Outline from Khayla, Margaret, and Nicole

· Leigh Hunt

-(who was this person?.....) author’s biography

-what did he write? (themes)

-why was he famous (why was he picked for Harper’s?)

· Events occurring in 1850s

-America’s relation to the world (international relations)

-“A Paris Newspaper”

-“Ignorance of the English”

-education

-tensions leading up towards the Civil War

· The atmosphere, did it affect the tone and writing of the authors

-“Peace”

-“The Uses of Sorrow”

· Family

· The Miner’s Daughters

· Death of an Infant

-role of women in the family in 1850s

-typical family

· Traveling

· Scenery of the Erie Railroad

-feeling of movement (railroads, canals, steamboats, etc…)

outline

I. History/ world affairs
A. Global Expansion
1. Cuba
2. Vasco de Nunez
B. Imperialism
C. Confederate Army
1. George Washington’s grave?
II. Entertainment (possibly no major world affairs, maybe that’s why the main focus of this issue was entertainment??)
A. Mysteries
B. Jokes
C. Romances
D. Poetry
E. Fashion (was the fashion discussed practical or couture, who was the intended audience, upper class, lower class, etc. )
III. Language
A. Formal vs. Informal
Today, language in magazines is very informal, while language in Harper’s was more formal and seemingly more educated.
IV. Literature
A. Book reviews

June 1855 - Critical Introduction Outline

Travel

- American/Chinese Relations & Other International Relations

- California --- gold

- Brazil

"Average" American Family in 1855

- Women's role in society at the time

- Values presented by the articles (literary stories)

- Women's Fashion

Trends in US (Health)

- Cigarettes --- "necessary"

- Restrictions on Alcohol (States implementing restrictions)

Society

- Intended audience for these magazines

- Social Class Relations --- Separation between the classes

Critical Introduction- Jackie, Taylor, Kenan

Critical Introduction Outline

1. Harper’s Weekly (print media) vs. Fall of Print media today (Main Introduction)
   The appetite for news
2. Research/Findings compared to today’s scientific research (Taylor)
   o Astronomy
   o Scientific Discoveries
   o Weather
   o Corals
3. American Culture vs. the World (Kenan)
   o Rapid Growth of America
   o Young Russia
   o American Vanity (how the world views america)
4. Popular Culture (Jackie)
   o Fashion for July in 1850’s
   o Multiple fashion articles from July issues of different years
   o Entertainment

Critical Intro Outline- Sterling, Sarah, Zach, Kelsey

I. Author’s Biographies/Information about magazine and readership
a. Audiences at this time
b. Interest in topic of war
c. Any other seen more than once? Or popular authors?
II. Historical context
a. Public Opinion
b. Civil War
III. Escapist Articles (not alluding to the war)
a. Fiction
b. Fashion
c. Love Stories
IV. Articles not directly related to war but alluding to it
a. Pen vs. Sword
b. Previous wars

Thoughts on Harper's

In the 1850 edition of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, there were many different types of articles. Many of the articles I read were centered on the Industrial Age and the politics of that era. There were many female authors who wrote of the faults of men in society. This surprised me because, in that time, women were not seen as equals on a day to day basis, not to mention intellectually. A few of the articles, including an article about globe making in England, seemed quite drab and not as attention grabbing as I would have preferred. Most of the articles I read were about family, love, and politics – which are important aspects of our lives today.

The writing style in most of the short stories and essays seemed drawn out. Save for one story, none of my nine articles had a climactic plot or storyline. Ironically, most magazines in present day do not have articles with heavy storylines or plots. This crossover in writing and editing styles intrigued me. Because the 19th and 21st centuries have very few things in common, to see the similarities in the content and style of writing, then and now, was very interesting and eye-opening.

Harpers Weekly- July 1850

My portion of the Harper's Weekly magazine was very intriguing and there were various types of articles in the July 1850 edition. Most of my articles seemed to serve as forms of entertainment, rather than for scholarly use. There was a poem called the Orphan’s Journey home that was touching and inspirational. The majority of the articles were written from a person’s or the author’s own personal experiences. The article entitled Greenwich Weather Wisdom was a very informational piece that discussed the qualms of the dreary weather in England, but also went into great detail about the instruments that had been developed to study weather patterns and measure amounts of electricity in the air. There was interestingly an article about fashion, which was much different from the types of fashion magazines we read in today’s society. The article, “Fashions for July”, gave three examples of proper attire for the summer months and explicitly detailed each clothing item and accessory. From my readings, I felt the works selected were more entertaining and thought provoking rather than informational. They all had very different writing styles and addressed different audiences which I found very fascinating.

