Key Stage 4 Literature Pre-20th Century Prose The Short Story.

Key Stage 4 Literature Pre-20th Century Prose The Short Story

Pre-20th Century Prose - The Short Story
UNIT CONTENTS The Short Story Slides 3 - 9 “The Speckled Band”: Background Slides The Characters Slides Plot and Narrative Voice Slides Detailed Storyline Slides Setting and Location Slides Essay Questions Slides

CONTENTS Introduction Slide 4 Brainstorm Slide 5 The Plot Slide 6 The Characters Slide 7 The Setting Slide 8 Extension Work Slide 9

Introduction In this unit you will be studying the short story, looking at the ways in which short stories are different from novels. You will also be looking in detail at one story written in the nineteenth century. This is a story called “The Speckled Band” by the famous author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who created the detective Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyle wrote both full length novels and short stories. Before you start to look at the stories in detail, you need to learn a little about what makes a short story different to a full length novel.

The Short Story - Brainstorm
Pre-20th Century Prose - The Short Story The Short Story - Brainstorm Because of their length, short stories have to be written very differently to full length novels. What do you think might be different about them? Brainstorm some ideas now. The Short Story

The Plot Let’s look now in detail at what makes short stories different. First, let’s think about the plot, or storyline. Here are some points about the plot of a short story: It is ‘self-contained’ with a clear beginning, middle and end. It cannot be overly complicated and will probably have one main thread to the story. It has a clear ending with a neat resolution. It must grip the reader from the very first moment. It is likely to be full of action rather than description.

The Characters There will also be differences between the characters that you would find in a novel and in a short story. Here are some points to look out for: There will be fewer characters than in a novel. The reader will have much less time to ‘get to know’ the characters and they must therefore be vividly described. The characters are more likely to be slightly stereotypical, as this helps the reader to understand them quickly.

The Setting In a short story, the writer has much less chance to write descriptively. Here are some points about setting to look out for: The story is likely to take place in only one or two settings, because of the restriction of length. If there is more than one setting, it may be only briefly described. Often, the short story writer will use a particularly vivid setting for their work, for instance in “The Signal Man” by Charles Dickens.

Extension Work Find out some more information about the authors mentioned in this introduction: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Charles Dickens. What sort of books did they write? When and where did they live? Find and read a copy of the story mentioned in ‘The Setting’ - “The Signal Man” by Charles Dickens. Write your own short story, taking account of the points that you have learnt in this presentation. Bring in copies of any modern short stories that you enjoy reading, to share with your class. Activities

“The Speckled Band” - Background
CONTENTS Author Information Slide 11 Genre Slide 12 Characters Slide 13 Storyline Slides 14 & 15 Melodrama Slide 16 Extension Activities Slide 17

Author Information Name: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Dates: Career: Conan Doyle worked as a doctor before becoming a writer. He based the character of Sherlock Holmes, his famous detective, on a surgeon he knew called Joseph Bell. The Sherlock Holmes’ stories were first published in a magazine and then eventually as a book in 1892. Conan Doyle finally killed off Sherlock Holmes in 1893, in “The Final Problem”. In 1903 he wrote “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, one of his most famous books.

Genre “The Speckled Band” falls into the crime or detective genre. The word ‘genre’ describes the type of story that it is. Other genres include romance, the western, comedy, horror and so on. There are various ways that you can identify a genre: The type of characters involved in the story. The way that the characters behave and the things that they do. The type of clothes that they wear. The sort of things that the characters use in the story. The setting or location where the story takes place. The way that the storyline unfolds.

The Crime Genre - Characters
“The Speckled Band” - Background The Crime Genre - Characters The crime or detective story has certain aspects that appear regularly, particularly in pre-twentieth century examples of the genre. In “The Speckled Band” we see these aspects of genre very clearly. Look at the details below. Which characters seem to fit the descriptions given? The Villain: often an ugly, cruel man. The Victim: often a young woman with a tragic past. Dr Grimesby Roylott Miss Stoner Characters The Detective’s Sidekick: usually a contrast to the main detective. The Detective: usually a creative thinker, who is not afraid to admit his mistakes. Dr Watson Sherlock Holmes

