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Arthur Conan DoyleA 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
“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
The contrast between humans and nature and between civilization and elemental forces is a recurring motif in the book. This is particularly apparent when Watson likens various characters to animals. For example, Helen Stoner “was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation, her face all drawn and grey, with restless frightened eyes, like those of some hunted animal” (147). Holmes is also described as an animal whose lust for the hunt takes over. Such comparisons usually reveal a moment of weakness, as in Helen’s case, or highlight some personality trait, such as the detective’s single-mindedness.
In the Victorian period, men were seen as representative of the ordered, rational world, and women were often relegated to the irrational, instinctual, and emotional sphere. Equating women with nature, in this way, promoted the idea that they needed to be controlled and contained. Additionally, valorizing the human—or male—over the rest of creation helped solidify the racial theory underpinning the British colonial project. People of color were depicted as closer to nature, thus inferior to white Europeans.
Another underlying motif of the stories is the contrast between reality and the imagination, with reality offering a much more diverse and incredible repertoire of strange occurrences than anything made up.
By Arthur Conan Doyle
A Case Of Identity
A Case Of Identity
Arthur Conan Doyle
A Scandal in Bohemia
A Scandal in Bohemia
Arthur Conan Doyle
A Study in Scarlet
A Study in Scarlet
Arthur Conan Doyle
His Last Bow
His Last Bow
Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
Arthur Conan Doyle
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Arthur Conan Doyle
The Lost World
The Lost World
Arthur Conan Doyle
The Sign of the Four
The Sign of the Four
Arthur Conan Doyle
The Valley of Fear
The Valley of Fear
Arthur Conan Doyle