Jaelyn deGuia A6

The Queen of Crime vs. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The two famous authors, Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle, have created the most exciting, fast-paced, and thrilling literature for years. Doyles novels include everyones favorite partners in crime, Holmes and Watson, and Christies novels include well-known Hercule Poroit. In Doyles novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, the legend of the murderous hound lurks around the moor. While in Christies novel, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, features a suicide followed by a murder in a small village. The two authors utilize many of the same literary elements, but use them differently to convey stories of mans immorality. The Hound of the Baskervilles is a terrifying mystery of the deadly hound lurking on the moor, the creature gave a hideous howl(Doyle202). The narrating is done in the first person by the protagonist, Dr. Watson. Doyle uses shadows, damp and raw(32) weather, and a legend that haunts the Baskervilles to create a dark mood. Watson, the narrator, writes letters and diary entries of his frightening findings. When he is with Holmes, the author uses dialogue to present clues. The tone of the novel is very serious and gloomy. This helps support the darkness of Hugo Baskerville, whose obsession and greed lead him to treacherous acts like attempted murder. Doyle uses a thrilling climax, Sir Henry looking back, his face white in the moonlight, his hands raised in horror, glaring helplessly at the frightful thing which was hunting him down(202). The resolution quick but calming comes with gunshots and joyful cries. At the end of the book, Doyle adds a denouement, a very unlikely element to appear in a more realistic

story. The happily ever after puts an end to all the terrifying events and prevents cliffhangers. Unlike The Hound of the Baskervilles, Agatha Christies novel, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, uses a first person narrative by the antagonist, the killer Dr. Sheppard. Poroit, the detective, does his work alone rather than with a partner. Because of this, Poroit or Dr. Sheppard will speak to himself, or will analyze his thoughts alone, [He] went in. Caroline had her hat on, and had evidently just come in from the village. She began without preamble(Christie11). The tone of this story is not dark, but ultimately shocks the reader as to who was the devious murderer in the plot. Towards the end of the boo , Christie e!plains the points"clues directly instead of indirectly li e The Hound of the Baskerville, #. That of Colonel Carter$ that %alph was secretly harried to &lora. The first or most simple solution'()*+. The story ends in an apologia, a justification of an opinion, the apologia closes the case. Although the two are different they also have many similarities. The settings in the books are in a small village, the communities are quiet, but many clues arise from the people there. In The Murder of Roger Ackroyd more female characters are used in the story than in The Hound of the Baskervilles despite them both taking place in the late 1800s. The victims in the two stories are also very similar, wealthy, elderly, and live in a small village. In fact &ernly ,ar , is owned by %oger -c royd' (.+, and /Sir Charles had the reputation of being rich' (0oyle1.+. 2oth stories give characters that are so trapped in their wic ed thoughts, that it leads them to criminal actions. 3n conclusion, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and The Hound of the Baskervilles show how similar literary elements can be used differently to create two uni4ue

mysteries. 5ach novel has its value, Christie6s boo with its murderous wives and suicide, and 0oyle6s boo with a deadly hound and shadows on the moor. 2oth stories use literary elements to show the conse4uences that occur when man6s morality is bro en.

References
Christie, -gatha. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. 7.p.$ 8illiam Collins, Sons, #9:1. Goodreads. 8eb. ;: 0ec. :;#*. 0oyle, -rthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. 7ew <or $ =oo ing >lass =ibrary? 0istributed by %andom House, #91#. ,rint.