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Gaurav Venkatesh
Dr Lynda Haas
WR 39B
Dr Lynda Haas
Gaurav Venkatesh
27th July,2014
Critical Reading Response Essay<give your essay a title that sums
up the main point in a nutshell

Sir Arthur Conan Doyles The Sherlock Holmes series was invariably a hit <a little
informal, see if you can find a more formal way to say this through the 19th century and the 20th
century; even today in the 21
st
century, Holmes continues to be a bible for the mystery genre.
Each peculiarity convention of the stories, whether planned or unplanned by Doyle, are now
expected elements of the masterpiece.any story in the detective genre. It is impossible to state
that only factor was the solechoose only one reason for the success of the series; many s.
However there are a few main components that made itthis series a success. I would like to argue
that the series was a hit forOne thing is certain: the nature of the hero Sherlock Holmes has
something to do with the continued popularity of Conan Doyles work.. Something about histhe
character makes the readers aspire to become like him and envision themselves in his
position.<<perhaps a good place to quote from Konnikova
One of the main components of the success as mentioned byAccording to Leroy Panek, a
literary scholar who wrote a book-length study of the genre, An Introduction to the Detective
Story, <<<notice how I revised this introduction to Panek---you need to have an introduction like
this for each of the scholars you use in his work Doyle, would be the paradoxical
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characteristic of Sherlock Holmes makes him appealing to readers across the decades. Panek
claims that Doyle builtdescribes Holmes with a moreas having both a secular and a split
personality. Holmes asAs an individual, he possesses extraordinary attributes and, he seems to
havehas selective yet extensive knowledge. However, hHis habits are a contrast to how he
obtains these abilities. Being aHe is somehow both a nicotine and cocaine addict as well as, he
manages to be an excellent athlete and precise marksmen. Sherlock Holmes neither worksjobs
nor practices any tasks and spends most of his time solitary in his room, yet he attains perfection
in various fields. <<<remember, your purpose is to review what the scholars say---so which
scholar had all these ideas? Make sure that you credit him and use a citationif its still Panek,
then just put a (Panek pg#) citation at the end here He also seems to know the routes in and
around London like the back of his hand. For instance, in The Sign of Four,<novels are put
into italics Sherlock<just use his last name Holmes upon reaching Bartholomews <I think its
Thaddeuss residence where he meets McMurdo residence just happens to know Mcmurdo, not
just does he know Mcmurdo, a deep chested man, but also beat him in a boxing match. This is all
true and good info, but it is not focused on your purpose for this essay: TO REVIEW WHAT
THE SCHOLARS SAY about Holmes as a paradox. You need to find someone besides Panek
who addresses this and then put those two scholars in conversation---they may be agreeing but
focusing on different aspectsor they may be disagreeing. Your job is to review what 2
scholars say about this topic and then end with some sort of statement that synthesizes
As every story needs a hero, it is evident that anyone who has trouble anywhere in
England seems to approach the famous private detective Sherlock Holmes. He is the perfect hero
for the simple reason that he did not obtain his powers magically. He is a rather a realistic hero,
though fictional, whose set of skills can be obtained by anybody by simply tuning their mind.
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Maria Konnikova, a fan of the detective genre gives us her valuable insight in her work How to
think like Sherlock Holmes.<book titles get italics She believes that anybody can attain such
skills by simply being mindful. After all the Sherlock character was based of Dr Joseph Bell,
who Conan Doyle encountered during his education in the University of Edinburgh.
Superman flies and the Flash runs, that is their superpower. Similarly our hero
Sherlock deducts<< deduces. Deducts is a math termfor subtraction. The character would
not be able to be such a hit if not for this ability of deduction. Sherlock has the ability to give out
approximate information of everything he sees by simply observing it. And unlike Supermans
flying, Sherlocks powers are more justified. For instance, on page 255 of the novel The Sign of
four Sherlock is able to deducet the life of Watsons brother by simply glancing at his watch;
another instance would be when Sherlock initially meets Dr.Watson in the Study of Scarlet, he
was quickly able to predict Dr.Watsons profession and recent travels. As mentioned by
Binyonfully intro the scholars in his work Murder will out, the fascinating thing is about
Conan Doyles work Sherlock Holmes is that Sherlock uses his deductive powers not only to
solve crime but also on objects of his clients to impress his readers. Binyon provides us evidence
of these exploits by mentioning the use of Sherlocks deductive powers such as in as Henry
Bakers hat in The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, Grant Munros pipe in The Adventure
of the Yellow Face. Never has logic been as powerful as it is in the detective genre. We must
note that he doesn't accidently come across but arrives at the solution through the clues he picks
up throughout the story. The chase is not enjoyed as much as the approach to the solution and
this is what truly excites the reader about the detective genre. I think the sub-point youre
working on here is Holmess almost superpower of using the science of deduction--- you
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need to find at least two scholars who write about this and then review what each of them says
about this topic.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle sets the rules in such a manner that we are able to visualize every
aspect of the case and to a certain extent even question if the character is fictional. Maria
Konnikova gives a new vibe to the character Sherlock by considering him real and further goes
on to explain how his brain works. The author explains how being mindful or mentally active
can enhance our perception of the world around us. She believes that we can replicate his
thinking by following some simple rules and further explains how we think and how we should
be thinking. She even states that What I couldnt understand then was that Holmes had quite a
bit more leg up on me. For most of his life he has been honing his skills.(How to think like
Sherlock, 2). She is so optimistic about the fact that a living Sherlock is possible or Sherlock
Holmes really did exist. But like every superhero even Sherlock Holmes is a fictional
character. The attributes of a fictional character cannot be mimicked even if wanted to. We
unlike Sherlock are social beings; human interaction to some extent is a must to keep our sanity.
We cannot go for days without sleeping, biologically we are bound to reach a state of exhaustion
and mentally we sure to shut down. Regular consumption of nicotine and cocaine will lead to
death inevitably. Panek states that Sherlock Holmes embodies almost everyone's fantasy of
being accomplished without effort, and the very fact that Holmes is an expert without working at
it which is something we overlook; no individual is born with raw talent. Effort is necessary to
see results. Although Panek and Maria Konnikova have different views on the topic, they both
point out what was desirable by the middle class audience. Panek although being realistic
undermines the importance of the character in the Detective genre. Maria on the other hand
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wants to replicate his methodology in daily life. Our brain however fails to function in such ways
even if forced.
Good start, Gaurav! I think you have two sub-points within your main thesis about what
has made Sherlock Holmes a popular character throughout the centuries: he is interesting
because of he is a paradoxopposites reside within the one person; and he is interesting because
of his genius when it comes to solving cases (his power of deduction). So you just need to now
make a thesis that is a literature review thesis with tehse two pointssomething like:
Although literary critics have offered many reasons for the enduring popularity of
Sherlock Holmes, there are two elements of his personality that they agree are part of his appeal:
he is a paradox and he is a genius when it comes to deduction.
Then have a topic sentence for each of those main points and then make sure you have at
least two critics within each point.
Remember, remember, remember: You are writing a review of what the critics say about
this topic. Not your own opinions.
You also need to learn how to do the MLA citations correctly

Youve got a great startkeep going!



Citation
Konnikova, Maria. Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. New York:
Viking, 2013. Print.

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Conan Doyle, Arthur. The Sign of the Four. Seattle: Amazon Digital Services, 2013.
Kindle eBook. Online.

Panek, Leroy. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling
Green State University Popular Press, 1987. Print.

Farrell, Kirby. Heroism, Culture, and Dread in The Sign of Four. Studies in the Novel

16:1 (1984): 32-51. JSTOR. Web. 01/15/2014.