by Francis Gilbert (Author)
Why did Conan Doyle feel so ambivalent about the famous detective he created?
Why do many critics regard this text as the first modern detective story?
This is a detailed, lively study guide on Sherlock Holmes's most notorious case. It contains a detailed explanation of the contexts of the novella: how and why it came to be written, and the ways in which it invented the concept of the modern detective. In contrast to many other study guides, it encourages the reader to develop his or her own personal response. It does this by including detailed analysis of key passages from the book, together with important discussion points. It is written by an experienced English teacher who understands the concepts, facts and literary techniques that students need to learn about. It could be useful for teachers as well, particularly the second section which focuses upon textual analysis and generating a personal response from students.
To sum up, this study guide is useful in the following ways:
It is a great resource for students aiming for top grades;
It offers a fantastic stimulus for encouraging students to develop personal responses to the text, which are vital if they are going to achieve at a high level;
It could prove to be a great classroom resource for teachers too; the important sections of the novel are quoted in full here, together with useful discussion points/comprehension questions;
It is written by an experienced teacher who has taught the text in "real" classroom situations and knows what students need to learn.
Please note: this Study Guide contains the same textual commentaries/questions/tasks as the Study Guide Edition (SGE) but not the complete text, which the SGE does.
Author Biography
Francis Gilbert is a Lecturer in Education at Goldsmiths, University of London, teaching on the PGCE Secondary English programme and the MA in Children's Literature with Professor Michael Rosen. Previously, he worked for a quarter of a century in various English state schools teaching English and Media Studies to 11-18 year olds. He has also moonlighted as a journalist, novelist and social commentator both in the UK and international media. He is the author of Teacher On The Run, Yob Nation, Parent Power, Working The System -- How To Get The Very Best State Education for Your Child, and a novel about school, The Last Day Of Term. His first book, I'm A Teacher, Get Me Out Of Here was a big hit, becoming a bestseller and being serialised on Radio 4. In his role as an English teacher, he has taught many classic texts over the years and has developed a great many resources to assist readers with understanding, appreciating and responding to them both analytically and creatively. This led him to set up his own small publishing company FGI Publishing (fgipublishing.com) which has published his study guides as well as a number of books by other authors, including Roger Titcombe's Learning Matters and Tim Cadman's The Changes. He is the co-founder, with Melissa Benn and Fiona Millar, of The Local Schools Network, www.localschoolsnetwork.org.uk, a blog that celebrates non-selective state schools, and also has his own website, www.francisgilbert.co.uk and a Mumsnet blog, www.talesbehindtheclassroomdoor.co.uk. He has appeared numerous times on radio and TV, including Newsnight, the Today Programme, Woman's Hour and the Russell Brand Show. In June 2015, he was awarded a PhD in Creative Writing and Education by the University of London.