Book Anatomy · The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: Viewpoint and narration
14 lenses on viewpoint and narration for The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 E10 E11 E12 E13 E14
E1. Person and tense: first or third, past or present. Count
First person, past tense. In the narration, past forms come 2,057 times and present forms 265 times.
E2. Whose viewpoint is each chapter? Both
first person. See the full lens on the book page.
E3. Share of the book told by each viewpoint character. Both
Dr. Watson is the sole viewpoint character throughout all twelve chapters, providing first-person narration of every case and investigation.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
E4. Narrative distance: close inside a head, or far off? AI
Narrative distance is close inside Watson's head during investigations, with access to his thoughts and reactions. Holmes remains somewhat distant and mysterious, known only through his words and actions.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. (Ch 1, para 2)
And when he speaks of Irene Adler, or when he refers to her photograph, it is always under the honourable title of the woman. (Ch 1, para 262)
E5. Strict viewpoint or head hopping? AI
Watson maintains strict viewpoint throughout. Readers learn only what Watson observes or what Holmes tells him. Holmes's private thoughts and methods are revealed only through his explanations.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. (Ch 1, para 25)
E6. Is the narrator reliable? Where are the cracks? AI
Watson is largely reliable but sometimes misses clues Holmes spots. His emotional responses and admiration for Holmes occasionally cloud his judgment. He admits surprise at Holmes's deductions, showing his limitations.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 6, Ch 7
To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. (Ch 1, para 2)
When a woman thinks that her house is on fire, her instinct is at once to rush to the thing which she values most. (Ch 1, para 209)
E7. Frames and tales within tales. AI
Chapter 5 contains a lengthy tale within the tale: Openshaw recounts his uncle's and father's deaths through letters and family history. Chapter 4 includes Turner's confession of his past crime.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 5
K. K. K.!’ he shrieked, and then, ‘My God, my God, my sins have overtaken me! (Ch 5, para 38)
E8. Narrator asides and addresses to the reader. Both
3 paragraphs where the narrator seems to speak to the reader or about the telling. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 5, para 37: “He didn’t mind me; in fact, he took a fancy to me, for at the time when he saw me first I was a youngster of twelve or …
Ch 9, para 121: “And then suddenly in the silence I heard a sound which sent my heart into my mouth. It was the clank of the levers and the swish of …
Ch 12, para 63: “‘DEAR MISS HUNTER,—Miss Stoper has very kindly given me your address, and I write from here to ask you whether you have reconsidered your decision. My wife is …
Watson frequently addresses the reader directly, commenting on Holmes's fame and the strangeness of cases. He reflects on the collection of adventures and their significance to the public.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 3, Ch 6, Ch 10
To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. (Ch 1, para 2)
And when he speaks of Irene Adler, or when he refers to her photograph, it is always under the honourable title of the woman. (Ch 1, para 262)
life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent (Ch 3, para 1)
E9. Documents used: letters, diaries, reports, by type and sender. Both
How often each kind of document is named in the narration. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Document | Mentions |
|---|---|
| letter | 15 |
| note | 14 |
| will | 14 |
| newspaper | 6 |
| telegram | 4 |
Letters appear throughout: the King's letter in chapter 1, orange pip letters in chapter 5, Irene Adler's letter in chapter 1. Chapter 7 features a letter from Henry Baker. Chapter 5 includes an envelope identifying Openshaw.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 5, Ch 7
It proved to be that of a young gentleman whose name, as it appears from an envelope which was found in his pocket, was John Openshaw (Ch 5, para 147)
E10. What the narrator hides, and where the reader knows more than the lead. AI
Watson does not know Holmes's full plans until they unfold. In chapter 1, Watson learns of the fire alarm scheme only as it happens. In chapter 8, Watson discovers the swamp adder method only when Holmes explains it.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 6, Ch 8
When a woman thinks that her house is on fire, her instinct is at once to rush to the thing which she values most. (Ch 1, para 209)
E11. Free indirect style: where the narrator slips into a character's voice. AI
Free indirect style appears when Watson reports Holmes's thoughts without quotation marks. Chapter 2 shows Holmes's reasoning about the Red-headed League. Chapter 7 uses this when Watson describes Holmes's deductions about the hat owner.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 7, Ch 8
That the man was highly intellectual is of course obvious upon the face of it, and also that he was fairly well-to-do within the last three years, although he has now fallen upon evil days. (Ch 7, para 28)
E12. How thought is shown: tagged, italic or blended. Count
Thought is mostly shown with tags like thought, wondered, reflected.
| Tag | Times |
|---|---|
| thought | 29 |
| wondered | 1 |
| reflected | 0 |
| said to himself | 0 |
| said to herself | 0 |
| asked himself | 0 |
| asked herself | 0 |
| told himself | 0 |
E13. What triggers each change of viewpoint? AI
Viewpoint never changes; Watson is the sole narrator. New cases begin when clients arrive at Baker Street or when Watson and Holmes travel to investigate.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6
E14. Hindsight: where an older narrator comments on events. AI
Watson frequently uses hindsight to comment on events. Chapter 1 notes that Irene Adler remains 'the woman' to Holmes. Chapter 5 reflects on Openshaw's tragic fate. Chapter 12 provides a final summary of outcomes.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 5, Ch 12
To Sherlock Holmes she is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. (Ch 1, para 2)
And when he speaks of Irene Adler, or when he refers to her photograph, it is always under the honourable title of the woman. (Ch 1, para 262)
And thus was solved the mystery of the sinister house with the copper beeches in front of the door. Mr. Rucastle survived, but was always a broken man, kept alive solely through the care of his devoted wife. (Ch 12, para 212)
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