Sherlock Holmes :: English Literature

Sherlock HolmesWhat qualities are in that location in Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes storieswhich have sustained their popularity for so many years?Conan Doyle was among the first writers of detective stories andnovels in England. The first novel recognised as a detective story waswritten in 1868, by Wilkie collins entitled The Moonstone. Later in1870, the popular novelist Charles Dickens also attempt his hand atwriting a detective novel called The conundrum of Edwin Drood. Theseearly detective stories have not become as illustrious as Doyles creationfor a number of reasons, one of which is that when Doyle began writinghis novels on that point was a greater demand in general for stories, as muchpeople were becoming educated and were taught how to read.Consequently, when the stories about Holmes were published, there wasa increment readership in England, greater than there had been inDickens and Collins time. Furthermore, the fact that dialect wasseldom used in any of the Sherlo ck Holmes stories, unlike other(a) workingsof the time, made it easier for people to read and understand thecontent, particularly those who had only recently acquired the basicskill of reading. In addition, as the stories were originallypublished in the chain 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 avoidedunnecessary detail. Generally, the stories have a distinct and succinct plot structure and were supported by illustrations, which Isuggest, played a part in the general success.Because the popularity of his detective stories increased rapidly, yetat the same time Doyle was becoming more and more uncomfortable withhis character. He wanted, out of personal preference to devote greatertime to other forms of writing. He decided that the best way to dothis was to end the look of Sherlock Holmes with a dramatic storyinvolving Holmes worst enemy, Professor Mor iarty. Doyle send hisfamous detective and his enemy plunging to their deaths at theReichenbach Falls in Switzerland. Doyle, however, had underestimatedthe popularity of his character, because when his chase read TheAdventure of the Final Problem there was a prevalent outcry over hisaction. He received many letters from wild readers and some menactually marched through London, wearing black frizz bands aroundtheir hats, indicating their remorse for the death of their favouritedetective. It has been suggested that it was the popularity ofSherlock Holmes, which kept the The Strand magazine in business, andwhen Doyles stories did not appear in it, there were less copiessold, showing the tremendous popularity of the detective.