Kapoor 1

Vishali Kapoor
Professor Haas
Writing 37
6 November 2014
The Rise of the Detective Genre
Although <<I think the Although beginning makes this sentence a bit less clear--better as a direct statement, like ACDs fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is one of the most.
Arthur Conan Doyle created a fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes is one of the most
recognizable characters in the world. >>you need some kind of transition phrase here maybe..
And just as important is Watson, his sidekick, is who doesnt have the same genius as Holmes,
but is still a the conductor of light (Doyle Hound 71)<<in this case, especially if you quote
from more than one Doyle text, you should use the first word of the title to distinguish which
one>> for Sherlock<<call by his last name, more formal. Together, these two contributed to
people enjoying many hours of reading pleasure and becoming captivated by a new genre of
reading: the detective genre. <this could be stronger if you bring in the stages of genre
development---these characters and all the other conventions Doyle created represent the
classical phase of the gernes development, when it became so popular that everyone started to
expect and predict the conventions (see home page of studio) The Hound of the Baskervilles, by
Doyle, is a novel about a case that involves a horrific curse on the Baskervilles. Sir Henry, next
in line for the Baskerville estate, has been informed of the curse of the hound; Sherlock Holmes
deduces the case and figures out the real culprit behind the curse. <<it would be good to give a
few details about the context of the novel herethis is a good site to check out for that:
http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/issue3.html

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<<need some sort of transition between the sentence about Hound and this one>> Leroy Panek,
George Dove, T.J. Binyon, Ruth Prigozy, and Jerome Delamater are scholars that discuss what
allowed the detective genre to become such a big success. These scholars have different views on
the detective genre, but they all pertain to its emergence. The agree <<<as much as possible,
make phrases and sentences that show the relationship between the scholars>> that the detective
genre bloomed in the Victorian era because of its main audience, the middle class, and the
unique characteristics of the genre. <<can you connect these sub-points better--- ie., the genre
rose during this time because of its main audience (a new reading audience) and because many
unique characteristics of the stories resonated with that audience (reflected its values, attitudes,
etc).
The detective genre was<<Conan Doyles stories were<<<< you cant say that the whole
detective genre was aimed at this audience---specifics are important to make your statements
accurate aimed at middle class males, but according to Panek, many women were also engrossed
by the genre (page where Panek says this)<<<remember, every idea that is not original to you
ought to be credited to the source. Sherlock Holmes concentrates on the problems of the modest
middle-class (Panek 76). He does not avert the middle class; many seek Holmes for his
assistance, not only the people that possess riches, but also the poor. Because the middle class
was the main audience, Sherlock Holmes utilizes Watson as the narrator; this catches the
attention of the readers because the narrator himself is also middle class. The readers are satisfied
with a character that they could relate to, one that displayed a few of their characteristics in him.
Although Binyon does not directly state that Holmes pertains to the middle class, he agrees that
through Holmes actions, a connection can be made. Binyon states, Holmes can feel emotion:
annoyance, anger, chagrin. This can be seen in the Hound of Baskervilles; Dr. Mortimer states

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that Holmes is the second highest expert in Europe (Doyle 77). Holmes is offended that Dr.
Mortimer believes there is someone better in this area of expertise than Holmes. Readers are
shown that Holmes is not an ideal character that is emotionless, but a relatable character that has
sentiments just like his readers. Holmes is also not knowledgeable about everything; he is
ignorant in a few subjects. Similarly, his audience can relate to him because they are not well
informed in many topics. Panek agrees that middle class men had a role in the success of the
detective genre; the middle class had the ability, but not the time, to read fiction (Panek 17).
The detective genre was very recreational; it allowed the middle class to defer their worries and
problems for a while because it stimulated their intellectual side. They were able to forget about
their work and focus on the suspense and clues; the readers attempt to figure out the solution as
the story progresses. Doyle further asserts, Not only did mechanical innovations like the
linotype revolutionize printing at the end of the nineteenth century, but labor laws and the
Education Act of 1870 also broadened the reading public. Labor laws and technology created
more developments and reduced the amount of hours the middle class had to work; this allowed
them to spend a few hours of their leisure reading. Although Panek and Doyle have different
views, they both explain an aspect that caused the middle class to be interested in the genre.
Because the detective genre did not contain long-range goals or purposes (Dove 3), readers
were able to focus on enjoying the plot. It did not emphasize moral lessons; it was merely to
relax the readers. The detective genre thrived because it certainly was a huge source of
entertainment for the middle class. <<wow, there is a LOT in this paragraph and its all good, but
its not a very coherent paragraph (it doesnt all focus on developing one sub-point about the
middle-class readers and why the Holmes stories appealed to them). Youve got info in here
about how Watson relates because he is middle class, how Holmes relates because he shows