Harper Magazine: A breadth of Diverse Ideas

There are diverse genres throughout the Harper magazine such as essays, poems, narratives, and fiction stories. As I read the articles, I noticed that the topics were worldly. Often times, the writers do not limit their writing to topics pertaining to America. There are pieces of writing that compares events in America to other parts of the world as well. For instance, the first article that I read “A Paris Newspaper,” is about the inner workings and process of the creation of a French newspaper. In the article, the writer describes the office setting of the Parisian newspaper and compare with other newspaper offices in England and America. In the subsequent paragraphs, the author explains how the styles for publications and newspaper reflect the cultural differences between the countries.
The overall theme for the section of the Harper issue that I read seems to focus more on literature and entertainment rather than science. There are about four poems which range in themes from death and sorrow to peace and happiness. One particular poem that I enjoyed is “An Ode to the Sun,” by Leigh Hunt. The tone of the poem is very bright and optimistic as the writer honors the sun and show gratitude for all that the sun provides. I thought the poem was lighthearted and lyrical. Overall, the articles from Harper magazine give interesting viewpoints of what was being said during the nineteenth century.

While reading the selected articles from this magazine, no specific themes jumped out at me. Also, the combination of both formal, essay writing as well as the incorporation of picture and images diversified the way in which the information was presented. My articles ranged from topics dealing with possible American expansion into Cuba to the fashion trends at the time to five pages of run on jokes. Each article was thought provoking but some were more captivating than others, and therefore stuck out to me more.

It is hard for me to say that this magazine is not interesting because it is completely out of social context for my life today. Relating to the issues and ideas put forth in the various articles is different because so many of them are alien or inapplicable to modern day life. When comparing this magazine to a modern day one, there seems to be an overall lack of organization by subject matter, something that makes it much easier for the reader to pick and chose where they want to center their focus within the magazine itself.

random articles.

There were no apparent themes in the articles that I read, they all seemed to be random stories and poems put together. There was an article about single life in America, a mystery, a romance tale, and two poems; one about death and ill fortune and one about St. Valentine’s Day. Although the articles I read were random, I did notice, after talking to my peers, that there was also a poem about St. Patrick. The issue from the month of March, so perhaps St. Patrick and St. Valentine correlate, St. Valentine’s Day being the month before. But that is just a comment to try and find some sort of theme.
I really enjoyed the romance tale, about a girl named Regina who falls in love with a minister. Her rival cousin, who is prettier, in Regina’s words, convinces Regina the minister loves her instead, which makes the ending of the story that much more enjoyable when the minster proclaims his love for Regina. The article about single life in America, however, bored me to tears. The language was super hard to understand, and I struggled with it greatly. Especially since the article called out ugly people who were unmarried during most of the article, and then tried to make it better by saying that a certain number of unmarried people were an asset to the community.
I probably would not have liked Harper’s just because it is so random and seemingly thrown together.

Harper's articles

“Harper’s Magazine” seems to be a general interest magazine which appeals to a wide variety of readers. The only theme that struck me was that every piece in the magazine was well written. This seems to be a valuable magazine for the individual who holds puts no boundaries on his/her knowledge. In a world that becomes more diverse every day this magazine seems to keep pace by staying just as broad as the audience it publishes for.
One particularly interesting poem I read was entitled “Wanted-St. Patrick”. This poem told the story of how St. Patrick drove out all the unwanted snakes in Ireland. The poem then goes on to ask where all the St. Patrick’s have gone. The poem was referring to individuals who protect the land and who watch for the “snakes” that terrorize communities, such as criminals. The poem used St. Patrick as a lovely metaphor for citizenship and I thought it was very clever. I would subscribe to this magazine based upon its variability in article selection. This feature of the magaizine seperates it from more traditional magazines which usually concentrate their writing efforts on one subject matter.

Harper's New Monthly Magazine

Based on a few of Harper's New Monthly Magazine articles, I must say that the magazine is quite different from the ones offered today. As opposed to magazines today such as Seventeen or Psychology Today, Harper's New Monthly Magazine does not stick to a single theme. This nineteenth century journal has all sorts of articles, poems, illustrations, essays, tales, and short stories. By making this magazine contain such a broad compilation of items, it is safe to say that anyone who can read, or perhaps even those who cannot, can enjoy this editorial.
One of the pieces that stuck out to me the most was "Jot to the Bride.". Throughout the poem, the speaker is scornful and expresses disdain, thus giving the poem a contemptuous and cynical tone. The speaker mentions that Mr. Simon Gray is wealthy and suggests that Lillian is with him for his wealth rather than true love. The speaker also scorns those who attended the wedding and claims that the whole ordeal is an “enameled falsehood.” The speaker talks of the sad consequences that await Lillian for her decision. The speaker seems to be mainly concerned with the wounds to the heart, the loneliness, and the emptiness awaiting her newly wedded cousin. The poem offers the frequently found moral of material things not being able to provide an individual with true happiness.

