A Double Barreled Detective Story
by Mark Twain
'A Double Barreled Detective Story ' Summary
The story contains two arcs of revenges. In the primary arc, a rich young woman is abused, humiliated and abandoned by her new husband, Jacob Fuller, whom she married against the wishes of her father. The young Fuller resents her father's rejection and dismissal of him as a ne'er-do-well and resolves to exact his revenge by mistreating his new bride. After his abandonment, she bears a son, whom she names Archy Stillman. When the child gets older, the mother discovers that he possesses an incredible ability of smell, like a bloodhound. The mother instructs her child, now sixteen, to seek out his biological father with the intent of destroying that man's peace and reputation, and hence extracting satisfaction for her.
Five years later in a second arc, at a mining camp in California, Fetlock Jones, a nephew of Sherlock Holmes, kills his master Flint Buckner, a silver-miner, by blowing up his cabin. Since this occurs when Holmes happens to be visiting, Holmes applies his skills to bear upon the case and derives a logically worked conclusion that is proved to be abysmally wrong by Archy Stillman using his sense of smell. This could be seen by the reader as yet another piece where Twain tried to prove that life does not quite follow logic.
This is a satire by Twain on the mystery novel genre. In the second arc, Sherlock Holmes is depicted in employing "scientific methods" to a ridiculous degree, yet arriving at a completely wrong assessment. On the other hand, the crime is solved with a supernatural ability that no normal human possesses. Yet even this fails to reveal the whole truth, as the final twist of the story indicates.
Furthermore, Sam Clemens/Mark Twain poked through the "4th wall" and appeared as himself in the middle of the story, supposedly while the story was being serialized, and responded to letters sent in by readers to the newspaper editor. During the exchange, Twain made fun of/self-advertised some of his other famous short stories.
Book Details
Authors
Mark Twain
United States
Twain was fascinated with science and scientific inquiry. He developed a close and lasting friendship with Nikola Tesla, and the two spent much time together in Tesla's laboratory. Twain patented thre...
Books by Mark TwainDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer
In "Return of Dr. Fu-Manchu," the cunning and ruthless criminal mastermind, Dr. Fu Manchu, resurfaces after years of absence. With his plans for worl...
Where Angels Fear to Tread by E. M. Forster
On a journey to Tuscany with her young friend and traveling companion Caroline Abbott, widowed Lilia Herriton falls in love with both Italy and a hand...
Before the Mirror by Elizabeth Stoddard
Before the Mirror is a novel by Elizabeth Stoddard that was first published in 1865. The novel tells the story of two sisters, Rose and Lily, who are...
The Bent Twig by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Semi-autobiographical series of incidents in the life of an intellectual American family in the late 19th - early 20th Century as seen by favored daug...
scharlaken letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Het boek 'The Scarlet Letter' van Nathaniel Hawthorne onderzoekt het leven van Hester Prynn, een jonge vrouw in het puritaanse Boston van de 17e eeuw,...
Hope and Have; Fanny Grant Among the Indians by Oliver Optic
Amidst the untamed landscapes of the American frontier, a young heroine's journey unfolds in "Hope and Have: Fanny Grant Among the Indians." Fanny, a...
Eyes and No Eyes and Other Stories by Jane Marcet
This charming collection of stories is designed to encourage young readers to develop their powers of observation and appreciate the wonders of the wo...
Seckatary Hawkins in Cuba by Seckatary Hawkins
Seckatary Hawkins, the genial fat boy, is a favorite character with everyone who enjoys the deeds of a very real boy who manages to discover that adve...
Evil Guest by Sheridan Le Fanu
In Sheridan Le Fanu's 'The Evil Guest,' a sense of unease pervades a desolate and remote dwelling. The arrival of an unexpected visitor throws the hou...
Hope by Emily Bronte
Emily Brontë's "Hope" is not a known published work. Emily Brontë is most famous for her novel *Wuthering Heights*, a passionate and gothic tale of l...
Reviews for A Double Barreled Detective Story
No reviews posted or approved, yet...