Curious Incident of the Dog in
the Night-Time
Sherlock Holmes
The phrase “curious incident of the dog in the
night-time” comes from the Sherlock Holmes
mystery entitled “Silver Blaze.” When Mr
Watson, in his inimitable way, tells Holmes that
the dog guarding the stables did nothing,
Holmes proudly asserts, “That was the curious
incident.” That the dog did not bark proves that
the theft was an inside job by the trainer himself.
The ‘curious incident’ thus refers to the absence
of an expected reaction, in this case the dog
barking at an intruder.
Sherlock Holmes
His importance as a character is due to
the fact that we are more able to
understand Christopher’s character
through the comparisons that are made
between him and this famous fictitious
detective.
Establishes the genre of murder mystery
Intertextuality and Curious Incident.
• See handout. Complete the tasks found
on the handout.
Literary techniques
• The ‘curious incident’ is a metaphor for
Christopher’s growth and determination to
attain his goals.
• It is a multi-layered text which conveys the
unravelling of Christopher’s world.
• Writers often plan their characters and
events to convey an idea or theme about
humanity.
Narrative Elements
• To develop your understanding of how the
narrative elements shape meaning.
• To determine what aspects of the narrative
are unusual/ distinctive.
Narrative Elements
• Language, metalanguage – specific
vocabulary and words and meaning.
• Style – Point of View and Setting.
• Structure – Narrative elements.
• Themes
• Key Events.
Activity
Structure
Orientation
Complication
Sequence of events (rising
action) – several points
here.
Climax – major turning
point
Falling action –
denouement.
Resolution
Conclusion
Events
Tension Graph
1
Level of Tension
Construct a tension
graph on which you
plot each of the main
points you have listed
then join the points to
visually represent the
structure of the novel.
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
Page 1
end of
novel
Key Incidents
Narrative Landscape
1)
2)
•
•
•
Were all the strands of the narrative successfully
resolved for you? Explain your response.
In constructing the narrative, the author has alternated
each chapter that forwards the plot with a chapter that
provides an insight into Christopher’s mind. Choose
one of these insight chapter and:
Briefly summarise the subject matter
Explain the chapter’s function in the novel as a whole
List any disadvantages of this alternating-chapter
narrative technique.
Narrative Landscape
Describe the narrative ‘landscape’:
• How quickly does the complication of the novel
take place? Is it effective in drawing you into
the story?
• What often happens after moments of high
tension or excitement? What is the effect of
this?
• What is the climax of the story?
• How does the ending develop your
understanding of key ideas?
Visual Representations
• Examples: p2-3, 12, 14, 35, 46, 81, 86, 95,
110, 126-7, 156-7, 162-3, 169, 173, 179,
181-3, 194, 205, 209, 211, 214, 220, 225,
227, 231, 235, 246.
What general comments can you make
about the types of visual representations
found in the novel?
Visual Representations
What do you think is the function of these
visual texts? What do they tell us about
Christopher?
Did you find the inclusion of the visuals
helped or hindered your understanding
and appreciation of the story? Explain.
Narrator
Authors often use the technique of first person
narrative voice to encourage the reader to
identify with the narrator. It allows the reader
to see what the protagonist is thinking and the
way Christopher tells her story also develops
her character.
Think about sections of the book that you identified
with Christopher? Did you understand his
feelings and reactions? Write a paragraph
about one episode where you identified with
Christopher and explain why.
1st Person Narrative
While the first person narrative voice might allow
some insight into the workings of the narrator’s
mind, it can also reveal that the character’s view
of his/her world is limited. If the reader identifies
too closely with such a narrator we can often
miss other details in the story or only interpret
events and characters in the same way the
narrator does. In other words, a narrator who
‘misses’ the point of what is going on around
them can be described as unreliable.
Language and Style
Asperger Trait
Logical and factual nature
Good at focusing on detail
Difficulty with inferring from
social and emotional cues
Dislike of the imaginary or
fictional
Prefer routine and structure
in their lives
Does repetitive actions
Good verbal skills and may
sound over-precise
May interpret words too
literally
Feature of Style
Examples
Features of Style
• Lack of figurative language
• Limited variety of sentence structure
• Verbs focus on actions and tend to be unmodified by
adverbs
• Comparisons and analogies made in terms of actual
experience
• Precise description of the material world
• Preponderance of simple sentences and sequential
statements
• Complex sentences tend to be loose rather than periodic
• Use of concrete language
Language and Style
Write a paragraph beginning with the topic
sentence:
“Through his use of language Mark Haddon
successfully conveys Christopher’s way of
thinking.”
Make sure that you support all your
statements with evidence from the text.