Harper's Impressions

The vast majority of my readings were in the editor's section of the magazine. This section was very open and varied and included just about everything a person could be looking for in a magazine: News, entertainment, opinions, advice, reviews on new books, new fashions, and even a couple eulogies. The sections based more on domestic news and opinion were very concentrated on the developing war. The Editor's Table section spanned five full pages talking about the age old comparison between the sword and the pen and how they both tied in to the war.
Sections like the editor's drawer and even the story, Adventures of Philip, were mainly for entertainment, but I realized throughout the majority of my readings that the civil war is the main topic of discussion. Not only were the editors discussing the war but were promoting it. The editors saw the war as a chance for the nation to rebuild and unite itself morally and patriotically. In a way, these editorials were propaganda for the war but appealed to people in a more logical and intelligable way.

Most of what I read in the September 1861 edition of Harper's New Monthly magazine was fiction or aimed at entertainment. "Pets" was an essay written sharing anecdotes about the various animals that a woman had come across in her life. It was entertaining as well as humorous however it's light, almost playful subject matter contrasted with some of the more serious works that followed. One of these was a short story by Dickens about a young British man being conned into working aboard a ship. He was betrayed, drugged, and then finally enslaved. Although this story was a bit darker the the motivation for the writing was the same, to entertain. Additionally, there was a biography of a man named Richard Porson. Porson was a famed and noted Greek scholar of his time. This piece of writing was styled to be both educational and entertaining.

All of the aforementioned pieces were unique to this issue of Harper's New Monthly Magazine, while the other piece I read, "Orley Farm" was a part of a series. The September addition included chapters 17-19 of the novel. Coming in in the middle of the story made it difficult to follow and therefore difficult to enjoy. I feel like including novels in increments is a great moneymaking tactic because readers become committed to the story/novel and have to keep purchasing Harper's New Monthly to continue their reading.

Harper's Articles- Sarah

The articles that I read in Harper's magazine were all very different. In a way they all complimented each other. There was one that was a purely entertaining story called "Vallandigham." This was a narrative that was not informative nor intellectual, simply romantic. In contrast, the "Monthly Current Events" was very politically informative and factual. It contained no story and simply and description of any recent activity that fell under the political spectrum in a manner so that anyone could read it. There were articles that I felt were not for everyone, though. Shakespeare and Hollingshed was analytical of Shakespeare's writing in comparison to a past writer; which would have required some background knowledge of Shakespeare. To round it all off, there were two poems included. "The Three Tells" was a tall tale, probably an old legend. It was mainly entertaining to read, but was somewhat intellectual. The Havelock was a poem that had to be read closely in order to see that it was political and about the Revolutionary War.

I thought some of the stories were interesting and some were pretty tedious to read. "Vallandigham was entertaining, but it dragged on too long for a magazine; which could be a personal bias since I am used to modern magazines. Some of the other articles would only be interesting to people who were interested in the specific subject that they addressed. The one with Shakespeare would only be interesting to someone who had an interest in Shakespeare's writing. I would probably read this magazine, but only certain parts. I thought the political article that gave summary of current events was very interesting and useful.

From Travel to Politics

I read articles from the Harper magazine. The majority of the articles that I read were based on a travel theme. One of the authors of these articles related his experience while traveling in Turkey. Another talked of the grand pyramids of Egypt. Another article illustrated the wonders of the Erie Railroad in America. All of these articles discussed the experience of traveling to a new place and experiencing new surroundings. The other articles that I read talked about politics and education. There was this one article written in the 1800 by T.S. Coleridge who showed his opinion towards the Prime Minister of England William Pitt. He just let his mind flow through his negative opinions towards the PM. It was very interesting how he set up his opinions and it was also interesting because I hardly knew what was going on in England, politically, in 1800. It brought out new ideas.
Other articles discussed education. It was interesting to read about what the author viewed education in America and in Europe during the 1850s. These articles made me want to read the Harper magazine because there was a variety of articles to read from. It was also interesting to read what people's ideas were during the mid 1800s. It is interesting to see what people thought back then and how people view things today.
-Margaret Neville

Sterling's Blog Prompt on Harper's New Monthly Magazine

Based on the articles I read in Harper's New Monthly Magazine, there seems to be a wide range of topics discussed in order to educate the audience on a wide range of topics. From the article Winfield Scott In The War of 1812 was written by Benson J. Lossing to the Fashions of September article, readers receive an in-depth look into history as well as current trends and topics. The September 1861 issue opens with the Stratford-Upon-Avon article that investigates the life of William Shakespeare, revisiting his hometown which heavily influenced his work. From there, the magazine transitions its focus to an entirely different continent to tell the story of the development of Canada in The Capitals of the Canadas. The next topic moves directly into the War of 1812 focusing on Winfield Scott and his admirable military command.

