Watson as Narrator, Jauregui 1

Vanessa Jauregui
WR 39B
Dr Lynda Haas
June 8
th
, 2014
Watson as Narrator
During the Victorian Era, Conan Doyle created a series of mysteriesy about a
detective book series about a detective by the name of Sherlock Holmes. His sidekick and
companion, who servesd as the narrator for most of these stories, was is John H. Watson.
The short stories, or and novellas, were widely successful with Conan Doyles late the
Victorian readers public. One of Doyles successes included The Final Problem, where
Doyle kills Holmes off. Because of Doyles title as the writer who developed most of the
genres conventions, Some literary critics talk about this success as being a result of
Watson as narrator because it makes the story seem more realistic and relatable or
because it keeps the suspense. Having Watson as narrator helped Doyles story become
successful because of the time period in which it existed while making the mystery genre
possible. have frequently suggested reasons for the popularity of the Holmes stories; many
point to Watsons narrative as a result for the success, because he makes the stories more
realistic, relatable, and suspenseful.
Literary scholars argue that having a Watson-like narrator makes the mystery genre
appealing to the public. T.J. Binyon, the author ofMurder Will Out, says The creation of
Watson was, in fact, a stroke of genius. However outr the events he describes, the fact that they
are mediated through his prosaic, stolid personality gives them a reality and a plausibility which
they would otherwise lack (Binyon 9-10). In other words, he argues that this is the case because
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Watson as Narrator, Jauregui 2
it makes readers feel like the stories are realistic and overall possible. Since Watson is a
Victorian Era doctor, he is average in the sense that he is part of the Victorian middle class. This
makes the stories more believable and relatable to the targeted audience of the short detective
stories. Leroy Panek the author of An Introduction to the Detective Story, also describs Watson
as a realistic reflection of Conan Doyles readers: The Victorian age shows the emergence of
several new classes of readers brought into being by universal education and the urge to self-
improvement. The most important of these, however, was the middle-class male reader who long
ago had the ability, but not the time, to read fiction (Panek 9). As Panek explains, the Victorian
Era brought about cheaper books, allowing the middle class to be able to afford books. The
detective stories were targeted towards the middle-class male audience. Coincidentally (or
perhaps not so coincidentally), Watson was the perfect image of the Victorian Era gentleman.
Thus, the audience at the time could relate to Doyles books by viewing events as Watson does.
Now going back to Binyon, he also points out that the only three stories for which Doyle did not
have Watson as narrator were the only stories that were tremendously unsuccessful (9-10). This
could be the result of a lack of relatability within the targeted Victorian middle class audience
and because of Sherlocks methods of thinking. It could also, of course, be the structure of the
story and how impossible it is to keep the mystery alive within the pages of the book if the
audience can solve the case as soon as evidence is present like Holmes does. By having Watson
as a narrator, Doyle is allowing the audience to not only associate themselves with him but also
to make the story more believable
One reason scholars give for the importance of A narrator like Watson within the
mystery genre is that key to the success of the mystery genre because he represents the
readers from within the story. For example, psychologist and journalist Maria Konnikova,
Watson as Narrator, Jauregui 3
the author of Masterminds: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, says argues that, we as
readers are like Watson in the sense that we go through life without really noticing things
(Konnikova 4). To say this, Konnikova uses as an example A Scandal in Bohemia the story
in which Sherlock asks Watson how many steps there are before reaching the door.
Sherlock knows the exact amount while Watson has no idea. This shows us the difference
between Holmes style of thinking as opposed to Watson. Since Watson thinks like the
reader, he provides the reader with someone to connect with. As he does this, he also
shrouds the mystery and keeps the readers interested. As Jerome Delamater and Ruth
Prigozy, the author of Theory and Practice of Classic Detective Fiction agrees with
Konnikova that Watson is a representation of the reader when they suggest that the
success of the stories is because of the double plot, which is puts it, The plot is double
because the story is first narrated as it appears to the bewildered bystanders who observe
the crime and are to some extent threatened by it but who cannot arrive at its solution[.]
In other words, the plot is kept interesting because the bewildered bystanders such as
Watson narrate the first level of the plot. of the fact that the reader wants to know what the
answers to the crime were. If Holmes were the narrator in The Final Problem, there
would be no surprise as there was when Watson comes back to find Holmes was murdered.
Without Watson as narrator, all of the mysteries would be solved as the evidence
accumulates and prove to be a less invigorating read for its audience. Watsons inability to
understand everything that is going on is what makes for the mystery and the game play of
the stories.
