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Vicente Flores Jr.

Professor Lynda Hass
Intensive Writing 37
November 6th, 2014
Conventions of the Detective Genre
According to Jerome Delamater and Ruth Prigozy in Theory and Practice of Classic
Detective Fiction, the detective genre is universally popular and is of great significance as the
world has become increasingly complex (Delamater 1). Sir Arthur Conan Doyles creation of
the character, Sherlock Holmes, has made him an iconic figure where he is directly associated
with the word detective. Doyles popularity during the Victorian era has contributed to the
popularity of the detective genre, however, any genre goes through four stages of genre
development: primitive, where the conventions of the genre are just developing, and the audience
has yet to develop set expectations for the genre, classical, where the genre is at its peak of
popularity, the conventions of the genre receive their fullest expression, and the audience knows
what to expect, parodic, where the conventions of the genre have become so stale and wellknown, that they are laughable and ripe for parody, and revisionist, where texts within the genre
consciously question and/or reverse the established conventions created during the classical
phase. His detective stories have set the standards that all detective novels would follow in later
years with the characteristics that are expected in detective stories. These conventions that Doyle
had created through inspiration, imagination, and manipulation had culminated into what defines
the detective genre. Literary scholars such as Jerome Delamater, Ruth Prigozy, and T.J. Binyon

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support that eccentric behavior and characteristics of the detective character are of the major
conventions that define the detective genre, making it different from other types of genre.
Scholars, such as Jerome Delamater, Ruth Prigozy, and T.J. Binyon, have identified the
different conventions of the detective novels that Doyle had written that had contributed to the
genres rise and popularity. These important conventions include the detective character himself
and his characteristics, such as eccentric behavior. In the terms of Sherlock Holmes, a detective
would display a remarkable talent of deductions using a vast amount of knowledge, thus making
Holmes very interactive with knowledge. In Doyles The Red-Headed League, Holmes was
able to deduce information that related to his client, Mr. Jabez Wilson such as that he [had] at
some time done manual labour, that he [took] snuff, that he [was] a Freemason, that he [had]
been in China, and that he [had] done a considerable amount of writing lately (The Red-Headed
League). This was one of the many instances that Holmes would display his incredibly talent of
deduction by mere observation. It is this deductive reasoning that contributed to the popularity of
Holmes and the scientific method.
According to Binyons "Murder Will Out": The Detective in Fiction, it is seen as showy
displays of what, so Conan Doyle informs us, has come to be known as Sherlockholmitos in
South America (Binyon 11). Holmes ability to do such a thing popularized and perpetuated
misuse of the term deduction (Binyon 10). However, Holmes is shown with the ability to
make these deductions through a specific set of knowledge. According to Jerome Delamater and
Ruth Prigozy in Theory and Practice of Classic Detective Fiction, Holmess collection of
knowledge, too, is eccentric, is some areas highly detailed and in others demonstrating
astonishing ignorance and indifference (Delamater 22). He possesses comprehensive
knowledge of chemistry, poisons, and sensational literature, has a good working knowledge of

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British law, but eschews any non-relevant areas of scholarship that may clutter his brain attic
(Delamater 22). For example, in The Red-Headed League, Holmes is able to infer that Mr.
Wilson received his tattoo while in China since Holmes has a considerable amount of knowledge
about tattoos. However, Holmes would demonstrate ignorance at times where Watson noted that
[His] surprise reached a climax, however, when [he] found incidentally that [Sherlock Holmes]
was ignorant of the Copernican Theory and of the composition of the Solar System (A Study in
Scarlet loc. 25). This displays Holmes narrow mindset on certain topics that he deems irrelevant
and of no use to him or to his work.
Literary scholars Jerome Delamater, Ruth Prigozy, and T.J. Binyon all agree that Holmes
displays eccentric behavior and is a defining convention of the detective genre. These three
literary scholars discuss that this eccentric behavior leads to odd habits, however, [Holmes]
corporeality and individuality are enhanced by [these] eccentricities (Binyon 10). So in effect,
these eccentricities allow Holmes to make these amazing deductions by mere observation.
The detective genre provides many conventions that readers would expect, making it
uncomplicated to read and can be presented in several other forms such as media, television, or
cinema. Thus, the detective genre became extremely popular through all forms of media and
proves as a cultural significance to the world. According to literary scholars, these conventions,
such as the eccentric behavior of the detective character, of the detective genre are the
characteristics that define the genre and are the reason why the genre has remained popular
throughout the years. As the detective genre continues to thrive among readers, listeners, and
viewers, it will also change through as it progresses through the stages of genre development to
appeal to the modern audience. However, the matter of fact is that the convention of the eccentric

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behavior of the detective character is one of the major conventions of the detective genre that
provides the foundation of the genres immense popularity.

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Works Cited
Binyon, T.J. "Murder Will Out": The Detective in Fiction. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1989. 9-12. Print.
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.