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Angerica Rianne Garcia

Dr Lynda Haas
Writing 37
06 November 2014
The Specific Structure of a Detective Story
Unlike other genres, the detective genre has a specific structure that ensures its readers
will receive no surprises as they read it from beginning to end. With that said, for those who are
fanatics of the genre, no reading is completely new and every reading is a rereading (Dove
6). According to literary critics, every detective story is transitory, without long-range goals or
purposes; it is fundamentally an intellectual undertaking; it is recreational, intended primarily to
relax; and it is a disciplined, delimited literary form (Dove 2). Due to its limited structure,
detective novels create no stress within readers because they are aware of how the story will
progress and end. In The Different Story, George Dove introduces Frank Kermodes term
hermeneutic specialization, which is a mode that forces the reader to interpret the text in
terms of the anticipated outcome of the story (Dove 4). A detective story is only considered a
part of the detective genre if it conform[s] to certain formulas [and] commits its vision to a
set of conventions (Dove 4).
According to literary scholar George Dove, the constant repetition within a detective
story provides a structure for future thematic developments (Dove 6). In every story, the
main character is a detective, the plot deals with investigation and resolution, the mystery
involved is a complex secret that appears impossible of a solution and lastly, the mystery is
solved (Dove 10). Each detective story contains all four of those characteristics, making a clear
distinction from other genres. One of Arthur Conan Doyles most well known stories, The Hound

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of the Baskervilles, specifically follows this structure as the reader follows the adventure of
Sherlock Holmes and John Watson in their attempt of trying to figure out a solution to the
proposed problem. Holmes, the detective, is the main character of the story, which fulfills the
first requirement of the detective genrethe main character is a detective. Within the first two
chapters of the story, the mystery is introduced. Dr. James Mortimer reveals the legend of the
hound, which is somehow related to the death of his friend, Sir Charles Baskerville. This
consultation reveals both the powerful and the humble seek out Holmes and Watson to air out
their problems (Panek 76). As the story progresses, both Holmes and Watson observe the
setting in their attempt to deduce clues about the legend itself. By the end of the story, Holmes
figures out who is controlling the hound and who is responsible for the deaths occurring within
the familythe mystery is solved. Dove compares the detective genre to a crossword puzzle
because the qualities of a detective story greatly mirror those of a crossword puzzle. He states
that detective fiction is structurally a conservative genre similar to how games have a set list
of rules that must be followed (Dove 5). With each story, the readers are ensured a solution,
which can be compared to other detective stories.
Similarly, Edgar Award winning author Leroy Panek also discusses the formulaic plot of
the detective story in the novel An Introduction to the Detective Story. In the chapter Doyle,
Panek states, almost all of Holmes stories begin with a curtain raiser in which Holmes
demonstrates his powers of observation and analytical skill (Panek 84). For example, in The
Hound of the Baskervilles, the story opens with Holmes observing a stick that was left at the door
the night before. Both his observations and Watsons insight lead him to the conclusion that the
stick was given as a gift to an elderly doctor. Likewise, in the story A Scandal in Bohemia, after
time of not seeing one another, Holmes was able to figure out that Watson had married a woman

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who was clumsy and careless based on Watsons physical appearance. Here, he uses his
extraordinary power of analytical skill to come reach his conclusion. Holmess skill contributes
to Doves idea of a structure for future thematic developments (Dove 6). Because each story
opens in the same manner, readers know what to expect as soon as they focus their attention on
the story. Going back to the four characteristics that Dove presented, because the detective is the
main character, many of the characters are dependent on Holmes due to his detective powers of
analyzing and observation. Generally, the main character of a detective story displays a sense of
eccentricity, not only with his appearance, but also specifically with his way of thinking. Holmes
has a mindset that is unique from the rest in a sense that he notices and picks up details that the
others see as irrelevant. In Theory and Practice of Classic Detective Fiction, Delamater explains
that Holmes is an expert in specific subjects while he shows disinterest in other topics
(Delamater 22). For example, in A Study in Scarlet, Watson finds out that Holmes is quite
knowledgeable in subjects such as chemistry and sensational literature, yet he is unfamiliar with
the solar system and contemporary literature. Delamater compares British detectives Sherlock
Holmes, Lord Peter Wimsey, and Hercule Poirot and concludes, eccentricity is one of the
obvious traits that these three share (Delamater 22). Because of the detectives contributions,
we do not get detective stories without detectives, therefore, detectives are the foundation of
each story (Panek 8).
The formulaic structure of the detective genre gives readers a way of knowing what to
expect as they engage in a detective story. Each story begins and ends a certain way, which is
consistent between every story. The specific structure and characteristics of a detective story
makes a clear distinction from other genres. Its consistency helps appeal readers because they are
aware of what will happen within the story.

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Works Cited
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.