The Crime Genre - Storyline
“The Speckled Band” - Background The Crime Genre - Storyline In the same way that the characters are ‘stereotypical’, so too is the storyline of “The Speckled Band”. Look at the sequence below for more information. Try to identify the parts of the story where each event occurs. The False Trail The Scene of the Crime The Crime The Set Up The Re-Cap The Climax

The Crime Genre - Storyline
“The Speckled Band” - Background The Crime Genre - Storyline Here is the sequence again, this time with information about where each event occurs in the story of “The Speckled Band”. Miss Roylott describes the crime to Holmes at the start of the story. Holmes assumes the gypsies are to blame. Miss Stoner shows them the crime scene. The False Trail The Scene of the Crime The Crime The Set Up The Re-Cap The Climax Holmes recaps the mystery. The truth of the ‘speckled band’ is revealed. They lie in wait for the criminal to appear.

Melodrama In addition to falling within the crime genre, “The Speckled Band” also uses elements of melodrama, a genre typically associated with drama rather than fiction. We call a story ‘melodramatic’ when elements of it seem over-played for our modern sensibilities. Again, melodrama has certain typical aspects, such as stereotyped characters. Here are two examples: ‘The Damsel in Distress’ - played here by Miss Stoner. ‘The Evil Villain’ - in this story, Dr Grimesby Roylott is the archetypal villain.

Extension Work Choose two genres, for instance action and romance. Now find examples of books that fall into these genres. Write a story of your own set in the crime genre. Reread the story of “The Speckled Band”, noting the typical features of the crime genre as you do so. Try to find out some more information about melodrama, for instance an example of a play that uses this technique. Activities

“The Speckled Band” - Characters
CONTENTS Introducing the Characters Holmes and Watson Helen Stoner Dr Grimesby Roylott Extension Work

Introducing the Characters
“The Speckled Band” - Characters Introducing the Characters As we saw in the introductory unit, short stories tend to have fewer characters than full length novels. Here are the four main characters in this short story. Sherlock Holmes Dr Watson Miss Helen Stoner Dr Grimesby Roylott

Introducing the Characters
“The Speckled Band” - Characters Introducing the Characters When a character is introduced in a story, there are various things that the author might tell us about them: What the character looks like. What the person is wearing. What sort of personality they have. What their emotions and feelings are. What their relationships are with other characters in the story. The author might choose to give us a great deal of information about a new character the first time they appear, or he/she might feed the reader the information more gradually.

Holmes and Watson Because the partnership of Holmes and Watson was very famous (and still is), Conan Doyle could assume that the reader would already know quite a lot about them. What do you already know about the pair? Brainstorm your ideas below. Holmes and Watson

Helen Stoner For the characters of Miss Stoner and Dr Roylott, Conan Doyle gives the reader more information. The situation between these two characters acts as the catalyst for the story. Miss Stoner’s appearance at Holmes’s rooms starts the story off. Reread the description of her arrival and put some of the information you find below. Miss Helen Stoner

Helen Stoner Now let’s look at the first description of Helen Stoner in more detail. Conan Doyle packs a lot of information into this passage, both about the character, and about her story. Her first words tell the reader she is terrified. ‘It is fear, Mr Holmes. It is terror.’ She raised her veil as she spoke, and we could see that she was indeed in a pitiable state of agitation, her face all drawn and gray, with restless, frightened eyes, like those of some hunted animal. Her features and figure were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair was short with premature gray, and her expression was weary and haggard. Her face fits her state of mind. Conan Doyle uses a simile to make the description vivid. Her appearance is at odds with her age.

Dr Grimesby Roylott Although Dr Roylott comes into the story after Miss Stoner, we have already heard a great deal about him from Helen’s description: Although from a rich family, he was brought up as an ‘aristocratic pauper’. Realising that he must rise above his upbringing, he borrowed money to take a medical degree. He went to Calcutta, where he established a large medical practice. There, he beat his butler to death in a fit of temper. While in India, he married Helen’s mother, who was later killed in a railway accident in England. A terrible change came over Dr Roylott, who shut himself up in the house. His temper became increasingly violent. He learnt of Helen’s sister’s engagement and ‘offered no objection’.

