Valley of Fear--Chapters 1-4 Reflection
This was my first time reading any work by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and my first exposure to Sherlock Holmes in a book. Of course I've heard of the well-renowned detective and his pipe. I'm sure we've all seen people dress up in a trench coat with a oversized magnifying glass and a pipe on Halloween. And I've heard about how great Sherlock is on Netflix (kudos to Benedict Cumberbatch). But nothing compares to actually reading the novel and seeing the original Holmes do his thing in text. I've also heard about the dynamic duo Watson and Holmes...goals. The following paragraphs show my train of thought (my annotations) while reading chapters 1 through 4.
In Chapter 1, the reader is introduced to Watson and Sherlock Holmes. It is interesting reading from Watson's perspective as he is one of the prominent characters in the book so his view is of importance. I tried to draw connections between Porlock and Sherlock because of the glaring similarities between the two names, but my attempts were futile. Professor Moriarity seems mystical. He holds great power and yet we know little to nothing about him. I had to look up what "nom de plume" meant despite taking four years of French in high school. Reading Watson and Holmes decipher the cipher was engaging because the reader is really able to look into their thought process. The end of chapter one built suspense as the reader learns that Mr. Douglas has been brutally murdered.
In Chapter 2, I got a bit lost in all of the dialogue. It was difficult for me to follow who was speaking. But this is when I really notice just how sagacious and confident Holmes is when he doesn't express shock like his peers. He draws connections from paintings to Professor M. to indicate his wealth. I'm loving how the pictures take up space on the pages so less reading!! But they're also good visuals to go along with the passage.
I noticed a great deal of characterization in Chapter 3. Doyle uses vivid imagery to animate the characters. For example, he writes of Douglas' "strong-jawed, rugged face, a grizzling mustache..." (p. 190). I was especially intrigued when Doyle mentioned the tension between Douglas and his wife and just how close Barker is to Mrs. Douglas (p. 192). Seems a little fishy. In case anyone was wondering, bucolic on p. 194 means relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside.
Chapter 1 and 4 were titled "The Warning" and "Darkness"...how ominous. The dialect ("deefficulty") made the reading all the more compelling. Towards the end of chapter 4 I realized how insanely sharp detectives are. They notice just how much a candle has been burned and use details like such to solve a murder case.
Doyle builds suspense throughout the novel in a number of ways, especially through minute details. For example, he brings attention upon details like a shaving cut upon Douglas' face. The reader is left alone to interpret a possible explanation for such detail because all of these features make up greater aspects of mysteries. Moreover, Doyle's indirect characterization of Holmes portrayed through Watson's narration validates Holmes' incredible skills as a detective to solve mysteries. Holmes' almost interactions with Professor Morarity adds to the element of suspense in the novel as he is only able to give vague details of Morarity that point to a notorious lifestyle. The cliffhangers at the end of each chapter add flavor to the mystery.
In Chapter 1, the reader is introduced to Watson and Sherlock Holmes. It is interesting reading from Watson's perspective as he is one of the prominent characters in the book so his view is of importance. I tried to draw connections between Porlock and Sherlock because of the glaring similarities between the two names, but my attempts were futile. Professor Moriarity seems mystical. He holds great power and yet we know little to nothing about him. I had to look up what "nom de plume" meant despite taking four years of French in high school. Reading Watson and Holmes decipher the cipher was engaging because the reader is really able to look into their thought process. The end of chapter one built suspense as the reader learns that Mr. Douglas has been brutally murdered.
In Chapter 2, I got a bit lost in all of the dialogue. It was difficult for me to follow who was speaking. But this is when I really notice just how sagacious and confident Holmes is when he doesn't express shock like his peers. He draws connections from paintings to Professor M. to indicate his wealth. I'm loving how the pictures take up space on the pages so less reading!! But they're also good visuals to go along with the passage.
I noticed a great deal of characterization in Chapter 3. Doyle uses vivid imagery to animate the characters. For example, he writes of Douglas' "strong-jawed, rugged face, a grizzling mustache..." (p. 190). I was especially intrigued when Doyle mentioned the tension between Douglas and his wife and just how close Barker is to Mrs. Douglas (p. 192). Seems a little fishy. In case anyone was wondering, bucolic on p. 194 means relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside.
Chapter 1 and 4 were titled "The Warning" and "Darkness"...how ominous. The dialect ("deefficulty") made the reading all the more compelling. Towards the end of chapter 4 I realized how insanely sharp detectives are. They notice just how much a candle has been burned and use details like such to solve a murder case.
Doyle builds suspense throughout the novel in a number of ways, especially through minute details. For example, he brings attention upon details like a shaving cut upon Douglas' face. The reader is left alone to interpret a possible explanation for such detail because all of these features make up greater aspects of mysteries. Moreover, Doyle's indirect characterization of Holmes portrayed through Watson's narration validates Holmes' incredible skills as a detective to solve mysteries. Holmes' almost interactions with Professor Morarity adds to the element of suspense in the novel as he is only able to give vague details of Morarity that point to a notorious lifestyle. The cliffhangers at the end of each chapter add flavor to the mystery.
I think your analysis was spot on! I completely agree with everything you said about the usage of imagery in Chapter 3 and the way Doyle builds suspense throughout the novel by going through minute details and the cliffhangers. Also, I never considered the effect that chapter names would have on overall suspense, but I think you're right!
ReplyDeleteViewing Holmes through the eyes of Watson definitely justifies the powerful mystique of the renown detective. Your comment on Barker and Mrs. Douglass' relationship is interesting, I'll admit that I didn't think of it in that way. I agree on chapter 3 being a hot spot for plenty of characterization, as well as delving deeply into the setting of the murder, the Manor House at Birlstone. Moriarity definitely is a mysterious character, and I believe that Doyle will have to bring him back to the focus after chapter 4 in order to give the reader a sense of closure on Moriarity's as of now relatively unknown nature.
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