Essay romeo

hat qualities are there in Conan Doyle 's Sherlock Holmes stories which have sustained their popularity for so many years?

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was among the first writers of detective stories and novels in England. The first novel recognised as a detective story was written in 1868, by Wilkie Collins entitled "The Moonstone". Later in 1870, the popular novelist Charles Dickens also tried his hand at writing a detective novel called "The Mystery of Edwin Drood". These early detective stories have not become as famous as Doyle 's creation for a number of reasons, one of which is that when Doyle began writing his novels there was a greater demand in general for stories, as more people were becoming educated and were taught how to read. Consequently, when the stories about Holmes were published, there was a growing readership in England, greater than there had been in Dickens ' and Collins ' time. Furthermore, the fact that dialect was rarely used in any of the Sherlock Holmes stories, unlike other works of the time, made it easier for people to read and understand the content, particularly those who had only recently acquired the basic skill of reading. In addition, as the stories were originally published in the "Strand" magazine, this made them fairly accessible, and therefore they enjoyed a wider social readership. The stories were often shorter than those of other writers, and thus avoided unnecessary detail. Generally, the stories have a distinct and succinct plot structure and were supported by illustrations, which I suggest, played a part in the general success.

Thus the popularity of his detective stories increased rapidly, yet at the same time Doyle was becoming more and more uncomfortable with his character. He wanted, out of personal preference to devote greater time to other forms of writing. He decided that the best way to do this was to end the life of Sherlock Holmes with a dramatic story involving Holmes ' worst enemy, Professor Moriarty. Doyle sent his famous detective and his enemy plunging to their deaths at the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. Doyle, however, had underestimated the popularity of his character, because when his followers read "The Adventure of the Final Problem" there was a public outcry over his action. He received many letters from infuriated readers and some men actually marched through London, wearing black crepe bands around their hats, indicating their remorse for the death of their favourite detective. It has been suggested that it was the popularity of Sherlock Holmes, which kept the "The Strand" magazine in business, and when Doyle 's stories did not appear in it, there were fewer copies sold, showing the tremendous popularity of the detective. The owner of the magazine reported the death of Holmes as "a dreadful event" to his shareholders, showing that it was a major loss to the company. Seven years after the supposed death of the detective, and after being offered a substantial fee by his publisher, Doyle relented to public pressure and wrote a novel entitled "The Hound of the Baskervilles" featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. As the popularity for Holmes continued to rise, he revealed in the next series, that the fall at the Reichenbach Falls had only been fatal for Moriarty and that Holmes had managed to escape at the last moment. Doyle passed away in 1930, but not before writing a further thirty two short stories and a fourth novel, "The Valley of Fear" featuring Holmes and Watson.

One reason for the appeal of the stories may be the originality of the way in which the crimes were solved. Also, as the police force had only been set up in 1814, and the detective division in 1842, the methods used in solving real cases were still very basic. Consequently, the readers would not have had much knowledge of ways of deduction and so often the plots of the stories were seen to be quite technical, and the way the crimes were solved even more so. It is a genre, which allows the reader to feel that they are indirectly participating in the process of deduction and possible solution of a mystery. The methods which Holmes uses to solve problems he encounters are quite extraordinary. For example in "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle", Holmes studies a stranger 's hat:

" 'He is a man who leads a sedentary life, goes out little, is out of training entirely, is middle-aged, has grizzled hair which he has had cut within the last few days, and which he anoints with lime-cream. ' " 1

Many readers find this skill fascinating, which in turn encourages them to read other stories of the detective.

In the late nineteenth century, policemen were generally disliked and treated with little respect. Doyle used this knowledge in many of the cases where Holmes is called to investigate, after the police have tried and failed to find a solution. For example, in "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder", the police arrest Mr John Hector McFarlane, on the suspicion of murdering Mr Jonas Oldacre. Holmes deduces that Mr Oldacre is still alive and well, and he uses his skills to make the man reveal himself to the police. Therefore, as the character of Sherlock Holmes was able to use his powers of deduction to solve cases which the police were finding difficult, he occasionally made a fool of the police, which is possibly one aspect that the original readers enjoyed. During Doyle 's early Sherlock Holmes fame, he was invited to assist Scotland Yard with their enquiries into the Jack the Ripper murders. The invitation to Doyle was used to deflect public criticism of the police force with regard to their failure to solve the crimes. Furthermore, these "Ripper Murders" may have succeeded in increasing the public 's interest in the genre of detection and the morbid fascination with murder and other gruesome events, thus indirectly increasing the popularity of the Holmes mysteries.