Dr Grimesby Roylott Dr Roylott arrives after Miss Stoner, and his appearance is shown very differently. Even his name, ‘Grimesby’ suggests evil. Here is part of the description of his arrival. His huge size is emphasised. So tall was he that his hat actually brushed the cross bar of the doorway, and his breadth seemed to span it from side to side. A large face, seared with a thousand wrinkles, burned yellow with the sun, and marked with every evil passion, was turned from one to the other of us, while his deep-set, bile-shot eyes, and his high, thin, fleshless nose, gave him somewhat the resemblance to a fierce old bird of prey. His face is ugly and wrinkled. His face betrays his character. Again, a simile is used.

Extension Work Complete the following activities to extend your understanding of the characters in the story: Write a detailed character study of either Helen Stoner or Dr Grimesby Roylott. Include information on appearance, personality, role in the story, useful quotes, and so on. Draw a picture or cartoon to show what Dr Roylott might look like. Write a letter from Miss Stoner to a friend, describing what happened to her sister. Activities

“The Speckled Band” - Plot & Narrative Voice
CONTENTS Plot Summary Slides 28 & 29 The Opening Slides Narrative Voice Slide 33 First Person Narrative Slides The Ending Slide 37 Extension Work Slide 38

Plot and Narrative Voice
Plot Summary Put the lines in the correct order to create a plot summary. Dr Roylott arrives at Holmes’ rooms and threatens him. Holmes and Watson travel to Stoke Moran. They find out that ‘the Speckled Band’ is in fact a poisonous snake. The two men check the room where Miss Stoner’s sister died. An agitated lady arrives at Sherlock Holmes’ rooms in Baker Street. Late at night, they return to try to solve the mystery. Dr Roylott is killed by his own deadly pet. The lady tells Holmes of her sister’s death by ‘the Speckled Band’.

Plot Summary Here are the lines again, this time in the correct order. An agitated lady arrives at Sherlock Holmes’ rooms in Baker Street. The lady tells Holmes of her sister’s death by ‘the Speckled Band’. Dr Roylott arrives at Holmes’ rooms and threatens him. Holmes and Watson travel to Stoke Moran. The two men check the room where Miss Stoner’s sister died. Late at night, they return to try to solve the mystery. Dr Roylott is killed by his own deadly pet. They find out that ‘the Speckled Band’ is in fact a poisonous snake.

The Opening The opening of any story, and particularly the opening of a short story, must grip the reader straight away. There are various ways that the author can do this: By opening with a fast moving action sequence. By starting the story with a vivid description of a place. By describing an interesting person, about whom the reader will want to know more. By setting up a mystery that the reader will be keen to solve.

The Opening Here is the opening of “The Speckled Band”. Read it through and discuss how effective it is. What techniques does the author use to grab the reader’s attention? “On glancing over my notes of the seventy odd cases in which I have during the last eight years studied the methods of my friend Sherlock Holmes, I find many tragic, some comic, a large number merely strange, but none commonplace; for, working as he did rather for the love of his art than for the acquirement of wealth, he refused to associate himself with any investigation which did not tend towards the unusual, and even the fantastic. Of all these varied cases, however, I cannot recall any which presented more singular features than that which was associated with the well-known Surrey family of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran.”

The Opening He describes the variety of interesting cases they have solved. “On glancing over my notes of the seventy odd cases in which I have during the last eight years studied the methods of my friend Sherlock Holmes, I find many tragic, some comic, a large number merely strange, but none commonplace; for, working as he did rather for the love of his art than for the acquirement of wealth, he refused to associate himself with any investigation which did not tend towards the unusual, and even the fantastic. Of all these varied cases, however, I cannot recall any which presented more singular features than that which was associated with the well-known Surrey family of the Roylotts of Stoke Moran.” He makes this case sound unusual and interesting, setting up the mystery. He makes Sherlock Holmes sound fascinating.

The ‘narrative voice’ of a story means the person who is telling it. In “The Speckled Band” Conan Doyle uses Watson as a first person narrator. Look at the annotated extract below to see how this technique works. It was early in April in the year ‘83 that I woke one morning to find Sherlock Holmes standing, fully dressed, by the side of the bed. He was a late riser, as a rule, and as the clock on the mantlepiece showed me that it was only a quarter-past seven, I blinked up at him in some surprise, and perhaps just a little resentment, for I was myself regular in my habits. The use of “I” tells you that this is a first person narrative. In a first person narrative other characters are described in the third person.

First Person Narrative
Plot and Narrative Voice First Person Narrative Using a first person narrator creates particular effects for the reader of a story. It also imposes certain limitations on the writer: The reader tends to associate more strongly with the character telling the story, because of the use of “I”. The narrator can tell us his/her inner thoughts and feelings about what is going on, and his/her opinions of other people. The narrator must be present at all events in the story, so that he/she can tell us what happens. We can only find out other characters’ feelings and motivations through what the narrator presumes.

Plot and Narrative Voice First Person Narrative Look at the extract below and discuss the effects that are created by Conan Doyle’s use of a first person narrator. “I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in his professional investigations, and in admiring the rapid deductions, as swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a logical basis, with which he unravelled the problems which were submitted to him. I rapidly threw on my clothes and was ready in a few minutes to accompany my friend down to the sitting-room. A lady dressed in black and heavily veiled, who had been sitting in the window, rose as we entered.”

Plot and Narrative Voice First Person Narrative The narrator tells us his feelings. “I had no keener pleasure than in following Holmes in his professional investigations, and in admiring the rapid deductions, as swift as intuitions, and yet always founded on a logical basis, with which he unravelled the problems which were submitted to him. I rapidly threw on my clothes and was ready in a few minutes to accompany my friend down to the sitting-room. A lady dressed in black and heavily veiled, who had been sitting in the window, rose as we entered.” The narrator offers his opinion of Holmes’ ability as a detective. Watson is clearly in a hurry to find out what is going on. The narrator must accompany Holmes, so that the reader can find out what happens.

The Ending The story ends with a recap of the crime. As we have already seen, this is typical of the crime genre. This technique is used for several reasons: To remind the reader of the events of the story. To ‘round off’ the story effectively. To ensure that the reader understands exactly how and why the crime was solved. To show the intelligence of the ‘master detective’, Sherlock Holmes.

Extension Work Complete the following activities to develop your understanding of plot and narrative voice. Write the opening of a story called “The House of Hell”. Make your opening as gripping and interesting as you can. Write a piece of first person narrative. Remember, use “I” to tell your story. The “I” of the narrative could be any character you choose. Write the ending of a crime story, where the detective recaps the crime that has taken place. Activities

“The Speckled Band” - Detailed Storyline
CONTENTS The Story Outline Slide 40 The Crime Slide 41 The False Trail Slides The Scene of the Crime Slides The Set Up Slides The Climax Slides The Re-Cap Slides Extension Work Slide 63

Detailed Storyline The Story Outline Now let’s look at the storyline in more detail. Here is the chart that gives the story outline. Remember, we talked about how this particular story pattern fits commonly into the crime genre. The False Trail The Scene of the Crime The Crime The Set Up The Re-Cap The Climax

Helen Stoner tells Sherlock Holmes the details of the crime.
Detailed Storyline The Crime Helen Stoner tells Sherlock Holmes the details of the crime. She is suspicious because her sister died shortly after telling Dr Roylott that she was engaged. On the night of her death, Julia came into Helen’s room, where they talked about the wedding. Julia asked her sister about a “low, clear whistle” that she had heard in the night. Helen heard a scream and ran to her sister’s room. Julia’s body was swaying as though she was drunk. Before she died she said, “It was the band! The speckled band!”

Why do you think crime writers use this technique?
Detailed Storyline The False Trail Typically of detective stories, Holmes makes a wrong assumption at first. In the crime genre, this is often referred to as a “Red Herring”. This is a deliberate attempt by the writer to make the reader think that someone else (not the true criminal) committed the crime. Questions Why do you think crime writers use this technique? What is the effect on the reader? How does this add to the story as a whole?

Why do you think crime writers use this technique?
Detailed Storyline The False Trail Question Why do you think crime writers use this technique? Answer Here are two possible reasons: It can create tension for the reader, if they have guessed the truth. They are waiting for the detective to work it out too. This also makes the reader feel clever, because they have outwitted the detective. It increases the surprise at the end if the reader has ‘fallen for’ the red herring.

