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Chieh Li
Writing 39b
4-29-2014
Professor Haas
What is the only genre that was invented in the late 1800s and is still popular in the
2000s? Obviously, it is the detective genre! Conan Doyles The Sign of Four introduces a
lot of the elements that we still follow today. Even many of the other genre, they still use the
Sherlock outline. There is no other way of saying besides that the way Sherlock is step up is
just absolutely perfect. Because the detective genre worked out so great, Critics and writers
have come up with Formulas that makes the detective stories interesting.
In the The Detective Story by George Dove, Dove came up with four qualities
(Dove, 3) that a detection narrative must have. One of the four is that the detective story is it
is recreational, intended primarily to relax (Dove, 3). In addition, Beginning by Leroy
Panek, he also came up with what a detective genre should have. He says This formula
includes: 1) the surprise ending (Panek, 20). Both authors would agree with each other on
this point. In fact, Dove mentions that Not surprisingly, a number of critics have commented
on the playor game-quality in detective fiction (Dove, 5) , and It shows that the detective
story is so relaxing that he is comparing to a game. Of course, Dove is referring to the
entertaining part of the game. On the other hand, Panek states this is the sort of fiction
against which writers reacted when they invented the hard-boiled story (Panek 15); it
indicates that the detective story is a counter to those complex story that are full of symbols
and hidden meaning for the reader to rediscover. However, that is not the case here for a
detective story. For example, in The Sign of Four by Conan Doyle, we see Sherlock
Holmes handling all the informations, and most of the time we are not given the information
at all. Holmes says in The Sign of Four It clears every instant. I only require a few missing
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links to have an entirely connected case (Doyle,79). This is also what makes the story
relaxing, because as readers we dont really need to know what Sherlock Holmes is thinking.
It becomes very easy for the reader to keep reading. Dove and Panek both mentioned about
this special step up which allowed the detective story to be successful. The fact that it takes
work off the reader, readers are more relaxed, it allows more readers to continue reading.
Another one of Doves four qualities of a detective story is that the story is disciplined.
By disciplined, it means that the story usually follows a similar plot in every story. "Murder
Will Out" by T.J Binyon, he also states that one of the four elements essential for a
successful imitation of Doyle convincing plot . This is a point that both author should
agree, because all the detective story does follow a similar plot that we will definitely see in a
detective story. Dove states the structure and mechanism of the cross-word puzzle and the
detective novel are very similar (Dove,5). For example in The Sign of Four, Sherlock and
Watson starts off in their office and some case will come up. They start to solve the complex
problem and Sherlock Holmes will gives the solution to the problem. Another example is that,
in The Man With the Twisted Lips by Doyle Watson met Holmes by an accident while he
is looking for a person. While Holmes is searching for evidence for this perticluar case and
Watson came in to help Holmes. After a series of problem solving, Sherlock will eventually
figure out the problem to the complex case.
What made the detective genre famous? Based on Panek, the detective story is based
on the scientific method, then it is hard to have a detective back in the early writings. In the
early writings, most of the stories involved crimes. Detective story did not become popular
before Conan Doyle. Paneks statement the detective story is the kind of fiction invented by
Poe and matured by , Doyle . According to Panek, before the industrialization, the
citys population was small and people usually are able to solve their social problems, but as
soon as the industrialization started the population grow very fast. When the city become
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crowded, more problems immerge from the city, and it require an outside force other than
just the people. Detective thus are created to help the ones needed. Authors create this
common pocket genius within their stories to entertain the middle class male. Of course,
the book were made cheaper thanks to the advance in technology; middle class can now
afford book to read. However, In the Theory and Practice of Classic Detective Fiction by
Jerome and Ruth Prigozy, they say if not of Poes fiction with its dark, almost modernist
undercurrent, then at least of the works by those eminent early practitioners of the art: Conan
Doyle of course, the most widely read of all, Agatha Christie( Jerome and Ruth Prigozy
1). They might have a little argument here whether who is the one that contribute the most in
the detective genre, but they all agree that Poe is the one that started and Doyle made it better.