The personality of Holmes is also intriguing. Doyle created a character who is often seen to be cold and distant towards people who come to ask for his assistance, however, occasionally for a brief period of time he shows the reader a different aspect of his personality. One example of this, is in "The Adventure of the Devil 's Foot", where Holmes, with the assistance of Watson, is conducting an experiment with an unknown powder that has been found at the scene of a murder. The experiment proves to be very nearly fatal and the two characters drag each other to safety. It is at this point that Holmes declares the following:

" 'Upon my word, Watson! I owe you both my thanks and an apology. It was an unjustifiable experiment even for oneself, and doubly so for a friend. I am really very sorry. ' " 2

Doyle creates in his central character a genuine concern for his companion and Watson indicates to the reader in the following extract, that this is a rare moment:

" 'You know, ' I answered, with some emotion, for I had never seen so much of Holmes 's heart before, 'that it is the greatest joy and privilege to help you. ' " 3

Doyle produced a partnership, which exploited the fact that Watson and Holmes have a strong friendship, despite their obvious differences in personality.

It is probable that original readers enjoyed reading about Holmes 's various interests and could identify with some of them. The passion for playing the violin and listening to orchestral music are examples of pastimes which, especially the original readers could relate to. In addition to this, the way in which Doyle describes the mannerisms and speech of Holmes, make interesting reading, often indicating that he is in control of the situation. Doyle created certain characteristics in his detective which have become trademarks of Holmes. An example concerns a distinctive gesture in which he folds his hands, as shown in the first chapter of "The Sign of Four":

"On the contrary, he put his fingertips together and leaned his elbows on the arms of his chair, like one who has a relish for conversation." 4

This focus on a hand movement which seems to centre the character 's powers of concentration, helps to provide the reader with a clear image of Sherlock Holmes. Another characteristic is his style of sitting in an armchair with his arms and legs curled up, indicating an intense degree of thought. Doyle uses enough description in his stories in order to make the reader believe Holmes to be a dark, mysterious and solitary man.

Doyle creates a sense of urgency and suspense in much of Sherlock 's speech and he frequently shouts for his housekeeper, Mrs Hudson and his friend, Watson, when he has had an idea of how to solve a new crime that has been committed:

" 'Good, heavens, Watson, what has become of any brains that God has given me? Quick man, quick! It 's life or death - a hundred chances on death to one on life. I 'll never forgive myself, never, if we are too late! ' " 5

The example is indicative of the high energy which is common to most of the stories. Doyle linked this energy to Holmes ' use of cocaine and morphine. In some of the stories, the reader is told by Watson that he had attempted to help Holmes in breaking the habit of using drugs, for example in "The Missing Three-Quarter". This usage of drugs could have given Holmes a certain appeal to some readers as it shows that a well to do, educated English man knew of, and frequented, opium dens where he came into contact with aspects of urban existence of which the general reader probably had little knowledge. Doyle has made Holmes turn to drugs in order to combat the depression and boredom which takes hold of him when faced with a lack of satisfying employment. The reason for this is that Holmes thrives on his work and Doyle has created a sense of obsession within his character to find the solution to problems he is presented with. A further reason for the melancholy state which Holmes declines to when not on the excitement of a new case, is the circular effect of taking narcotics on an irregular basis; periods of intense energy whilst using them, and after a short break from them a downfall to a state of dejection and displaying symptoms of withdrawal. The alternation of high to low, I suggest, generates a certain excitement and interest.

A further characteristic developed in Holmes is that he is interested solely in the bare facts, and encourages his clients to be as concise as possible, when they first meet at the beginning of a new case. One illustration of this point is in "The Adventure of the Yellow Face":

" 'Might I beg you, as time may prove to be of importance to furnish me with the facts of your case without further delay? ' " 6

This indicates his impatience to begin to unravel the mystery at hand, which may be another character trait which people admire and enjoy reading about. A sense of dominance and precision is created in the central character, giving Holmes almost superhuman or heroic qualities. In "The Sign of Four", the reader is shown that Watson disliked upsetting or disagreeing with the great detective:

"His great powers, his masterly manner and the experience which I had had of his many extraordinary qualities all made me diffident and backward in crossing him." 7

This suggests that Doyle created a sense of superiority in the character of Holmes. He rarely takes credit for his work and often allows the police force to take all of the recognition. This humility is a positive personality feature, a device used by Doyle to increase the appeal and sense of "reasonableness" to be found in the characterisation of the English detective, and stands as an additional reason why people find Holmes so interesting and likeable.