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emotion, how the cases Holmes takes concentrate on the problems of middle class clients, that it
is recreational reading which they liked, that the stories are transitory, they dont teach moral
lessons, and then also a few details about why the middle class rose as a group of readers during
this time. I think you should break this into at least two sub-points, two paragraphs: (1) reasons
the scholars give for why the middle class became readers during this time (new laws, rise of the
class, technology that made getting magazines/books more economical), and the kinds of things
they liked to read (shorter, recreational, etc); and (2) elements within the stories that scholars
point to as reasons why the middle class readers loved these stories/characters (how they relate to
Watson as one of them, how they admire Holmes because he focuses on cases of middle-class
clients, etc)
In The Different Story, Dove discusses that the detective genre is not like the other
genres; it allows the the reader [to be] directly involved (Dove 1). As the story progresses, the
reader is intrigued and tries to solve the case. The detective genre absorbs the readers, but does
not add to their stress. Readers know that there is assurance of solution (Dove 27). The middle
class enjoyed having a genius that guaranteed a solution. Holmes is capable of working his
magic in every case; he is able to discover clues that many would not even notice. His
explanations for his discoveries seem rather absurd but are eventually thought of as deep
reasoning: They constitute his trade mark as a detective: that offhand, seemingly magical
characterization of a visitor to Baker Street which then proves, on explanation, to be absurdly
simple (Binyon 9). His extraordinary explanations have taken the name Sherlockholmitos.
The middle classDoyles readers, who lived in an uncertain world where the police could rarely
solve crimes, were was relieved to know that there would be a solution at the end; detective
stories show that even though the reasoning sounds confusing, it really is rationality in the end

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(Jerome and Ruth Prigozy 1). The reader is confident that the mystery will eventually be solved
and there will be no ambiguous ending. The readers love the suspense that adds on to the story,
which is why they begin to pay close attention to the details. Holmes does not leave the readers
wondering how the case was solved; he explains with many details: I will give you the course
of events as nearly as I can (Doyle 262). The genre continues to grow because readers are
satisfied that there will be an explanation to the solution at the end. Doyle agrees that theres an
accurate explanation at the end of the detective story. Policemen, on the other hand, display all
sorts of truculent ignorance and wrong- headedness. They never see the truth and frequently
want to arrest the wrong person (Panek 87). This explains why people tend to take their
problems to Holmes; the police are incompetent and are not trustworthy compared to Holmes. As
stated by Panek, If readers in the early nineteenth century saw the police detective in literature
and life as a lower-class creature who was either incompetent or corrupt, they increasingly saw,
in literature if not in life, the genius as the hero (Panek 9). The police force did not exist for a
long time. When there were policemen, the public could not rely on them; they were rarely
successful in the cases. Because the humble seek out Holmes and Watson to air their problems
(Panek 76), it allowed the detective genre to bloom and become widespread with the middle
class. The police were not able to assist the way Sherlock Holmes did. Readers enjoy having a
genius as their main character. The detective stories allowed the public to relieve themselves and
escape the incompetent police. <<this is another paragraph that has so much in it that it is not
coherent. One of the sub-points in here is what the scholars say about why the genre appeals to
any reader, Victorian or until now (the sense of play, the fun of the magic tricks, etc)--- another
sub-point is about how the incompetence of the police during the Victorian era is one reason
readers loved a hero who could always solve the case. The police point could be used up

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where you discuss reasons why the stories were popular with their audiencethe contextual
facts outside of the stories that led to their popularity (along with laws, more leisure, etc).
The detective genre became so widespread because of its audiences adherence and its
characteristics. The detective genres assurance of a solution and its main character as a hero and
genius further allowed the genre to become very popular. Readers felt relieved because the plot
was very recreational and it intellectually stimulated their minds. The genre absorbs its readers
and leads them to become a part of the story. This genre is notably unique and Doyles work has
allowed it to flourish in the Victorian era.

So I think you actually do have 3 distinct sub-points---but you need to do some rearranging and
then revise so that your points are very clear at the start of each point and then make sure that
you stay focused on that point throughout.
1. what do scholars say are the cultural realities of the Victorian era that made the stories
appealing to the middle class readers?
2. what do scholars say are the literary conventions within the stories that made them appealing
to the middle class readers?
3. what elements of the genre do scholars say are responsible for the continuing time-tested
popularity of the stories?
And so then your overall umbrella question (that you need to make clear in the intro) is
something like: What reasons do the scholars give for the rise of the genre with Holmes in the
Victorian era, and what reasons do they give for the genres enduring popularity? (its really two
questions)---you could cut out that last one and focus on just the Victorian era.
But youve got a really nice start and once you re-organize, the revision should be pretty easy
Looking at Connect, it seems that Phrases and Clauses: Coordination and Subordination gave
you the most troublewhich means you could probably use a bit more practice with it. So
sometime in the next couple of weeks, click back into that assignment and find the Recharge--this will give you a short practice session to help you get a better handle on this topic (and
understanding how to create subordinate ideas vs coordinating ideas is important to writing
complex eloquent sentences)

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WORKS CITED
Binyon, T.J. "Murder Will Out": The Detective in Fiction. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1989. PDF File.
Conan Doyle, Arthur. The Hound of the Baskervilles. Sharon, MA: Higher Read, LLC 20143.
Kindle eBook. Online.
Delamater, Jerome and Ruth Prigozy, eds. Theory and Practice of Classic Detective
Fiction. New York: Praeger, 1997. Print. PDF File.
Dove, George N. The Different Story. The Reader and the Detective Story. Bowling Green,
OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997. PDF File.
Panek, Leroy. Beginnings. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH:
Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1987. PDF File.
Panek, Leroy. Doyle. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling
Green State University Popular Press, 1987. PDF File.