English 193: Discussion Questions for Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes
From UCSB English Department Knowledge Base
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TA: Melissa Stevenson
Contents |
[edit] Program -- Agatha Christie’s “A Pocketful of Rye”
How does this story fit into the detective genre? How would Todorov and Eco explain the features of this story? What kind of story is this (whodunit, thriller, or suspense)? Why? How are the suspects arranged? How does Miss Marple strike you as a detective? How does she fit the stereotype of the detective? Does Alewyn’s viewpoint apply? What role do the official investigators play in this story? Is this also typical of detective fiction? What role does the audience play in this story? What is significant to the film’s structure?
[edit] Program and Story -- Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Dancing Men”
Does Holmes’ display of his mental ability at the beginning of the story and film remind you of Dupin’s show of cognitive acuity? What is the purpose of presenting this to the reader or audience? What is Holmes’ relationship to the official police force? What conventions of the detective story are used in this story? How are the two versions of this story significantly different dispute their obvious similarities? Does this change the kind of story it is? How does the film create suspense and focus suspects? What happens to the first and second story in the film version? What kind of point of view is given through film? How is this different from Watson’s narrative in the short story? How does the order and depiction of events change from the story to the film? How does this alter your understanding of the story itself and relation to its characters? Does this change your emotional investment in the story? What kind of person is Holmes in the short story? In the film? How does he fit the category of the detective? Does he fit Alewyn’s romantic view? Are you doing a different kind of work in the short story versus in the film?
[edit] “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” by Arthur Conan Doyle (optional)
What mood does Watson’s narration create? Who are the suspects and why? How is mental acuity ranged against physical prowess? Which is postulated as the stronger? How is the motivation of the killer typical to this kind of detective story? How does this show the detective’s values? Is the solution of this mystery a logical one? How are the facts presented? Why might this be Arthur Conan Doyle’s favorite story?
[edit] “Murder Will Out” by T. J. Binyon
A veritable who’s-who of detectives and authors throughout detective fiction. Who is the detective for Binyon? How is he or she recognizable? How is a balance made between the scientific work of some detective characters, and the mental gymnastics of others? What does the shifting of this balance signify for Binyon? Does he agree with Alewyn? What general relationship does a career in law or medicine play in the detective’ life and work? How does the character of the detective evolve over time and space? In Doyle’s stories what does Watson’s narration add to the story? How is Holmes different from Poe’s Dupin? Why does Binyon sketch out the character of Dr. Thorndyke in such depth? How is he significantly different from Holmes? What do these differences represent? What is the schism of the 1920s? What reasons does Binyon postulate for this division? How is the detective different from the private eye? What purpose do the general descriptions of detective characters across time serve? What is the future of detective fiction for Binyon? What does the title of the piece mean?
