If I were given the opportunity to teach one of the pieces, we have read this semester I would teach Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Speckled Band.” I would teach this story at a college level. I would choose this particular text because Sherlock Holms’ adventures are intellectual, interesting and fun. Readers are taken through mysteries in a way that is not typical of most mystery novels in the 21st century. In the 21st century, mystery novels are heavy on everything being directed by the police. Doyle’s stories are directed by a man who has little to no connection to the police. Sherlock plays by his own rules and is an incredibly smart man. Doyle tells Sherlock’s stories in a way that keeps the reader wanting to know the truth, but also learning deductive reasoning to solve the mystery before the end of the story. Doyle’s story is also filled with dramatic elements.
Teaching Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” would be interesting because Sherlock Holms stories are not widely taught except in excerpts. I have also loved Sherlock Holms stories, although this story was this first one, I had actually read completely. I think students would be more inclined to actually read assigned texts if they are as fascinating and fun as “The Adventure of the Speckled Band.” And I am not saying that what we read this semester was not fascinating. There was some that were not that fascinating to me and a lot of it had to do with pacing and certain topics. I am a very visual reader so, teaching Sherlock Holms would be fun to teach, especially if the class I taught was more focused on early 20th century era. The pace of “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” may have a slow pace, but it kept me engaged until the end. I think that teaching this story would also be fun because Doyle is one of those authors that not everyone gets the chance or takes the chance to read. This is an easy story to start someone off with because it is a stand-alone type of story. You also do not need to know anything about the Sherlock Holms stories to read it. This Sherlock story is simple and straight forward and it gives the reader just a taste of what the Sherlock stories have to offer. This is why I would teach Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Speckled Band” it given the chance.
Brit Lit 2020 