Narrative Voice

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Narrative Voice: Watson

The novella is written from Watson’s point of view – he is the narrator, and so the story is told in his voice.

Bond with Watson

Because Watson is our narrator, we develop a type of bond with him and trust him – he is honest about his own shortcomings and reports criticism from Holmes as well (Holmes criticises that Watson spoils his writing, as he ‘attempted to tinge it with romanticism’).
As we develop a bond with Watson, we start to care about what happens to him in the story.
- For example, we worry about him being lost and being put in danger – we also become invested in his relationship with Mary Morstan.

More human than Holmes

Watson comes across as a more human character than Holmes, and so the reader can relate to him. This adds to the trusting relationship between reader and narrator.
Watson is not as self-assured or self-confident as Holmes (‘What was I, an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking-account…?’)

Makes story interesting

At the start of the novella, Holmes criticises Watson for being too romantic and sentimental in his writing – Holmes believes that when Watson is writing about his escapades, his writing should be purely scientific and logical.
- But it is because of Watson’s sociable, personal, descriptive tones that the reader is interested in the story – if it was written as a scientific report, Watson would lose that personal relationship with the reader which hooks us in.

Emotional responses

We get emotional reactions from Watson, where we would not from Holmes.
- Watson tells the reader that Mary is beautiful, graceful and lovely.
- Watson tells the reader that Thaddeus is a bit of a strange character.
- Watson tells the reader that Jonathan Small is terrifying and evil.

Narrative Voice: Watson

It is important to remember that the story is written from Watson’s viewpoint, and so many things remain a mystery to the reader.

Revelation of events

The novella itself is structured to only reveal key information to the reader as it becomes necessary – as it is revealed to Watson. This keeps us hooked into the story.

Holmes' mind

Similarly, we are only able to access Watson’s viewpoint – the inner-working of Sherlock Holmes’ mind remains a mystery to the reader, especially as Holmes only reveals information when he wants to.

Holmes' brain

Although Holmes explains his conclusions to Watson, the reader still cannot be entirely sure how his brain works and how he deduces these things from the evidence – he keeps some details to himself until he is ready to disclose them (‘I hope before very long to be able to introduce you to the pair of them’).
The reader becomes more and more impressed with Holmes, as Watson appears to throughout the story.

1Context

1.1Victorian England & British Empire

1.1.1Author Background

1.1.2Victorian Crime & Police

1.1.3Historical Context

1.1.4Victorian London

1.1.5Women

1.1.6The British Empire

1.1.7End of Topic Test - Author & Victorian Police

1.1.8End of Topic Test - Victorian London & Empire

2Plot Summary

2.1Chapter Summaries

2.1.1Chapter 1

2.1.2Chapter 2

2.1.3Chapter 3

2.1.4Chapter 4

2.1.5Chapter 5

2.1.6Chapter 6

2.1.7Chapter 7

2.1.8Chapter 8

2.1.9Chapter 9

2.1.10Chapter 10

2.1.11Chapter 11

2.1.12Chapter 12

2.1.13Chapter 12: Jonathan Small's Stories

2.1.14End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-6

2.1.15End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-12

3Characters

3.1Key Characters

3.1.1Sherlock Holmes

3.1.2Sherlock Holmes: Quotations

3.1.3Dr John Watson

3.1.4Mary Morstan

3.1.5End of Topic Test - Key Characters

3.1.6Exam-Style Questions - Mary & Dr Watson

3.2Other Characters

3.2.1Thaddeus Sholto

3.2.2Jonathan Small

3.2.3End of Topic Test - Thaddeus and Jonathan Small

3.3Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.1Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.2Extract Analysis - Tonga

4Key Themes

4.1Key Themes

4.1.1Corruption

4.1.2Criminals & Victims

4.1.3Victorian Fear

4.1.4British Empire & Imperialism

4.1.5Duality

4.1.6End of Topic Test - Key Themes

5Writing Techniques

5.1Writing Techniques

5.1.1Narrative Voice

5.1.2Dialogue

5.1.3Structure

5.1.4Structure & Characters

5.1.5Pathetic Fallacy

5.1.6End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques

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