Obviously there is no set theme for the wide range of topics, other than to educate the readers. My favorite article out of the ones that I reviewed was the one that discussed William Shakespeare and his hometown of Stratford. Even to the modern reader today this topic stands out because Shakespeare is included in much of what we learn today. Another interesting thing to see in the magazine was the inclusion of sketches and drawings for the illustrations. This gives the reader an image to put with the words. This was especially helpful with the Fashions article, since clothing and trends have changed greatly since that time. I would use this magazine in the future for research on particular historical topics.

Harp Fer

From what I read, Harper's New MOnthly Magazine was meant to reach as broad an audience as possible. The section of articles I read and "synopzized" ranged from dramatice naaritives to short autobiographies, to scientific journals. Two articles I liked particularly were "A Word on Corals," and "Thomas Moore."
The first article was much like a National Geographic article, just minus the pictures. It was on corals, how and where they live, and also delves into thier biological make-up and grouping. One of the most interesting facets of this article is that the author dedicates about half of his writing to Charles Darwin's research and theories on corals, and where they came from - a subject still taught in schools today.
"Thomas Moore" was autobiographical, and focused on how great a man Mr. Thomas Moore was. The article was from the University of Dublin, so I am guessing Mr. Moore was Irish. Regardless of his nationality I think this biographical article commemorates Thomas Moore, and uses him as an example of a trues intellectually educated gentleman.
The two articles were very different, as were the rest of the others from the 1850 July issue of Harpers Ferry. It seems it is meant to attract as wide an audience as possible.

Blog Prompt

The first article I read, Bathing-it's utility, was based on the different types of bathing. The article opened with a quote, "cold is bracing, heat is relaxing", in which the author disagreed with. I thought it was an interesting technique the author used to start off with. He then went on to talk about the different methods of bathing (some of which I never heard of). The second submission I read was a sonnet titled, "Sonnet on the death of words worth". I found this sonnet to be very confusing. What I retained from it was the poet technique. He used imagery and description of the poet and then related them to each other. The last couple readings covered topics like astronomy, America's rapid growth, and a biography on Sir Edward Coke. The last couple readings I found hard to read. The style the author wrote in was confusing. I was unable to relate to the topics.

Harper's June 1855

My group is reading the June 1855 issue of Harper's and I was responsible for pages 75-112 of the issue, which included 5 articles. The first two were scientific or historical and the last three were stories or essays that could have been non-fiction or fiction. I actually found them all somewhat interesting, though some more than others. Through all of the articles, even the scientific/historical ones, I found the writing to be more creative than what I typically think academic writing to be. In the first article the author was discussing the human body's internal cycle of blood and its interaction with the heart and the brain. This could have been a very boring and matter-of-fact article, but the style with which the author wrote made it much more fascinating. He was so intrigued by all of this subject matter and the life that blood gives living things. He used metaphors and beautiful, awe-inspiring imagery to describe the life that pumps through us.
Another article was about a man's journey to China, which he had written a book about. I was pretty shocked by how ethnocentric and discriminatory the book and the Harper's article were about the Chinese people.
There were escapist stories about men and women torn between loves that seemed like they could be in one of our contemporary escapist magazines or plots for chick flicks.
My favorite essay was about associating people with animals based on their physical appearance and their demeanor. It then went on to hypothesize life stories for random people passing in a city. It was very interesting and creative; its fascinating to try to catch glimpses into the lives of strangers even if they pass through your own life only for a moment.

Harper's Magazine

In the Harper's articles, I was assigned the last chunk of the issue of our magazine, which consisted of a large amount of editor's commentary and several drawings/sketches equivalent to today's comic strips. Overall, the articles were easy to read, making me think that the magazine was targeting a very broad audience, rather than an exclusive, only upper class audience. The current events section that I read seemed the most important to me because most people have an interest in the events occurring in the world around them. The section gave the most attention to the United States, but adequately covered events going on throughout South America, Europe, and Asia. Also, the literary reviews section I was assigned was an additional important aspect of the magazine because it gave a general overview of suggested works to read and praised several authors of different genres and specialties. Although this section could be considered to have a limited audience, the magazine excellently covered a multitude of genres, which would appeal to numerous types of people.

The latter part of the articles I was assigned did not seem as prevalent to the magazine as a whole as the two previously mentioned sections. I think they were designed as commentary from the editor, which to me as a reader, came across as a random, choppy set of unrelated information. One section was fairly entertaining as it consisted of approximately fifteen short anecdotes (all under one page), which were easy to read and typically included comedic elements as well as an underlying message. The illustrations included at the end of the issue all related to an image of the "average family" of the times, which was a theme that stuck out to me.

Also, a second theme that seemed to surface several times was in relation to alcohol. In the current events section, many states in the United States had adopted laws either prohibiting the excessive consumption of alcohol or prohibiting the sale of alcohol (usually hard liquor). I observed that politics and history were the two topics that were given the most coverage in the magazine. Overall, from the articles I was assigned I do not think I would be very enticed to read the rest of the magazine. However, I think if I had read actual articles, as opposed to the editor's commentary, I would be more enticed to see what else the magazine had to offer.

