of the “epic
single-hero short-story
series”

5. - Was published in Strand Magazine, a very influential
Newspaper at the time, from 1892 – 1927
- Was illustrated by Sidney Paget
- Doyle stuck to a very similar build-up within all of his
stories – he used a fixed structure.
- Holmes is a eccentric mastermind of a detective who
uses his transcendent analytical abilities and rational
• born 22 May 1859 at 11 thinking to solve his cases.
Picardy Place, Edinburgh,
Scotland
• mostly known for his
Detective series
surrounding Sherlock
Holmes
• developed crime fiction
into a series
• as such he is the
developer of the “epic
single-hero short-story
series”

6. - Was published in Strand Magazine, a very influential
Newspaper at the time, from 1892 – 1927
- Was illustrated by Sidney Paget
- Doyle stuck to a very similar build-up within all of his
stories – he used a fixed structure.
- Holmes is a eccentric mastermind of a detective who
uses his transcendent analytical abilities and rational
• born 22 May 1859 at 11 thinking to solve his cases.
Picardy
Place, Edinburgh, Scotlan - Doyle himself has referred to „The Speckled Band“ as
d his favorite story.
• mostly known for his
Detective series
surrounding Sherlock
Holmes
• developed crime fiction
into a series
• as such he is the
developer of the “epic
single-hero short-story
series”

7. - Helen Stoner approaches Sherlock
Holmes
- Miss Stoner is in fear of her life as she
is experiencing the same
circumstances as her late twin sister
shortly before her death
- Holmes investigates but is warned off
by her violent stepfather
- Holmes and Watson investigate and
soon find the cause of her sisters
death and eliminate the threat to her.

8. - Homodiegetic Narration
- A homodiegtic narrator is a
character in the narrated world that
s/he describes.
- > The stories are told by Watson in a
first-person narration.

9. - Holmes and the villain of the story,
in this case Roylott, as opposing
forces
 Roylott twists the poker, Holmes
straightens it out
 Holmes is countering and
reversing Roylotts actions
- This is typical for detective stories.

10. - The other paradigm is the notion of
retaliation by repetition (tit-for-tat)
- Roylott is killed by his own snake and
dies a death he had chosen for both
of his step-daughter
 This is very different to
contemporary crime fiction, where
instead of retaliation the criminals
are handed over to the law.

11. Critical Assessment
The Snake:
of this story is very - The so calles Swamp Adder does not
interesting because exist
the Holmes stories
are in general built - No animal could survive in an
on a very deep airtight safe
foundation of
- Snakes can only climb up solid
knowledge and the
scientific facts are surfaces, climbing a rope would be
usually correct. It is virtually impossible
astounding that in
- Snakes don’t have ears – calling the
his self-proclaimed
favorite story Doyle snake back through a low whistle is
would have such a not possible
lapse in information.

12. - Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Speckled Band.
Manchester, England: World International, 1986. Print
- Hodgson, John A. (Hg.) Sherlock Holmes: The Major
Stories with Contemporary Critical Essays. Boston et
al.: Bedford of St. Martin’s Press 1994
- Sklovskij, Viktor. “Die Kriminalerzählung bei Arthur
Conan Doyle” Der Kriminalroman: Poetik: Theorie:
Geschichte. By Jochen Vogt. München: W. Fink, 1998.
143-153. Print
- Strasen, Sven und Wenzel, Peter. “Die
Detektivgeschichte im 19. und frühen 20.
Jahrhundert”. In: Arno Löffler und Arberhard Späth
(Hgg.). Geschichte der englischen Kurzgeschichte.
Tübingen et al.: Francke 2005, 84-105