Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

What qualities are there in Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories

which have sustained their popularity for so many years?

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.

Because 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.