Harper's Monthly - June 1855

I feel like this issue of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine was very repetitive and somewhat random. I noticed that a couple group members had articles about family and the ideal family for the time. I read to articles that were narratives about families who had some type of division, an atypical thing for the 1800’s. These articles showed how important the family life was at the time and the importance of a united family. In contrast, another member of my group had an article and artwork that portray the ideal family for the 1800’s. I found these polar views intriguing and very informative in an informal way.
Another theme in this particular issue was traveling. Two different articles were about the author’s travels to other countries. One article looked back on the author’s travels in a more reflective and comparative way while the other article was more of an account of the author’s travels.
The other articles in this issue fit in a wide variety of different genres and themes. There were some dramatic, some informative, and some opinion articles, all of which I surprisingly found entertaining. After reading this issue I was surprised to find the reading enjoyable and not just another forced reading assignment. I am definitely interested in reading more of Harper’s New Monthly Magazine.

http://digital.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=harp;cc=harp;rgn=full%20text;idno=harp0001-1;didno=harp0001-1;view=image;seq=0011;node=harp0001-1%3A2

Scholarly Writing vs. Dectective Fiction: Class Discussion

Detective Fiction:

• Stereotype against this specific genre

Irony: people tend to relate better to fiction than fact.

Plot/Storyline
Escapist
Narrative
Interesting
Mystery
Reader involved by "figuring it out"
Dramatic elements
Manipulate Plot
More exciting
No prior knowledge needed

Scholarly Writing:

Facts - stick to the cold hard facts
Structure
Work
Boring
Prior knowledge necessary
Tone/Style
Explain 'why' topic is important
Introduction: attention grabbing

explain point

Detective Story vs. Academic Writing

I believe the major difference is that in order for a person to read, understand, and enjoy an academic writing, they must already have a certain understanding of the subject being written about. An average person can’t read an essay on General Relativity and expect to understand everything that is talked about. On the other hand, anybody can read, understand, and enjoy a detective story without having to know anything beforehand.

Academic Research vs. Detective Stories

Realistically, the idea of a suspense story is much more entertaining than that of a detailed academic report of a case. Many people consume their lives with mystery novels and thriller movies and often prefer these types of fictionalized cases to the hard core facts of academic research. For many reasons, this could be because fictionalized "detective stories" allow the reader to act as a detective themselves and provide them the opportunity to solve the case before they find out what happened rather than being told the facts of the case straightforwardly through academic findings.

academic research vs. detective stories

The difference in interest between academic research and detective stories lays in the excitement. Academic research, although it follows the same basic formula does not have any exciting plot—or any plot, or some dangerous foe to overcome. The language is usually very dry with no descriptive words and it just has no ability to hold a readers interest. Detective stories contain exciting, descriptive language that entices the reader to keep reading, and a plot that is made to get your heart thumping faster as the conclusion draws near. Academic research, however, is just meant to relay information.

Detective Stories vs. Scholarly Findings

Detective stories, as opposed to scholarly findings, are very successful in grabbing readers' attention. Detective stories offer the suspense that an average reader can relate to, thus employing interest in the reader, as where a scholarly finding is more formal and would only be of use to a specialized reader. Furthermore, in a detective story, the author can manipulate the story's plot in a way that would grab the reader's attention. In a scholarly finding, the author cannot manipulate the findings, and must only state the facts. Moreover, the average reader would be more interested in a crime scene than a lab experiment. The series of Sherlock Holmes is of more interest to the public than the recent findings in the world of science.

Speckled Band Reflection

“The Adventure of the Speckled Band” was a short story in the Sherlock Holmes series. The story is written in a first person narrative by a Dr. Watson. Watson acts as the participating narrator throughout the series and is the reader’s sole descriptor of Sherlock Holmes and his investigation.
This story acts as a conventional detective story by foreshadowing facts that seem ordinary at first, but ultimately come back to be invaluable clues to solving the crime in question. The story contains the stereotypical mad doctor and also the deranged victim. For me, Sherlock Holmes stories have set the bar for detective dramas. The story usually builds and builds until the final sequence, where the culprit is caught and all the facts come out. This is how the speckled band story ended, with the identification of the murderer and an explanation of how all the clues pointed to him.
I did not originally expect the story to end the way it did. I thought there would be more twists and turns rather than having the most obvious person commit the crime. Many of the clues that were present seemed unconventional to me. The saucer of milk and a vault are two things which drove me away from concluding that a snake was the murder weapon. I did not realize that snakes drink milk nor did I realize that they could survive in an air tight vault
I haven’t really read too many detective stories. I’ve seen a lot of movies about detectives, which is probably why I expected the twists and turns that were not present in “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”.

