52 pages • 1 hour read
Arthur Conan DoyleThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 1892A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Background
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
“A Scandal in Bohemia”
“The Red-Headed League”
“A Case of Identity”
“The Boscombe Valley Mystery”
“The Five Orange Pips”
“The Man with the Twisted Lip”
“The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle”
“The Adventure of the Speckled Band”
“The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb”
“The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor”
“The Adventure of the Beryl Coronet”
“The Adventure of the Copper Beeches”
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaEssay Topics
How is Holmes presented in these stories? Is he a (super)hero?
What is the basis of the strong friendship between Holmes and Watson?
Why might Conan Doyle have chosen to narrate the cases through an observer like Watson rather than Holmes himself?
Why do you think the stories about Holmes became so popular? Why do they continue to be popular at present?
How are women presented in the stories? What gender stereotypes can you identify?
What patterns can you identify among the various victims seeking Holmes’s help?
What do these stories tell us about British society in the late 19th century?
How are detective fiction genre conventions affirmed or subverted by the Holmes stories?
What is Holmes’s idea of justice? Do you agree with his decisions in such cases as “The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle” or “A Case of Identity”?
What kinds of ideas about morality, virtue, and evil are presented in the stories? How do the values expressed or implied in Conan Doyle’s texts differ from contemporary ones?
Related Titles
By Arthur Conan Doyle
