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Motifs
Definition of Setting
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or it can be an imagined... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the city of New York, or... read full definition
Setting is where and when a story or scene takes place. The where can be a real place like the... read full definition
Setting
Explanation and Analysis—The Old Ancestral House:
"The Adventure of the Speckled Band" is set in England in the late 1800s. The story begins in the safety of Sherlock's office in London before shifting to the Roylotts' derelict manor in the fictional town of Stoke Moran in Surrey, a county southwest of London. Stoke Moran is somewhat isolated: in order to visit, Sherlock and Watson must first travel to Leatherhead, a real town nearby with a train station. Watson further observes that there are "no signs of any workmen" when he and Sherlock arrive. The isolation of the manor enhances the ominous mood because it leaves Sherlock and Watson entirely at the mercy of Dr. Grimesby Roylott; no one can help them if they find themselves in danger. In addition, the decrepit and isolated nature of the manor reflects the decline of the Roylott family: once the home of the illustrious Roylotts, the manor's occupants now number only two.
It is also important to note that the Roylotts' manor is undergoing repair at the time of Sherlock and Watson's visit. Watson notes that the manor is composed of structural elements from different stages in its construction. When he visits Helen's room, for instance, he notes:
The boards round and the panelling of the walls were of brown, worm-eaten oak, so old and discoloured that it may have dated from the original building of the house.
This seemingly minor detail establishes the foundation for the crime itself, because Dr. Roylott capitalizes upon the unique structure of the house in order to commit his gruesome murders using his swamp adder.
It is also notable that the story provides a description of the manor setting to the reader in stages. First, Helen Roylott outlines the structure of the house while Sherlock prompts her for more details. Second, the story presents the manor through Watson's perspective when Sherlock and Watson visit the crime scene. Third, Sherlock confides in Watson about his own deductions following their visit. By offering three separate accounts of the setting, the story challenges the reader to deduce the facts of the case from the same information that is made available to Sherlock and Watson.
Related Themes:
