The Late, Great, Sherlock Holmes

Looking at the continued popularity of the fictional detective.

     When people think of detectives, well fictional ones anyway, probably the most commonly thought of is Sherlock Holmes. He is one character of classic detective fiction that has remained popular throughout the years despite the fact that he has not been changed in well over the past one hundred. His fan base remains strong and active and the books of the stories that he appears in still sell  well. The first book to include his adventures has been in print for around one hundred and twenty years.

     Sherlock Holmes has even been killed off, while fighting an his evil counterpart (Professor Moriarty) and the entangled duo fell over the Riechenbach Falls. So, why did he return to grace in a later compilation of tales? Well, quite simply the fans and publishers refused to let him go. 

     The character was so loved and popular that the fan base and the publishers of the books refused to allow Arthur Conan Doyle to end his literary reign. It was demanded that Sherlock Holmes be brought back to life. And, so he was. How many other characters exist that have done this? Granted, there are actually a few; especially in the more recent years but in those earlier times this was almost unheard of. There were no immortal detectives! Until Sherlock Holmes, that is.

     The reasons are still unknown just why Doyle wanted to end the stories of Sherlock Holmes; even though his other works would never gain him the popularity with the fans that the Holmes stories had. This once struggling writer was now ready to end the overwhelming popularity that had gained him recognition around the world.

     That was so unlike a popular fiction writer. Most wanted, and strived for, the popularity that Doyle had been lucky enough to find. For one to try to throw it away so easily when others are practically begging for it, one must wonder; why? Is it possible that Doyle had grown tired of the character? Was Doyle just not used to having such a large amount of people await the writings that he produced?

     The character had his quirks; there was no doubt about that. He was, at times insolent and conceited, and at other moments quite innocent and aloof but all in all he was a well rounded man. He based his observations on the simple science of things and did not want to believe that there could be any other answer for the reason something had occurred. Supernatural or spiritual events were non- existent in his thoughts and he hardly ever came near that way of thinking in any of the stories. The study of science could be a long and drawn out process but he always managed to come up with the truth by the end of the story; showing the police where they had went wrong during their investigations.

         Early detective fiction brought with it the rise of this great character which is one of the reasons that this type of story will live on for many more years. 

Chris Haycock

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