46 pages 1 hour read

Arthur Conan Doyle

A Study in Scarlet

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1887

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.

Essay Topics

1.

Explore the concept of justice in the novel. Holmes, Lestrade, and Gregson are not motivated by justice to solve the case. Conversely, Hope’s desire for revenge is the belief that only he can ensure justice for Lucy’s death. Why is the murderer the only character driven to seek justice?

2.

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?

3.

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?

Related Titles

By Arthur Conan Doyle

Study Guide

logo

A Case Of Identity

Arthur Conan Doyle

A Case Of Identity

Arthur Conan Doyle

Study Guide

logo

A Scandal in Bohemia

Arthur Conan Doyle

A Scandal in Bohemia

Arthur Conan Doyle

Plot Summary

logo

His Last Bow

Arthur Conan Doyle

His Last Bow

Arthur Conan Doyle

Study Guide

logo

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventure of the Speckled Band

Arthur Conan Doyle

Study Guide

logo

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Arthur Conan Doyle

Study Guide

logo

The Lost World

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Lost World

Arthur Conan Doyle

Study Guide

logo

The Sign of the Four

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Sign of the Four

Arthur Conan Doyle

Plot Summary

logo

The Valley of Fear

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Valley of Fear

Arthur Conan Doyle