Blake

JosephBlake
Mrs.Day
BritishLiterature/Composition
14April2016
CapstoneProject:SirArthurConanDoyle
SirArthurConanDoyle,bestknownforhisseriesofshortstoriesabouttheintelligentand
daringSherlockHolmes,hasanextensivetrackrecordwhenitcomestoliterature.Bornin
Edinburgh,Scotlandintheyear1859heisknownasthefatherofmoderncrimenovels,Sir
Doylewasaninnovatorofthisparticularstyleofwriting.Twostoriesthatwillbeinspectedupon
withthecomparingofsimilaritiesanddifferences,andalsothecomparingtoSirDoyleslifeare
TheReadHeadedLeague
and
TheFiveOrangePips
.WhatmostpeopledonotknowaboutSir
Doylearetheinfluencesofhislifeandbeliefsonhiswork.SirArthurConanDoylehadtwo
vitalimpactsuponwhichhiswritingswerecomposedandtheyarehisyearsofattendingmedical
schoolandhisexperienceswiththesupernatural.Thesetwooccurrenceshelpedshapehislegacy
hehas,suchnotably,leftbehindforfuturegenerations.
TofirstdiscussaboutSirArthurConanDoyleandhisstyleofwritingonemustknowthe
storyofhislife.HewasbornintoastrictIrishCatholicfamilywhotookprideinhardworkand
education,especiallyhismother.SirDoyle,inhisbiography,analyzestheimportanceofhis
motherandherpromotionofthebenefitsofreading.SirDoylestatesasachildthisopenedhis
imaginationtoadditionalopportunities.WhileattendingaboardingschoolinEngland,he
discoveredhispassionforstorytelling.SirDoylealsocreditssomeofhissuccesstothebullying
hereceivedatthattime,hestatesitmadehimamuchstrongerindividual.Whilehavingsucha

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passionforstoriesandliteraturehisfamilyexpectedhimtofollowintheirfootstepsofstudying
thearts.ThisiswhyitcametoshockthemwhenSirDoylewentontostudymedicineatthe
UniversityofEdinburgh.ThedeterminationofSirArthurConanDoyletopursuehismedical
careerturnedouttobethebiggestcontributortohislifeasawriter.
SirArthurConanDoyle,whileatmedicalschool,meetshisinspirationforthegreatSherlock
Holmes.ThisinspirationisDr.JosephBell,hisprofessorattheUniversityofEdinburgh.Heis
unmistakablyoneofthefirsttoincorporateforensicscienceincriminalinvestigations,which
duringthattimeperiodwasunheardof.Dr.JosephBelltaughtSirDoyletheimportanceof
observationanddeductivereasoning,
Theworldisfullofobviousthingswhichnobodybyany
chanceeverobserves.(Doyle)
SirArthurConanDoyleincorporatedthesetraitsofobservation,
intelligence,perception,andavastimaginationintohischaracter,SherlockHolmes.Dr.Joseph
Bellwasnoticedforbeingabletogiveaperson'soccupationandrecentactivitiesbypure
observationanddeductivereasoning.SirDoyleusedthiscountlesstimesinhisshortstoriesof
SherlockHolmes,forexamplein
TheReadHeadedLeague
SherlockHolmesisgivinga
conclusiontowardshisanalyzesafterameetingamanbythenameofJabezWilsonwhocomes
tohimwithaconcern,Beyondtheobviousfactsthathehasatsometimedonemanuallabour,
thathetakessnuff,thatheisaFreemason,thathehasbeeninChina,andthathehasdonea
considerableamountofwritinglately,Icandeducenothingelse.(Doyle19)Thisalonecatches
thereader'sattentionbutitiswhat'snextthatseparatesSirDoylesstoriesfromtherest.Sir
ArthurConanDoylebelievedpreviouscrimenovelswereunrealistic,hewouldtalkabouthow
hedidnotliketheideaofaninvestigatorstumblingupontherightconclusionbysheerluck.By
theadvantagesofhismedicalbackgroundSirDoyle,throughSherlockHolmes,backedthese

