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Literary Outline
“The Red-Headed League” by Arthur Conan Doyle
FRESHMAN ENGLISH
Archbishop Moeller High School, Mr. Rose
Respond to the following questions and prompts. Make sure your answers are as complete as you can
possibly make them. You will deposit this in the drop box at the end of class. You may and should
refer to the story while you are completing this assignment.
I.
The Milieu
1. Describe the setting of the story – be as specific as possible!
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2. How are the characters in the story a “closed society”? How are they “related” to one another?
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II. The Victim
Who is the victim? And what do we know about him?
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What does the victim’s will have to do with his murder? Explain.
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Who is the second intended victim, and why does the murderer intend to murder her too?
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III. The Suspects
1. Who is the primary “red herring” suspect? A “red herring” is a suspect or clue made to look like
it is significant when in fact it is not. What is his supposed motivation to murder?
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2. List the other suspects and any possible motives they might have for wanting the victim dead.
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IV. The Detective
1. Who is the detective, and why is he attracted to this case? How did he become involved?
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page 2
2. Who is the detective’s foil, and what role does he play in the story?
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3. Who are the two official representatives of the law? What are they like, and what role does
each play in the story?
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V. The Clues
1. Identify three clues the detective uses to solve the case. Explain what each reveals to the
detective.
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2. Is there any one clue that served as the climax (turning point) of the story? If so, how so?
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VI. The Murderer
1. Who is the murderer? And what was his motive?
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2. How was the murder committed, and how does the detective figure it out?
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3. What does the detective do in order to get the murderer to confess?
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4. How is the murderer brought to justice?
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VII. The Denouement
1. Summarize the detective’s explanation of the course of events that led to the murder
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2. Is this what you expected? Or, did the story and crime turn out to be a different solution?
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