While having Watson as narrator is important for the success of the mystery genre
because he thinks like the reader, some scholars argue add that we could there are also
Watson as Narrator, Jauregui 4
readers who think more like Sherlock Homes while reading these mysteries. Konnikova
argues for this reasoning by saying suggests, [I]ts its not that we arent capable of doing
it; its just that we choose not to do it (Konnikova 4). She argues that when we can train
our minds to think like Sherlock Holems (Konnikova 4). To do so, she explains the case of
Edalji, whom Conan Doyle proves innocent by thinking like Sherlock Holmes. He employs
observations like Sherlock would and goes about solving the case with similar methods. He
looks at soil, even, to prove Edalji innocent, just as the fictional character Sherlock Holmes
would (Konnikova 10-11). By explaining this real-live instance, Konnikova is showing that
a person can actually think like Sherlock Holmes, thereby proving her argument that
people can learn to think like him. Sherlock. As I have said before, Watson employs a
different method of thinking than Holmes in Doyles Sherlock Holmes stories. Watson is a
representative of the common people and how they think. Konnikova, however, in her book
Mastermind: How to think like Sherlock, states that people can learn how to think like
Sherlock Holmes by practice. Literary scholar Leroy Panek, the author of An Introduction to
the Detective Story, expresses a similar idea in this chapter similar belief in his chapter
Beginnings. in which he talks about the readers Watson is supposed to be enacting in the
Holmes stories. He states, If one is diligent, and detective story fans are nothing if they are
not diligent, one can unearth examples of rigorous thinking, the use of evidence, and the
hero as the unraveller of the antagonist's artifice in virtually every epoch or clime. (3).
What he means is that all readers of the mystery genre are capable of solving the crimes
depicted in detective stories through thinking. Asking the reader to think like Holmes is
illustrated by Watson in Doyles Watson also shows us a similar result in The Final
Problem after Watson finds Holmes is gone, he employs Sherlocks methds of deduction
Watson as Narrator, Jauregui 5
and observation;when he comes back to find Sherlock is gone. He employs Sherlocks
methods of deduction and observation by which he deduces that Sherlock Holmes is dead.
I stood for a minute or two to collect myself, for I was dazed with the horror of the thing.
Then I began to think of Holmess own methods and to try to practise them in reading this
tragedy. It was, alas, only too easy to do. (Doyle). Having spent all this time solving cases
with Sherlock, Watson was able to gather methods of deduction from Holmes that aided
him in solving mysteries in Holmes death. It is no wonder that Konnikova and Panek would
think that a Sherlock way of thought is attainable. It is no wonder that Konnikova and
Panek would think that a Sherlock Holmes way of thought is attainable. So while Watson is
supposed to provide the audience someone to sympathize with, Konnikova suggests that
readers are able to gain Sherlock-like ways of thought through training and Panek suggest
that readers are capable of Holmes standard of thinking on their own by simply thinking.
Having a Watson-like narrator makes the mystery genre appealing to the public. Binyon,
the author of An Introduction to the Detective Story, says The creation of Watson was, in fact, a
stroke of genius. However outr the events he describes, the fact that they are mediated through
his prosaic, stolid personality gives them a reality and a plausibility which they would otherwise
lack (Binyon 9-10). In other words, he argues that this is the case because it makes readers feel
like the stories are realistic and overall possible. Since Watson is a Victorian Era doctor, he is
average in the sense that he is part of the Victorian middle class. This makes the stories more
believable and relatable to the targeted audience of the short detective stories. Panek, in his book
An Introduction to the Detective Story, talks about the Victorian Era. He says, The Victorian
age shows the emergence of several new classes of readers brought into being by universal
education and the urge to self-improvement. The most important of these, however, was the
Watson as Narrator, Jauregui 6
middle-class male reader who long ago had the ability, but not the time, to read fiction (Panek
9). As Panek explains, the Victorian Era brought about cheaper books, allowing the middle class
to be able to afford books. The detective stories were targeted towards the middle-class male
audience. Coincidentally (or perhaps not so coincidentally), Watson was the perfect image of the
Victorian Era gentleman. Thus, the audience at the time could relate to Doyles books by
viewing things as Watson does. Now going back to Binyon, he also points out that the only three
stories for which Doyle did not have Watson as narrator were the only stories that were
tremendously unsuccessful (Byon 9-10). This could be the result of a lack of relatability within
the targeted Victorian middle class audience and because of Sherlocks methods of thinking. It
could also, of course, be the structure of the story and how impossible it is to keep the mystery
alive within the pages of the book if the audience can solve the case as soon as evidence is
present like Holmes does. By having Watson as a narrator, Doyle is allowing the audience to not
only associate themselves with him but also to make the story more believable.
Having Watson as narrator lead to the success of Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes
novels. Watson is relatable to the audience and easy to understand, while at the same time
keeping the mystery within the story alive. The Mystery genre came to its classical state with
Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes. Since then, the Mystery genre has evolved into its periodic
state and into its revisionist state, where people try to change the genre up a little so that it is not
so monotonous or predictable. Overall, the genre took a turn for the better with Conan Doyles
creation of the hero-genius detectivecommon sidekick; Sherlock HolmesJohn H. Watson, who is
part of the middle class, as everyone else is.

Watson as Narrator, Jauregui 7
Works Cited
Adventure 11: "The Final Problem". N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Binyon, T.J. "Murder Will Out": The Detective in Fiction. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1989. 9-12. Print. April 30, 2014.
Delamater, Jerome and Ruth Prigozy, eds. Theory and Practice of Classic Detective Fiction. New
York: Praeger, 1997. Print. April 30, 2014.
Konnikova, Maria. Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. New York: Viking, 2013.
Print. April 30, 2014.
Panek, Leroy. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State
University Popular Press, 1987. Print. April 30, 2014.