Here's a famous exchange from Arthur Conan Doyle's Silver Blaze : 'Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention ?' 'To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.' 'The dog did nothing in the night-time.' What was Sherlock Holmes' response ?
Sherlock Holmes' Silver Blaze Deduction
The core of the mystery in this excerpt lies in Sherlock Holmes' interpretation of seemingly insignificant events.
During the conversation:
- Holmes points to the "curious incident of the dog in the night-time" as a key detail.
- The other person notes that the dog "did nothing in the night-time", implying no event occurred.
Holmes's genius is revealed in his understanding that the dog's inaction *was* the significant clue. A normal dog would bark if a stranger approached its master's stable. Since the dog remained silent, it indicates the dog knew the intruder.
Therefore, when the other character states the dog did nothing, Holmes's implied (and often stated in adaptations/analysis) response is that this very lack of action constitutes the crucial, "curious incident".
This aligns perfectly with the statement:
$That was the curious incident.$
Important Questions from Literature
Complete the sentence.
Shakespeare has written _______ historical plays.
Complete the sentence.
Milton's poetic style is generally regarded as _______.
Fill in the gap.
Galsworthy's famous play 'The Silver Box' deals with ________.
W. H. Auden belonged to the:
Robert Browning's poetry is:
