A Study in Scarlet

Discuss the structure of A Study in Scarlet. Why is Part 1 Watson’s first-person account, while Part 2 changes setting and narrator so drastically? What is the effect of this shift? Why did Doyle arrange the novel this way?

Doyle is writing one of the first detective stories, inventing elements that would eventually be cemented as genre tropes. What tropes does Doyle coin here? How do future mystery writers work within the schema he lays out?

Mormonism gets a particularly harsh depiction in the novel. How do the themes of this description intersect with Holmes’s devotion to science and reason?

How important is Holmes’s appreciation of the arts to his overall character? Is there any tension between his love of the arts and his devotion to science? How does the novel’s title play into this theme?

Holmes projects indifference to what others think about him. However, he also enjoys having an audience, is extremely pleased when Watson compliments him, and is upset he does not get recognition. What does this contradiction suggest about Holmes?

Consider class and wealth in the novel. What does Holmes’s use of the Baker Street Irregulars say about him? Why is there so much emphasis placed on Stangerson and Drebber’s financial relationship?

Lucy Ferrier is one of the only female characters in the novel, and her depiction is far from empowering. Explore the ways that Lucy embodies a lot of misogynistic narrative tropes.

Part 2 of A Study in Scarlet recontextualizes Jefferson Hope by exploring his past sufferings and explaining his motivation for killing Drebber and Stangerson. With the full picture in mind, is Hope a villain? Is he justified in seeking revenge?