What is the effect on the reader?
Detailed Storyline The False Trail Question What is the effect on the reader? Answer The reader is either: (a) frustrated that the detective has fallen for the red herring; or (b) convinced that the red herring is true, and then doubly surprised when the true criminal is revealed.

How does this add to the story as a whole?
Detailed Storyline The False Trail Question How does this add to the story as a whole? Answer The use of a red herring creates a more complex mystery for both the reader and the detective to solve. It also adds to the sense of satisfaction and surprise when the truth is revealed.

What is the effect of this description on the reader?
Detailed Storyline The Scene of the Crime The scene of the crime is described in some detail, by using a series of questions that Holmes asks and Miss Stoner answers. You will find more information about the actual crime scene in the slides on setting and location. Answer the following questions now to develop your understanding. Questions Why do you think it is important for the scene of the crime to be described in detail? Why do you think Conan Doyle uses the technique of Holmes questioning Miss Stoner? What is the effect of this description on the reader?

Detailed Storyline The Scene of the Crime Question Why do you think it is important for the scene of the crime to be described in detail? Answer It is important for this to happen because it allows the reader to join the detective in trying to work out the mystery. The scene of the crime provides the clues, just as in real life, about exactly what has taken place. By describing it in detail, the reader can imagine it in his/her mind.

Detailed Storyline The Scene of the Crime Question Why do you think Conan Doyle uses the technique of Holmes questioning Miss Stoner? Answer This questioning technique is typical of the detective genre. Again, the reader ‘joins in’ with Sherlock Holmes, making sure that he asks all the questions that he or she might want asked. This in turn increases the reader’s sense of involvement with the story.

What is the effect of this description on the reader?
Detailed Storyline The Scene of the Crime Question What is the effect of this description on the reader? Answer As we have seen, this description involves the reader more fully in the story, allowing him/her to imagine the scene of the crime. Once the reader has this picture in his/her mind, the story starts to come to life and the reader can hunt for clues, just as Sherlock Holmes does.

How does the set up create dramatic tension for the reader?
Detailed Storyline The Set Up Holmes and Watson spend the night in Miss Stoner’s room, waiting to catch the criminal ‘in the act’. Again, this ‘set up’ is typical of the crime genre. The set up and climax are the parts of the story where dramatic tension is highest. Questions How does the set up create dramatic tension for the reader? What does Holmes say that develops this dramatic tension further? How does the description of their approach to the house develop the sense of danger?

How does the set up create dramatic tension for the reader?
Detailed Storyline The Set Up Question How does the set up create dramatic tension for the reader? Answer This technique increases the dramatic tension as the reader feels as though he/she is also lying in wait to catch the criminal. The darkness heightens the tension - bad things tend to happen at night in stories, and in the dark it is harder to see what is happening. The fact that Holmes and Watson must sit without sound or light also helps develop the tension.

What does Holmes say that develops this dramatic tension further?
Detailed Storyline The Set Up Question What does Holmes say that develops this dramatic tension further? Answer Holmes says several things that develop the tension: “The least sound would be fatal to our plans.” “We must sit without light.” “Do not go asleep; your very life may depend upon it. Have your pistol ready in case we should need it.”

Detailed Storyline The Set Up Question How does the description of their approach to the house develop the sense of danger? Answer As the two men approach the house it is dark and there is a cold wind. As they cross the lawn, Watson describes their encounter with a strange figure - “there darted what seemed to be a hideous and distorted child, who threw itself upon the grass with writhing limbs …”. It turns out to be only a baboon, but this does develop the sense of danger.

Which line or paragraph seems to you to be the climax of the story?
Detailed Storyline The Climax The climax of the story is the point at which the action is at its peak. Finally, all the clues fall into place and the villain gets his come-uppance. Answer the following questions to develop your understanding of the climax: Questions Which line or paragraph seems to you to be the climax of the story? Why do you think Conan Doyle ‘punishes’ Dr Roylott in this way? How do you as a reader feel about this ending to the story? Does it seem a just and fair way to finish?

