The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

Please post your thoughts and questions here and be aware if you have not finished this chapter spoilers may be posted here.

I really enjoyed the scenic description of the lawyer's fireside. It's hard to read this story afresh when we all know the story so well. Interesting that the clerk decides to compare writing to Jekyll's.

Deborah wrote: "I really enjoyed the scenic description of the lawyer's fireside. It's hard to read this story afresh when we all know the story so well. Interesting that the clerk decides to compare writing to Je..."

Yes one of the things I found interesting

I am sure most people are familiar with the story but in case someone is reading it fresh

(view spoiler)[The first time I read the story I did not really pay as much attention to a lot of the details, perhaps because I already knew the ultimate outcome, but in reading this time I found it interesting how many little clues Stevenson gives the reader. I wonder if his intended audiences, before everyone knew the story would guess the outcome on their own (hide spoiler)]

Handwriting, letters and their method of delivery all feature prominently in this section, and they are all traditional components of mystery stories that no longer (or rarely) exist in the 21st century-I guess more modern writers will have to make do with peculiarities of spelling or phrasing, emails or tweets and IP addresses/electronic footprints. Let's hope sitting by the fireside endures a little longer!

Frances wrote: "Handwriting, letters and their method of delivery all feature prominently in this section, and they are all traditional components of mystery stories that no longer (or rarely) exist in the 21st ce..."

And telegrams, which featured so prominently in Sherlock Holmes (and indeed in Downton Abbey) -- do they even exist today?

I think the telegram equipment has been buried in the same place as the old ham radio equipment!