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Vishali Kapoor
Professor Haas
Writing 37
6 November 2014
The Rise of the Detective Genre
Although Arthur Conan Doyle created a fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes is one of
the most recognizable characters in the world. Watson, his sidekick, is the conductor of light
(Doyle 71) for Sherlock. Together, these two contributed to people enjoying many hours of
reading pleasure and becoming captivated by a new genre of reading: the detective genre. The
Hound of the Baskervilles, by Doyle, is a novel about a case that involves a horrific curse on the
Baskervilles. Sir Henry, next in line for the Baskerville estate, has been informed of the curse of
the hound; Sherlock Holmes deduces the case and figures out the real culprit behind the curse.
Leroy Panek, George Dove, T.J. Binyon, Ruth Prigozy, and Jerome Delamater are scholars that
discuss what allowed the detective genre to become such a big success. These scholars have
different views on the detective genre, but they all pertain to its emergence. The detective genre
bloomed in the Victorian era because of its main audience, the middle class, and the unique
characteristics of the genre.
The detective genre was aimed at middle class males, but many women were also
engrossed by the genre. Sherlock Holmes concentrates on the problems of the modest middleclass (Panek 76). He does not avert the middle class; many seek Holmes for his assistance, not
only the people that possess riches, but also the poor. Because the middle class was the main
audience, Sherlock Holmes utilizes Watson as the narrator; this catches the attention of the
readers because the narrator himself is also middle class. The readers are satisfied with a

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character that they could relate to, one that displayed a few of their characteristics in him.
Although Binyon does not directly state that Holmes pertains to the middle class, he agrees that
through Holmes actions, a connection can be made. Binyon states, Holmes can feel emotion:
annoyance, anger, chagrin. This can be seen in the Hound of Baskervilles; Dr. Mortimer states
that Holmes is the second highest expert in Europe (Doyle 77). Holmes is offended that Dr.
Mortimer believes there is someone better in this area of expertise than Holmes. Readers are
shown that Holmes is not an ideal character that is emotionless, but a relatable character that has
sentiments just like his readers. Holmes is also not knowledgeable about everything; he is
ignorant in a few subjects. Similarly, his audience can relate to him because they are not well
informed in many topics. Panek agrees that middle class men had a role in the success of the
detective genre; the middle class had the ability, but not the time, to read fiction (Panek 17).
The detective genre was very recreational; it allowed the middle class to defer their worries and
problems for a while because it stimulated their intellectual side. They were able to forget about
their work and focus on the suspense and clues; the readers attempt to figure out the solution as
the story progresses. Doyle further asserts, Not only did mechanical innovations like the
linotype revolutionize printing at the end of the nineteenth century, but labor laws and the
Education Act of 1870 also broadened the reading public. Labor laws and technology created
more developments and reduced the amount of hours the middle class had to work; this allowed
them to spend a few hours of their leisure reading. Although Panek and Doyle have different
views, they both explain an aspect that caused the middle class to be interested in the genre.
Because the detective genre did not contain long-range goals or purposes (Dove 3), readers
were able to focus on enjoying the plot. It did not emphasize moral lessons; it was merely to

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relax the readers. The detective genre thrived because it certainly was a huge source of
entertainment for the middle class.
In The Different Story, Dove discusses that the detective genre is not like the other
genres; it allows the the reader [to be] directly involved (Dove 1). As the story progresses, the
reader is intrigued and tries to solve the case. The detective genre absorbs the readers, but does
not add to their stress. Readers know that there is assurance of solution (Dove 27). The middle
class enjoyed having a genius that guaranteed a solution. Holmes is capable of working his
magic in every case; he is able to discover clues that many would not even notice. His
explanations for his discoveries seem rather absurd but are eventually thought of as deep
reasoning: They constitute his trade mark as a detective: that offhand, seemingly magical
characterization of a visitor to Baker Street which then proves, on explanation, to be absurdly
simple (Binyon 9). His extraordinary explanations have taken the name Sherlockholmitos.
The middle class was relieved to know that there would be a solution at the end; detective stories
show that even though the reasoning sounds confusing, it really is rationality in the end (Jerome
and Ruth Prigozy 1). The reader is confident that the mystery will eventually be solved and there
will be no ambiguous ending. The readers love the suspense that adds on to the story, which is
why they begin to pay close attention to the details. Holmes does not leave the readers
wondering how the case was solved; he explains with many details: I will give you the course
of events as nearly as I can (Doyle 262). The genre continues to grow because readers are
satisfied that there will be an explanation to the solution at the end. Doyle agrees that theres an
accurate explanation at the end of the detective story. Policemen, on the other hand, display all
sorts of truculent ignorance and wrong- headedness. They never see the truth and frequently
want to arrest the wrong person (Panek 87). This explains why people tend to take their

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problems to Holmes; the police are incompetent and are not trustworthy compared to Holmes. As
stated by Panek, If readers in the early nineteenth century saw the police detective in literature
and life as a lower-class creature who was either incompetent or corrupt, they increasingly saw,
in literature if not in life, the genius as the hero (Panek 9). The police force did not exist for a
long time. When there were policemen, the public could not rely on them; they were rarely
successful in the cases. Because the humble seek out Holmes and Watson to air their problems
(Panek 76), it allowed the detective genre to bloom and become widespread with the middle
class. The police were not able to assist the way Sherlock Holmes did. Readers enjoy having a
genius as their main character. The detective stories allowed the public to relieve themselves and
escape the incompetent police.
The detective genre became so widespread because of its audiences adherence and its
characteristics. The detective genres assurance of a solution and its main character as a hero and
genius further allowed the genre to become very popular. Readers felt relieved because the plot
was very recreational and it intellectually stimulated their minds. The genre absorbs its readers
and leads them to become a part of the story. This genre is notably unique and Doyles work has
allowed it to flourish in the Victorian era.

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WORKS CITED
Binyon, T.J. "Murder Will Out": The Detective in Fiction. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1989. PDF File.
Conan Doyle, Arthur. The Hound of the Baskervilles. Sharon, MA: Higher Read, LLC 20143.
Kindle eBook. Online.
Delamater, Jerome and Ruth Prigozy, eds. Theory and Practice of Classic Detective
Fiction. New York: Praeger, 1997. Print. PDF File.
Dove, George N. The Different Story. The Reader and the Detective Story. Bowling Green,
OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997. PDF File.
Panek, Leroy. Beginnings. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH:
Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1987. PDF File.
Panek, Leroy. Doyle. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling
Green State University Popular Press, 1987. PDF File.