The Adventures of the Speckled Band

This story is written in a suspenseful narrative form; which I consider to be standard of a detective story. In a detective story, you would expect to find a mystery that needs to be solved, clues that are used to solve that mystery, and usually a central character or group of characters that deduce answers to the mystery through the use of these clues. A good amount of detective stories involve some action as well as drama. In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventures of the Speckled Band" includes most of the normal conventions that one would expect to find in a detective story. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are presented with the unsolved murder of Ms. Julia Stoner by her sister Ms. Helen Stoner, who now appears to be in danger. This adds more suspense because there is still a threat present and a crime to be prevented as opposed to simply a past incident being solved. The main antagonist is clear from the beginning to be Dr. Grimsby Raylott. It strays somewhat from some detective stories since the culprit is basically identified early on. Holmes and Watson can be seen throughout the story to use ever detail as a clue and deduce facts from every aspect of the event. Ultimately they are successful in solving the mystery and preventing any harm to Helen Stoner. It is similar to other detective stories that I have seen/read in this way because usually the main figure will emerge victorious. However, in other detective stories that I have seen the main character is involved in more intense and extensive action.

The Adventure of the Speckled Band and the Detective Story

One of the most important features in a detective story is the very beginning. If the beginning does not grab the reader's attention, then the entire story might be uninteresting or difficult for the reader to become involved in. The beginning sets up the mood and it provides background information regarding the mystery. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes The Adventure of the Speckled Band begins like a good detective story; it grabs the reader's attention. It makes the reader want to continue with the story, in order to find out more information. The story is written clearly and eventually you feel as though you are working with Holmes and Dr. Watson to solve the case. A key feature in a detective story is the detective himself and his friend/sidekick. The story is told from the view point of Holmes's friend, Dr. Watson. It gives a different perspective and makes the story more interesting. Another key feature in a detective story is how the detective solves the mystery. It is somewhat like the scientific method. Observing, experimenting, creating a hypothesis. The detectives must obtain clues and obtain information in order to hypothesize and eventually, through experimenting, they create a conclusion. Sometimes detective stories create a surprising ending. All of these factors combined, make an exciting and fun, but yet methodical, in the research and obtaining clues, story that is enjoyable to read. I have seen many "Poirot" movies based off of Agatha Christie's detective books. The main detective Poirot, is similar to Holmes in that he has a friend who helps him on cases. Poirot's friend, Hastings, is like Dr. Watson. So there is a detective and his sidekick.
-Margaret Neville

In general,the people of this society would agree with the fact that people enjoy reading detective stories more than academic research papers. This is because detective stories are more thrilling. They involve mystery. A readers is more involved in a detective story.

detective stories vs. academic research

Detective stories and academic research articles both discuss certain evidence and findings to an unanswered question, however detective stories tend to be more popular. I think this is because detective stories typically contain dramatic qualities such as comedy, suspense, and action. On the other hand, academic research tends to be boring and less entertaining by simply stating an argument supported by specific facts of evidence.

Detective Stories: Sherlock Holmes 01.14.10

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” as a narration of multiple interrogatory dialogues between Holmes and the people involved in the case. Throughout the story, Doyle shows how Holmes uses the information he gains from investigations and questioning to logically come to a conclusion of the case presented to him.

In this story, there are some traditional conventions of detective stories. For example, Holmes interviewed Miss Stoner about her concerns. She described the scene, the house that she shared with her sister, and what happened to the best of her knowledge. In most detective stories, initially, there is problem identification. That is, in modern times, usually in the form of a 911 call. But considering the setting of this story, it was a house visit to the detective personally. Secondly, there is a gathering of background information relevant to the case. Holmes asked Miss Stoner to recount with much detail the events of the night her sister died. Then, there is active investigation. Holmes and Watson went to the manor in Stoke Moran to first investigate and later stakeout the scene. Finally, there should be case resolution. Holmes used his information to find a logical conclusion.

“The Adventures of the Speckled Band” had certain components that remind me of modern day shows like “The First 48” or “Criminal Minds”. Holmes recommended Miss Stoner to find another place to stay if she felt as if she were in danger, much like a witness protection program in some TV shows.

I expected there to be more investigation and verification of facts in this story. It seemed that Holmes had a hunch and followed it to the end. While his hunch was correct, in an investigation, it’s better to follow the evidence and let it reach its own conclusion than to have a conclusion in mind and find evidence to prove it.

