The Sherlock Holmes stories Essay Example for Free

The Sherlock Holmes stories Essay Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is a famous author notably known for his series of Sherlock Holmes detective narratives. He wrote four novels and 56 short stories featuring Holmes and the stories were much loved by the public in the era of which they were written. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Scotland on the 22nd of May 1859. He went to a boarding school at the age of nine and so no longer lived at home. After graduating he left to study medicine in Edinburgh. Doyle ended up working with a doctor called Joseph Bell. Some say he was Doyles biggest influence as he seemed to share many characteristics with Doyles most famous fictional character, Sherlock Holmes. Bell was said to be observational, logical and able to diagnose a patient without them even speaking. These characteristics are later evident in Sherlock Holmes; thus creating the basis of his character. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is the writer of arguably the most famous fictional detective ever, Sherlock Holmes. He wrote his Sherlock Holmes stories in the Victorian era. The Victorian audience was fear-stricken and lived in constant terror of crime. Holmes surfaced at a time when crime was commonplace and the corrupted Police forces were incapable of protecting the public. An infamous example was Jack the Ripper renowned for mercilessly murdering prostitutes throughout London. To taunt the authorities, anonymous packages were sent containing mutilated body parts of his victims. The Victorian setting is portrayed in the story The Cooper Beeches as letters, telegrams and notes are used to develop the plot. Sherlock Holmes provided solace to the public as he captured the hearts with his talent of solving what were deemed to be the most unsolvable of cases. Sherlock Holmes not only became a hugely popular character in his stories, but he became an inspiration to many Victorians who were forever fearful for their lives. Doyle actually killed off Sherlock Holmes to end his antics not once but twice, however both times he did this, he received so many death threats that he was forced to continue writing more adventures for Sherlock Holmes. You can see why Sherlock Holmes was such a success in his day and not just because of the creativity of the stories he was in, but he also acted as a hope to the people of the era. However the question still remains as to why Sir Arthur Conan Doyles stories are still popular as ever nowadays? Sir Arthur Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes stories are still read world-wide because of many factors. Each story is original. Conan Doyle manages to persuade the readers mind into being captivated by all the clues and red herrings and lays down a mystery that makes the reader want to solve it before Sherlock Holmes does. This all adds up to a very exciting and unforgettable series of books.