Which line or paragraph seems to you to be the climax of the story?
Detailed Storyline The Climax Question Which line or paragraph seems to you to be the climax of the story? Answer “ … suddenly there broke from the silence of the night the most horrible cry to which I have ever listened. It swelled up louder and louder, a hoarse yell of pain and fear and anger all mingled in the one dreadful shriek. They say that away down in the village, and even in the distant parsonage, that cry raised the sleepers from their beds. It struck cold to our hearts, and I stood gazing at Holmes, and he at me, until the last echoes of it had died away into the silence from which it rose.”

Why do you think Conan Doyle ‘punishes’ Dr Roylott in this way?
Detailed Storyline The Climax Question Why do you think Conan Doyle ‘punishes’ Dr Roylott in this way? Answer Dr Roylott certainly gets his ‘just deserts’. In return for the murder of Helen Stoner’s sister, he dies in the same, hideous way. There is a certain poetic justice in his death. The idea of ‘an eye for an eye’ was particularly in fashion at the time this story was written.

Detailed Storyline The Climax Question How do you as a reader feel about this ending to the story? Does it seem a just and fair way to finish? Answer This is very much a matter of personal taste. Certainly, it does seem to offer a neat ending to the story. However, the reader might also feel that Dr Roylott was perhaps mentally unhinged by the death of his wife. The modern reader brings a very different attitude to mental illness from the one that would have been prevalent at the time the story was written.

Why is it necessary for Holmes to do this?
Detailed Storyline The Re-Cap At the end of the story, Sherlock Holmes sums up his work by recapping the events and his assumptions about the crime. Did you work out exactly how the crime had happened too? Questions Why is it necessary for Holmes to do this? What does he include in his re-capping of the crime? What is the effect of ending the story in this way? What do we find out about Dr Roylott’s ability to commit the crime during the re-cap?

Why is it necessary for Holmes to do this?
Detailed Storyline The Re-Cap Question Why is it necessary for Holmes to do this? Answer The re-cap summarises the details of the crime, so that the reader can see whether their assumptions were correct or not. It allows Holmes to explain how he fell for the red herring and also how he worked out that the gypsies could not have been to blame. In addition, it creates a nice, neat ending for the story.

What does he include in his re-capping of the crime?
Detailed Storyline The Re-Cap Question What does he include in his re-capping of the crime? Answer Holmes includes several elements in his re-cap: an explanation of the red herring and how he saw through it; a description of the clues he got from the scene of the crime; an explanation of how he worked out that the murder ‘weapon’ was a snake and how the murderer committed his crime.

What is the effect of ending the story in this way?
Detailed Storyline The Re-Cap Question What is the effect of ending the story in this way? Answer This ending creates a sense of completion for the reader. He/she sees exactly how clever Holmes is, because his deductions are complex and detailed. As we have seen, the reader can also compare his/her conclusions with those of the famous detective. The reader will end either with a sense of surprise, or one of satisfaction at having worked out the truth.

We discover several interesting points:
Detailed Storyline The Re-Cap Question What do we find out about Dr Roylott’s ability to commit the crime during the re-cap? Answer We discover several interesting points: Dr Roylott had a “supply of creatures from India”, which obviously included the snake. His Eastern medical training gave him the idea of using a poison that could not be detected. He would have known that the poison worked quickly.

Extension Work Activities
Detailed Storyline Extension Work Complete the following tasks to develop your understanding of storyline. Using the ‘storyline outline’, write a plan for a crime story of your own. Make sure you include a crime, a false trail, a scene of the crime, and so on. Reread the story of “The Speckled Band”, keeping the story outline in your mind. Annotate your copy of the story to show exactly where each part takes place. Write a ‘Police Report’ giving details of the scene of the crime. Activities

“The Speckled Band” - Setting & Location
CONTENTS Introduction Slide 65 Stoke Moran Slides 66 & 67 The Room Layout Slide 68 The Scene of the Crime Slides Extension Work Slide 72

Setting and Location Introduction Setting and location can play an important part in creating an atmosphere for a story. In a short story, it is important that the writer creates a vivid sense of the place in as brief a space as possible. The story of “The Speckled Band” begins in London, at Sherlock Holmes’s famous rooms in Baker Street. However, the main events of the story take place at Stoke Moran, Dr Roylott’s ancestral home. In addition to describing Stoke Moran, Conan Doyle also takes care to depict the crime scene in great detail.