January 14: Detective Stories

Detective stories, such as the Sherlock Holmes story, "The Adventures of the Speckled Band," follow a structure and certain formal features that make them successful and satisfy their readers. “The Adventures of the Speckled Band,” has the detective, Sherlock Holmes, investigate and finally solve the crime, usually a murder, in which case it was the murder of Julia Stoner. Like other detective stories, this story lays out clues and uses foreshadowing so the reader, too, along with the detective, can solve the crime. Almost like the game, “Guess Who,” there are interrogations and answers that further help the detective and the reader. The reader tries to look for the clues’ significance and connect them. The featured detective is usually smart, uses logic, and has an almost intuitive sense of who the culprit is. Thus, the detective is never wrong. Detective stories start out by presenting the case, then provides clues, builds suspense, have a climax, and finally, a resolution. In most detective stories, there is more than just one suspect. Also, the author tends to make the reader think that the guilty person is actually innocent. Regardless of whether the reader was right or wrong about his/her guess, the reader is still satisfied due to the fact that the plot kept the reader thinking and analyzing.
I feel like all of the conventions that I expected to find in this Sherlock Holmes’ story were present. I was able to get a clear understanding of what it was the detective was investigating, a fair amount of clues to determine who the murderer was, and a smooth flow throughout the story. This story relates to many of the murder movies out in the market. For example, in the movie, Untraceable, an FBI Agent, Jennifer Marsh, is tasked with hunting down a serial killer who posts live videos of his victims on the internet. As one watches the movie, the plot gives us clues as to who the criminal is. Finally, in the end, the criminal is revealed and the mystery is solved.

1/14 - Sherlock Holmes

This is the first Sherlock Holmes story I have ever read. I have read detective stories before, but none recently. I remember when I was younger a lot of people were reading the Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys series, but I never followed them. The most recent detective stories I have encountered, I think, have been in movies. They have all followed a similar structure, this Sherlock Holmes story included.
In reading "The Adventure of the Speckled Band," the structure was pretty much what I expected I might find. Sometimes a detective takes it on himself to find and solve a problem/crime/mystery, but many times he is approached by an outside party with an issue to be investigated; usually it is one that is thought to be too difficult for most to solve. The good detective is incredibly observant (many times possessing a keener eye and a more readily clever mind than the average person) and begins to pick out clues right away. They form hunches and hypotheses from these initial clues, but they must then go do field investigation to gather more clues and confirm their theories. Often the detective is one step ahead of everyone else in his thought process. Those around him may observe the same clues, but aren't able to come to the same conclusions as the detective based on these clues. The climax is when the detective's theory is confirmed by a discovery that is often incredibly surprising to all others. The detective then explains the important clues and hunches that led him to the successful conclusion of the case. The writer of the story gives the audience hints and clues throughout and depending on the amount of clues given and the cleverness of the audience, the audience may or may not be able to solve the case before the conclusion is revealed.

"The Adventures of the Speckled Band”

“The Adventures of the Speckled Band” is the first and only Sherlock Holmes story I’ve ever read, and my expectations were not met, although I’ve never read a Sherlock Holmes detective tale I feel that the descriptions I’ve heard about them prior to reading this story differs from the impression I received. A key component in detective literature is suspense and I felt that “The Adventures of the Speckled Band” lacked suspense. I don’t think I found the story suspenseful based on a lack of interest. I would have felt an increased level of suspense if there would have been more emotional connection to the victim and if there was a higher degree of in-the-moment description. Since Watson was recounting the tale, rather than telling about it while witnessing it not as much excitement was transferred into the story.I found it interesting that the story was told from the point of view of Watson instead of Sherlock Holmes. Having Watson narrate, I feel detracted from the story because had Holmes narrated more insight would have been given to what was occurring in the actual detectives mind rather than an outsider’s point-of-view. Knowing when and how the detective put together pieces of information I feel would have benefited the story. I also found it atypical that the story lacked suspects. I feel that multiple suspects and clues are aspects that most detective fiction encompasses and this story lacked both of these detective norms. I also found that I was expecting a humor to be an element utilized in Doyle’s story. Although I’m an amateur detective/mystery reader based on my background knowledge and recently viewing the Sherlock Holmes movie I expected Holmes to have a stronger personality and comedy to be used as an element in the story.

Conventions of a Detective Story

A popular example of a literary detective, or any detective for that matter, is the acclaimed Sherlock Holmes, an early 20th century fictional character created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle’s mystery stories that feature the famous detective provide great entertainment for generations as well as showcase the quintessential principles of a good detective. The short story, “The Adventures of the Speckled Band” depicts a typical day of investigation for Detective Holmes. A key convention that makes “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” an exemplary detective story is the attention to detail. Details are important for every detective story because without them, no mystery can be solved. Although the story was relatively short, Doyle made sure to give great details on the characters and their surroundings.
The structure of the story is very simplistic and can be found in most detective stories. The tale begins with a woman who has a mysterious problem that can only be solved by the great Sherlock Holmes. Details and clues are given to the detective as he investigates the mystery. During his adventure, he approaches obstacles and conflicts, but succeeds in solving the mystery successfully, and they live happily ever after. The end. Doyle’s use of this basic story structure: the introduction, the confrontation, and the resolution, works well with a detective story. A detective’s method to solving a mystery is parallel to a writer’s structure to a short story. Similar to an author, a great detective will know how to piece together different fragments of a story with a goal to create a complete and detailed picture.

