It seems as though Barthes’ essay, “Introduction to the Structural Analysis of Narratives,” particularly his segment on the analysis of function in narratives is perfectly explained by the our second reading, “The Adventure of the Speckled Band”. Barthes explains on page 89 that when reading narratives, “even were a detail to appear irretrievable insignificant…everything has a meaning.” What better story to emphasize this point then a Sherlock Holmes mystery! To Holmes, every detail is vital, as we see when he urges Miss Stoner to be very specific in detail when telling over the story. In regards to function within the narrative, Doyle is clearly writing with the function that Barthes is referring to, that of foreshadowing, in many instances throughout the story, such as when Miss Stoner tell Holmes of the Doctor’s “passion for Indian animals [which are] feared by the villagers almost as much as their master.”
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4 comments:
I completely agree with this. I think that in any story, there are a lot of details that normally you would over look, until you reach the end of the story and the truth is revealed. Only then does the seemingly insignificant detail come to your attention. In cases like this, re-reading stories are generally helpful in studying a text.
Details are very important, not only does it lead up to the climax of the story, but it also helps develop the story line better. It makes the story more colorful and interesting to the reader. Creating small details, such as the time that Holmes awakes, or something as insignificant as the pair paying their fare when they arrive at Ms. Stoner’s manor, it need not be said, but it is what makes the story. It is the “personality” to the story.
At the same time, there are details that are unimportant that do try to mislead you.
Sera Ramlal
On page 89, Barthes says the following: "The essence of a function is, so to speak, the seed that it sows in the narrative, planting an element that will come to fruition later - either on the same level or elsewhere, on another level." By noting the seemingly useless details along the way with Holmes, the reader can feel as if he or she is part of the story, trying to use these clues to solve the mystery. Once the reader realizes that nothing noted is too small to be overlooked, he or she can form hypotheses as to who committed the crime and how, before the story even ends. If the story were to have ended with, lets say, an unknown person having shot the woman, it would have been a letdown because none of the details that had been exposed would have meant anything to the final result - the diligent reader is however rewarded here with a clever and relevant ending.
I agree a lot with what Sera said as well. The ability for Sherlock to link the rope to the vent to the bed as the source for the death murder shows how the attention to detail, regardless of how small the hint or clue was, just re-emphasizes the importance of the levels as stressed by Barthes’ article.
Interesting, that paying attention to detail helps to bring out the true meaning of a situation. as Barthes points out on page 87 a narrative helps to bring out the meaning of a “story [by] recogniz[ing] its construction”.
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