They all have their own opinion on why the detective genre is very famous today. Jerome and
Prigozy states that the story contains a very special form and that the detection and crime are
becoming important in the global scale. Just like in the The Sign of Four by Doyle,
Sherlock appears to be the only person in the whole England that knows about stuff. Sherlock
becomes hero-like to the people in the book. This will provide hope to those that are reading.
Often, only the lower and middle class need the hero-like figure to boost their moral
confidence. Another reason why the detective genre excelled during the Victorian era is that
detective story aimed at entertaining what it perceived to be the middle class male mind
(Panek 17). Panek points out the important formula that are similar to Dove. Panek says
This formula includes: 1) the surprise ending (Panek 20) They both share the same ideas
on what makes a story a detective genre. According to both author, the ending of the
detective genre has to be clear and concise.
In the text Murder Will Out by Binyon, he came up with the four elements
essential for a successful imitation of Doyle which are authentic atmosphere, convincing
plot, the Watsonian narrative tone, and an adequate amount of Sherlockholmitos (Binyon 12)
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This is very similar to the Paneks and Doves formula for a detective story; however, they
each have their own opinions on what is consider an important element for a detective story.
Binyon says, He is probably the greatest of them all Any future great detective would
have to be sharply differentiated from Holmes in method, appearance, eccentricity, or even
nationality (Binyon 11.) This might be one of the reason why the detective genre is so
popular even till today. The fact that no other storys detective can replace Sherlock Holmes.
All the other story can only follow Sherlocks footsteps. In order to beat Sherlock as a
detective, one must contains all his ability and thinking style, and on top of that the detective
must contain some traits that Sherlock doesnt have. It is almost impossible to come up with
something better than Sherlock. Aside from what makes Sherlock the best detective, Doyles
short story contains most of the elements that Binyon has mentioned. However, Dove might
step in and argue that one of the reasons that the detective genre is successful is because of
the gaps and blanks that are left in the story. Dove says the blanks and gaps are structured:
they stimulate the reader's thought processes (Dove, 39). These are the techniques that are
trapping the readers. For example, Watson describes how he encounter Sherlock in the
Opium dam in the short story The man with the twisted lips. He says As I passed the tall
man who sat by the brazier I felt a sudden pluck at my skirt, and a low voice whispered, and
clearing showing the Watsonian narrative. Convincing plot is shown to the audience by the
ways Sherlock describe the case to Watson, and this also creates an authentic atmosphere.
Sherlock says Some years agoto be definite, in May, 1884. blanks and gaps like how
and when did he know about this information. There are just a lot of information given, but
they are all the blanks Dove are talking about. Of course, the most important is Sherlock
Holmes himself. His every action will affect the story in many different way.
All the formulas and techniques mentioned in this essay are what makes a detective
genre interesting and worthwhile. Without Doyle and other major contributors, we might not
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have the luxury to enjoy what is now called a detective story. Although there are arugments
among which one is the most right in all those formulas mention, they all have a common
goal which is what made the detective story so great. Aside from all the critics, I think the
reason why detective story are so popluar is because the story is very unrealistic. Often the
more unrealistic, the more popular it gets. Just like some of the modern first person shooter
games. It is only fun because it is very unrealistic.



















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Work Cited:
Binyon, T.J. "Murder Will Out": The Detective in Fiction. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1989. Print.
Conan Doyle, Arthur. The Sign of the Four. Seattle: Amazon Digital Services,
2013.
Delamater, Jerome and Ruth Prigozy, eds. Theory and Practice of Classic
Detective diction. New York: Praeger, 1997. Print.
Dove, George N. The Reader and the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH:
Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997. Print.
Panek, Leroy. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH:
Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1987. Print.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. "Adventure 1: The Man With The Twisted Lip." The Memoirs of
Sherlock Holmes. Lit2Go Edition. 1894. Web. April 29, 2014