The Adventures of the Speckled Band

A detective story has three main elements: the presence of a mystery, someone in need of answers, and someone who is willing to dig for those answers. The Sherlock Holmes story “The Adventures of the Speckled Band” is faceted in all three ways. Ms. Stoner is terribly distressed over her sister’s mysterious death, and finds herself falling into a similar situation. She goes to Holmes, a man renowned for his detective abilities, and requests that he solves her dilemma. Of course, Holmes happily accepts.
Some other expected conventions present in “The Adventures of the Speckled Band” are found in the characters themselves. Ms. Stoner is the madam in distress, and her step-father, Dr. Roylott, is the angry antagonist. Sherlock Holmes as a detective is hungry for answers, and very good at finding them, and Watson, the story teller, can be compared to a scholar presenting his research in writing. Watson draws on his first hand experience as Holmes assistant, as well as upon discussions with Holmes bringing together a complete picture of Ms. Stoner’s predicament, and presents it to us in an interesting, detailed, and informative way.

Discovering Sherlock Holmes' Methods

I am not particularly familiar with detective stories, the only detective stories I have read were Nancy Drew novels in elementary school. Of course, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” was very different. I really enjoyed the perspective of the story being told through Watson’s eyes instead of Sherlock Homes,’ and Watson’s language was very dry and systematic, which paralleled the fact that it was a detective story, because detectives, especially Sherlock Holmes, usually take a very systematic approach to their work. I thought it was interesting how Sherlock Holmes worked; he kept almost all of his deductions to himself until the very end of the story where he revealed his whole thought process. I had expected him to, at the very least; explain things to Watson as Holmes’ discovered the truth. I was also curious as to Watson’s whole purpose in the story. He is a doctor, after all and not a detective, so I do not understand why he follows Holmes’ around and why he trusts him so whole heartedly. I was also interested to find that there was no love aspect in the story, in the few detective stories I have read or watched, it is usually expected that the detective falls in love with the damsel in distress who is in need of his help, maybe that is just me, but I found that curious.

In Class 1/14

One clear difference in the views of detective stories and academic research by the general public is the entertainment value. Detective stories incorporate a degree of drama, action, and suspense. The narrative styles in which they are written make them an easier read and a less boring one as well. Academic research usually only presents the facts and conclusions, while detective stories produce a story and plot around these facts and conclusions that make them less tedious.

The Speckled Band

Before I began to read “Sherlock Holmes: The Adventure of the Speckled Band” I had some preconceived notions as to what this story would be about and the style in which it would be written. “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” had many traditional aspects and the structural set up of a high-quality, fictional detective story. Like most detective stories and all Sherlock Holmes stories, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” had somewhat of a third party narrator. Watson, Sherlock Holmes’ associate, served as the narrator. Watson detailed the all of the events from a very logical, factual, and unbiased point of view that allowed the reader to take part in the action through Watson’s inside vision. This particular story also used short, blunt sentences, and sentence fragments to keep the audience engaged and actively thinking. Doyle, the story’s author, also stays true to the traditional detective story structure by having the good always prevail. After a long, drawn out, and very detailed account of events, Doyle concludes the story by having the narrator, Watson, reflect on prior events. By using a typical detective storyline and structure to keep the audience engaged and actively trying to solve the mystery throughout, Doyle creates an intriguing story that fulfilled most of my preconceived notions.

Jan14 Detective Analysis (JGRadvany)

Before reading Arthur Conan Doyl’s, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”, I had suspected that the plot would include an investigation of a murder. The story discusses the death of Helen Stoner’s sister Julia. Before Julia’s death, she was engaged and was receiving a great amount of wealth from her mother. Because of this the detective Sherlock Holmes grew suspicious of the sister’s stepfather. This investigation thus makes it a detective story because there is a problem an investigator or detective must solve.

Readers follow Sherlock Holmes and Watson as they speak to each other and the suspects in dialogue. Each investigator pays close attention to detail and informs the readers of their every move and what they are thinking. For example in the story, Conan includes details like, “he investigated the case with great care, for Dr. Roylott's conduct had long been notorious in the county, but he was unable to find any satisfactory cause of death. My evidence showed that the door had been fastened upon the inner side, and the windows were blocked by old-fashioned”. This convention causes readers to feel involved in the investigation, making it feel like they are detective’s themselves. The story also includes details about the scenery and sound. These small details make the story effective. This detective story is very similar to other stories in that it has a death or a mystery that an investigator needs to solve. Most times a story or film including detective Sherlock Holmes, involves some sort of murder mystery. I just recently saw the film Sherlock Holmes which is very similar to this story. It included details of a mystery, adventure and death.