Red herring
Literary term · say it RED HAIR-ing
A red herring is a clue, person, or detail that leads readers toward a wrong explanation. It often appears in mysteries, where it makes an innocent person seem guilty or gives an ordinary event a suspicious meaning.
Ways a red herring appears
A suspicious person
Someone behaves secretively for a reason unrelated to the main mystery. That secrecy makes the person look guilty.
In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Barrymore's secret nighttime signalling makes him seem suspicious. His signals actually help his wife's brother, an escaped convict, rather than the person behind the Baskerville plot.
In The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
A misleading detail
A detail seems to explain an important clue but points toward the wrong answer. The detail may be true even though the conclusion is false.
In The Adventure of the Speckled Band, the presence of travelling gypsies on the estate offers a misleading explanation for the dying woman's reference to a band. The real danger comes from inside her own household.
In The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan Doyle
How to spot a red herring
- Notice details that make one explanation seem especially tempting.
- Ask whether suspicious behaviour could have another cause.
- Check which clues lose their importance when the truth comes out.
What is the difference between a red herring and foreshadowing?
A red herring points toward a wrong explanation, while foreshadowing hints at what actually happens later. Both can draw attention to small details. Looking back after the ending often helps separate misleading clues from genuine warnings.
Does a red herring have to be a false clue?
No, a red herring can be a true detail that encourages a mistaken conclusion. A person may really be hiding something, but that secret may have nothing to do with the crime. The misleading part is the connection readers assume.
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