Describing Stoke Moran
Setting and Location Describing Stoke Moran Reread the description of the house below. What do you find particularly striking about the passage? How does it create a suitable atmosphere for a house where a murder has taken place? “The building was of gray, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central portion and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab, thrown out on each side. In one of these wings the windows were broken and blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved in, a picture of ruin. The central portion was in a little better repair, but the right-hand block was comparatively modern, and the blinds in the windows, with the blue smoke curling up from the chimneys, showed that this was where the family resided. Some scaffolding had been erected against the end wall, and the stone-work had been broken into, but there were no signs of any workmen at the moment of our visit.”

Describing Stoke Moran
Setting and Location Describing Stoke Moran “The building was of gray, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central portion and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab, thrown out on each side. In one of these wings the windows were broken and blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved in, a picture of ruin. The central portion was in a little better repair, but the right-hand block was comparatively modern, and the blinds in the windows, with the blue smoke curling up from the chimneys, showed that this was where the family resided. Some scaffolding had been erected against the end wall, and the stone-work had been broken into, but there were no signs of any workmen at the moment of our visit.” The house sounds dull and dirty The building is very run down and dilapidated The family only live in one part of the house The building works later prove suspicious

Setting and Location The Room Layout Here is a plan of the three rooms where Helen, Julia and Dr Roylott slept at the time that Julia was killed. Helen Stoner’s Room Julia Stoner’s Room Dr Roylott’s Room The End Wall The Main Building The Corridor Why is Holmes suspicious of the alterations being made to the end wall? Why does he test the shutters and the hinges of the windows?

Setting and Location The Scene of the Crime On the next slide you will find a plan of the room where the crime took place. This was Julia Stoner’s room, but now Helen is sleeping there because of the repairs that are being carried out on the end wall. Conan Doyle describes this room in great detail. It is important for him to do this so that the reader can start to guess exactly how the crime was committed. Move the drag and drop images into the blank room plan to create an accurate picture of the crime scene.

The Scene of the Crime Setting and Location Window with shutters
Ventilator Bell-rope Fireplace Carpet Chairs Chest of Drawers Dressing Table Bed

Setting and Location The Scene of the Crime Holmes spends quite a while examining the scene of the crime for clues. He questions Helen Stoner closely about various different aspects of her room and that of Dr Roylott. He finds out that: The bell-rope is a dummy. The ventilator opens into the next room, rather than the outside wall. There is a saucer of milk on top of Dr Roylott’s safe. There is a dog lash tied onto Dr Roylott’s bed. After examining the clues, Watson describes Holmes’s face: “I had never seen my friend’s face so grim or his brow so dark as it was when we turned from the scene of this investigation.” What has Holmes worked out? Did you deduce how the crime had happened before you read to the end of the story?

Extension Work Activities
Setting and Location Extension Work Complete the following tasks to develop your understanding of setting and location: Draw your own plan of Helen Stoner’s and Dr Roylott’s rooms, showing how the ventilator and bell-rope were used to commit the crime. Write a short description of a house similar to Stoke Moran, where a horrible crime has taken place. Answer the following question: To what extent is the setting of “The Speckled Band” an important part of the story? You might like to refer to another short story that you have read, such as “The Signal Man”, to make a comparison. Activities

Pre-20th Century Prose “The Speckled Band” Essay Questions

“The Speckled Band” - Essay Questions
Discuss the way that Conan Doyle uses the traditional formula of the crime genre in “The Speckled Band”, analysing each part of the story to demonstrate your understanding. Question Write a detailed analysis of the character of Dr Grimesby Roylott, showing how he fits into the genres of crime and melodrama. Comment on the way that his appearance is described, and also your opinion of the punishment that Conan Doyle devises for him. Question

Key Stage 4 Literature Pre-20th Century Prose The Short Story.

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "Key Stage 4 Literature Pre-20th Century Prose The Short Story."— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback

Log in

Auth with social network:

Key Stage 4 Literature Pre-20th Century Prose The Short Story.

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "Key Stage 4 Literature Pre-20th Century Prose The Short Story."— Presentation transcript:

Similar presentations

About project

Feedback