Holmes doesn 't always succeed in his cases, an example being in "The Adventure of the Yellow Face" where he says to Watson at the end of the story:

" 'Watson ', said he, 'if it should ever strike you that I am getting a little over-confident in my powers or giving less pains to a case than it deserves, kindly whisper "Norbury" in my ear and I shall be infinitely obliged to you. ' " 8

This plot development demonstrates that he is not faultless, and makes him more human and believable than if he succeeded in all of his cases.

The character of Watson may be another reason why people enjoy reading the stories. Doyle produced a friendly and kind personality in Holmes 's companion, a character whom many readers may feel close to, and sympathetic towards. The manner in which Doyle wrote the stories, makes his readers feel like they are friends with Watson, and are sharing through his narrative, the exploits that he has had with his great detective associate. It is shown in many of the cases that Watson is a caring person to others around him.

Structurally a sense of dramatic tension in the conclusion of each chapter of the longer novels, because of the nature of the monthly publication for which he was writing is important. The conclusion of chapter six in "The Hound of the Baskervilles":

"And then suddenly, in the very dead of the night, there came a sound to my ears, clear, resonant, and unmistakable. It was the sob of a woman, the muffled, strangling gasp of one who is torn by an uncontrollable sorrow. I sat up in bed and listened intently. The noise could not have been far away, and was certainly in the house. For half an hour I waited with every nerve on the alert, but there came no other sound save the chiming clock and the rustle of the ivy on the wall." 9

creates a sense of suspense and influences the reader to continue reading.

Finally, I suggest that the nostalgic appeal of Sherlock Holmes draws people to the books, particularly older readers who find pleasure in reading about times past. In recent years stage plays, films and television adaptations have reinforced people 's appreciation of the great detective and his world of mystery and crime. A further reason for the stories ' success is that people just like to relax and enjoy a good book, slipping into a fictional world where the stresses of modern life are not present. A poem entitled "What is it that we love in Sherlock Holmes?" by Edgar Wadsworth Smith suggests this in the first stanza:

"We love the times in which he lived. The half-remembered, half-forgotten times of snug Victorian illusion, Of gaslit comfort and contentment, of perfect dignity and grace." 10

Please send any comments to: claire@jasel.screaming.net

References
1 Chamber 's Journal

2 Beeton 's Christmas Annual

3 Strand Magazine, George Newnes,

4 The Baker Street Journal

5 Stacy Gillis, Ph.D.Thesis Introduction, page 3, 1997

6 The Pictorial History of Sherlock Holmes, Michael Pointer, page14, Bison Books Ltd, Kimbolton House, 117 A Fulham Road, London, 1991

7 Stacy Gillis, Ph.D.Thesis Introduction, page 3, 1997

8 The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, page 122, The Complete Illustrated Short Stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle page 276, Chancellor Press, imprint of Reed Consumer Books Ltd, Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, London, published 1993

9 William Ballew, e-mail correspondent (see appendix)

10 The Adventure of the Norwood Builder, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Complete Illustrated Short Stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Chancellor Press, imprint of Reed Consumer Books Ltd, Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, London, published 1993

References: 1 Chamber 's Journal 2 Beeton 's Christmas Annual 3 Strand Magazine, George Newnes, 4 The Baker Street Journal 5 Stacy Gillis, Ph.D.Thesis Introduction, page 3, 1997 6 The Pictorial History of Sherlock Holmes, Michael Pointer, page14, Bison Books Ltd, Kimbolton House, 117 A Fulham Road, London, 1991 7 Stacy Gillis, Ph.D.Thesis Introduction, page 3, 1997 8 The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, page 122, The Complete Illustrated Short Stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle page 276, Chancellor Press, imprint of Reed Consumer Books Ltd, Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, London, published 1993 9 William Ballew, e-mail correspondent (see appendix) 10 The Adventure of the Norwood Builder, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, The Complete Illustrated Short Stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Chancellor Press, imprint of Reed Consumer Books Ltd, Michelin House, 81 Fulham Road, London, published 1993