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Angerica Rianne Garcia

Dr Lynda Haas
Writing 37
09 December 2014
Literature Review: The Specific Structure of a Detective Story
According to literary scholars, one of the defining features of the detective genre is the
specific structure that ensures its readers will receive no surprises as they read from beginning to
end. Literary scholar George N. Dove, author of The Reader and the Detective Story, claims, no
reading is completely new and every reading is a rereading (Dove 6). Dove summarizes
four defining characteristics of the detective story that past literary critics have pointed to as
primary conventions of the genre: every detective story is transitory, without long-range goals
or purposes; it is fundamentally an intellectual undertaking; it is recreational, intended primarily
to relax; and it is a disciplined, delimited literary form (Dove 2). Due to their limited structure,
detective novels create no stress within readers because they are aware of how the story will
progress and end. A detective story is only considered a part of the genre if it conform[s] to
certain formulas [and] commits its vision to a set of conventions (Dove 4). The formulaic
structure of the detective genre is significant because it provides a recreational, relaxing story for
the readers and the firm structure is analogous to the rules of a game, allowing them to solve the
case as they follow along.
The specific structure of a detective story allows readers to relax due to the fact that they
are not worried or in anxiety about how the story will end. In every story, the main character is
a detective, the plot deals with investigation and resolution, the mystery involved is a
complex secret that appears impossible of a solution and lastly, the mystery is solved (Dove

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10). One of Arthur Conan Doyles most well known stories, The Hound of the Baskervilles,
specifically follows this structure as the reader follows the adventure of Sherlock Holmes and
John Watson in their attempt of trying to figure out a solution to the proposed problem. Holmes,
the detective, is the main character of the story, which fulfills the first requirement of the
detective genrethe main character is a detective. Within the first two chapters of the story, the
mystery is introduced: Dr. James Mortimer reveals the legend of the hound, which is somehow
related to the death of his friend, Sir Charles Baskerville. As the story progresses, both Holmes
and Watson observe the setting in their attempt to deduce clues about Sir Charles death. By the
end of the story, Holmes figures that Stapleton, a Baskerville who wants to claim the Baskerville
fortune, is responsible for his deaththe mystery is solved. In the chapter The Different Story
of The Reader and the Detective Story, Dove introduces Frank Kermodes term hermeneutic
specialization, which is a mode that forces the reader to interpret the text in terms of the
anticipated outcome of the story (4). Dove states that the structure ensures the substantial
elimination of stress; the reader is not likely to experience any deep emotional involvement
with a problem (7). It allows the reader to continue with confidence that the mystery will be
solved and the reading is consequently relieved of the normal stresses of problem-solving
(Dove 18). According to Edgar award winning author Leroy Panek, Doyle hardly tries to make
readers think about prison reform or an unjust legal or social system, suggesting that the
detective genre does not cause stress, similar to Doves statement of a story being transitory (9).
Prior to Doyles domestication of the genre, novels were slow and long for middle-class men to
read, therefore, the invention of the short story and the slimming down of novels changed all of
this (Panek 10). The conventional structure of the detective genre enables readers to enjoy the
story free of stress.

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In addition to relaxing readers, the formulaic plot mirrors the rules of a game, which
allows them to follow along and play the game of solving the case. Dove compares the detective
genre to a crossword puzzle since the qualities of a detective story imitate those of a crossword
puzzle. He states that detective fiction is structurally a conservative genre similar to how
games have a set list of rules that must be followed (Dove 5). Likewise, Dove asserts that the
conservatism of the genre is that of the organized game, preserving custom and convention as
an essential to its own continuation (5). With each story, the readers are ensured a solution,
which can be compared to other detective stories. In the chapter Doyle in An Introduction to
the Detective Story, Panek states, almost all of Holmes stories begin with a curtain raiser in
which Holmes demonstrates his powers of observation and analytical skill (Panek 84). For
example, in The Hound of the Baskervilles, the story opens with Holmes observing a stick that
was left at the door the night before. Both his observations and Watsons insight lead him to the
conclusion that the stick was given as a gift to an elderly doctor. Similarly, in the story A Scandal
in Bohemia, after time of not seeing one another, Holmes was able to figure out that Watson had
married a woman who was clumsy and careless based on Watsons physical appearance. Because
each story opens in the same manner, readers know what to expect as soon as they focus their
attention on the story. Going back to the four characteristics that Dove presented, because the
detective is the main character, many of the characters are dependent on Holmes due to his
detective powers of analyzing and observation.
The formulaic structure of the detective genre gives readers a way of knowing what to
expect as they engage in a detective story. Each story begins and ends a certain way, which is
consistent between every story. The specific structure and characteristics of a detective story
makes a clear distinction from other genres. Its consistency helps appeal readers because they are

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aware of what will happen within the story. With the many critics [that] have commented on the
play or game-quality in detective fiction, veteran readers are able to follow the detective in
solving the case on their own.

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Works Cited
Conan Doyle, Arthur. The Hound of the Baskervilles. Sharon, MA: Higher Read, LLC 20143.
Kindle eBook. Online.
Dove, George N. The Different Story. The Reader and the Detective Story. Bowling Green,
OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997. PDF File.
Panek, Leroy. Beginnings. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH:
Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1987. PDF File.
Panek, Leroy. Doyle. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling
Green State University Popular Press, 1987. PDF File.