Explore Arthur Conan Doyle's book, “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” (1892), with these discussion questions.

Explore Arthur Conan Doyle’s book of short stories, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892), with these discussion questions aimed at high school students. These questions can be used as: classroom discussion topics, essay prompts, short answer questions, or whatever you’d like! They’re springboards to help design lesson plans.

Characters and Relationships

  • Explore the character of Sherlock Holmes. How is he portrayed in the stories?
  • Discuss the relationship between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. How do they complement each other?
  • Discuss Holmes’s interactions with other characters in the stories, such as Irene Adler and Professor Moriarty.
  • Analyze how Holmes’s relationships contribute to his character development.
  • Explore the impact of Holmes’s solitary nature on his personal life.

Detective Skills and Methods

  • Analyze the characteristics and traits that make Sherlock Holmes an effective detective.
  • Discuss Sherlock Holmes’s deductive reasoning skills. How does he arrive at his conclusions?
  • Analyze the scientific and analytical methods used by Holmes in solving cases.
  • Explore the role of intuition and observation in Holmes’s detective work.

Mystery and Suspense

  • Discuss the elements of mystery and suspense in the stories. How does Conan Doyle keep the reader engaged?
  • Analyze the structure of the stories and how the mysteries unfold.
  • Explore the use of red herrings and misdirection in the narratives.

Social Commentary

  • Discuss how the stories reflect the social and cultural context of Victorian London.
  • Explore the portrayal of class distinctions and societal norms in the narratives.
  • Analyze how the stories comment on issues such as justice and morality.
  • Does Holmes (or Watson) uphold Victorian cultural standards, or does he deviate from social norms?

The Cases

  • Since John Watson is meant to be the author of the stories, does this change how you view the stories? Does it bring you closer to the narrative?
  • Compare several cases; analyze how Holmes approaches each case and the challenges he faces.
  • Discuss the significance of specific clues and details in solving cases.
  • Analyze the motif of disguise and deception in the tales.

Literary Elements

  • Discuss the recurring themes in the stories, such as mystery, crime, and logical deduction.
  • How does Conan Doyle’s writing style contribute to the atmosphere of the tales?
  • Discuss how the conversations between characters propel the stories forward.
  • Explore the use of setting and description in creating the mood of the stories.

Ethical Dilemmas

  • Analyze the ethical dilemmas faced by Holmes in certain cases. How does he navigate moral gray areas?
  • Discuss the concept of justice in the context of Holmes’s methods and actions.
  • Explore the moral lessons embedded in specific stories.

Holmes’s Legacy

  • Why does Sherlock Holmes have an enduring popularity as a fictional detective?
  • Explore the impact of Sherlock Holmes on the literary detective genre.
  • How has Holmes’s character influenced popular culture beyond literature?