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?