By Dimitri Bartels-Bray
Victorian literature is overflowing with crime, detective stories, and daring mysteries (no, it is not just Sherlock Holmes.) All of these characters possess different personalities and tackle their cases with different methods, whether it be Sherlock's deductive reasoning or Jerry Stokes' burning intuition; however, these tend to be erased by the prominence of Holmes and Holmes-esque figures, shaping the perception of Victorian detective literature. The Methods Project hopes to put a stop to that.
The Methods Project endeavors to analyze multiple examples of Victorian detective fiction in relation to the methods the stories' characters use to solve their mysteries. In turn, these methods (as well as unique aspects of the character's personalities) are examined in order to discover the ways in which readers perceive their heroes. For instance, how might readers react to Sherlock Holmes' ability to come to conclusions in ways most readers could not, versus heroes such as Mr. Donovan who often allow readers to solve the story alongside them? It will also call upon traditional Victorian thought on criminals, such as philosophies that imply criminals can be discerned based upon appearance alone, and suggest how modern-day audiences may react to them when utilized in stories.
This project will answer these questions through analysis on the text itself utilizing Hypothesis. The current texts used are as follows:
"Jerry Stokes" by Grant Allen (1891)
"A Scandal in Bohemia" (Sherlock Holmes Adventures - Adventure I.) by Arthur Conan Doyle (1892)
"The Jewelled Skull" (Romances from a Detective's Casebook I.) by Dick Donovan (1892)
"A Princess's Vengeance" (The Experiences of Loveday Brooke; Lady Detective III.) by C.L Pirkis (1893)
"The Lenton Croft Robberies" (Martin Hewitt, Investigator I.) by Arthur Morrison (1894)