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conclusionsupwithfactualevidence.Relatingtothequotepreviouslystated,thisiswhat
SherlockHolmeswentontosaywhenaskedhowhecameupwiththeseconclusions,Your
hands,mydearsir.Yourrighthandisquiteasizelargerthanyourleft.Youhaveworkedwithit,
andthemusclesaremoredeveloped,IwontinsultyourintelligencebytellingyouhowIread
that,especiallyas,ratheragainstthestrictrulesofyourorder,youuseanarcandcompass
breastpin.Whatelsecanbeindicatedbythatrightcuffsoveryshinyforfiveinches,andtheleft
onewiththesmoothpatchneartheelbowwhereyourestituponthedesk?(Doyle20)By
incorporatingscienceandlogicinhisnovelsSirArthurConanDoyleopenedawholenewaspect
innovelsinvolvingcriminalinvestigation.
ItisafactthatDr.JosephBellimpactedthecharacterSherlockHolmessubstantially,butSir
ArthurConanDoylelearnedsomuchmoreduringhistimeattheUniversityofEdinburgh
learningmedicineandhisinternshipafterwards.WhatdistancedSirDoylesstoriesfromthe
mainstreamcrimenovelsofhistimewerethereallifeexperiencesinwhichheattainedhis
knowledgeofmedicineandadventure.SirArthurConanDoylewasarealadvocateofadventure,
particularlysealife.Hewasofferedaninternshipasadoctoraboardashipheadingtothearctic
circle,hereSirDoylesenseshisfirsttasteofadventure.ThisaddedtotheintelligenceofSir
ArthurConanDoyleandheoftenincorporatedthisknowledgeofseamanshipinhisstories.In
TheFiveOrangePips
hegivesthereaderahintofthisbyreferringtoLloyd'sRegisterswhichis
areallifeshipregistry.WhenitcomestotheinfluenceofSirArthurConanDoyle'seducation,
thereaderseesitimpliedwithineverySherlockHolmesstory.Throughanatomyandchemistry
SherlockHolmessolvedmostofhiscrimes,thisknowledgeofsciencewasobtainedbyhistime
attendingtheUniversityofEdinburgh.

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ComparingallofSirArthurConanDoylesSherlockHolmesstoriesisquitesimple.Theyall
revolvearoundthesameformat.ItstartswithacharactercomingtoSherlockHolmesforhis
expertiseincriminalinvestigations,in
TheReadHeadedLeague
itwasJabezWilsonandin
The
FiveOrangePips
itwasOpenshaw.SherlockHolmesthenstartstoproceedwithhis
investigationbyobserving,heisverygoodatconnectingcluesandmakingwhatseemstothe
readerasirrelevantabigbreakinthecase.In
TheReadHeadedLeague
thiswaswhenSherlock
Holmesdiscoversaclueonthesuspect'spants,likethetypicalformatattheendSherlock
Holmesgoesoverhowhedevelopedhisanalyzes.SherlockHolmestalksabouthowthesuspect
haddirtonhiskneesandthathenoticedthesidewalkwashollowwhilewalkingonit.After
seeingthebankheknewtherealpurposeforthisredheadedleaguewastodigatunneltorobthe
bank.Payingcloseattentiontodetailisallittooktosolvethiscase.ThisFormatisappliedtothe
majorityofSherlockHolmesstories,itbreaksdownthecaseandgivesabigamountofcuriosity
bywithholdingtheinformationofhisconclusionuntiltheendofthestory.

WhenitcomestothedifferenttypesofliteraturewrittenbySirArthurConanDoylethereis
notmuch.Duringhislifetime,hehadonlypursuedintwotypesofwriting,crimeand
spiritualism.Hiswritingsonspiritualismwerehisrealpassionbutafterrealizingtherewasnota
lotofmoneyinithewrotemorecrimeandmysterystoriestohelpfinancehisworkson
spiritualism.WhenitcomestospiritualismSirArthurConanDoylewasaconvert,previouslya
RomanCatholic.SirDoyleresortedtospiritualismbecauseofsupernaturaloccurrenceshe
experiencedthroughouthislife.Heisahardcorebelieverinthingslikespirits,ghosts,psychics,
andseances.ThereislittleevidenceofSirArthurConanDoyle'spersonalbeliefsofspiritualism

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implementedinhisworkof
TheAdventuresofSherlockHolmes
,thebiggestroleitplayedwasto
forceSirDoyletoproducemoreshortstoriestofundhisspiritualismwritings.Whatisstrangeis
thatSherlockHolmesseemstobetheexactoppositeofaspiritualistbecause,likeHolmeshas
saidcountlesstimesbefore,heisamanofscience.Spiritualismisentirelybaseduponfaith
whereSherlockHolmesbelievesinonlyfactualevidence.SirArthurConanDoyleinfact
contradictshisownbeliefsthroughSherlockHolmes.
WhatultimatelyleadtothedyingoffofSherlockHolmeswasitwasbecomingtoobigand
SirArthurConanDoylefelthewaspressuredintowritingmoreshortstoriesbyhisfans.Sir
Doylebelievedthatheshouldnotbeforcedintowritingmoreshortstoriessolelyforthe
convenienceofhisaudience,butthatitshouldcomenaturally.SirArthurConanDoylepursued
hisrealpassion,whichwashisreligiousbeliefstillhislastbreathein1930.Eventhoughhe
wrotecountlessspiritualistbooks,hisworkofSherlockHolmeswasthedefiningmomentofan
eraofcrimenovels.

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Doyle,Arthur.TheAdventuresofSherlockHolmes.England:Newnes,1891.Print.
JonathanClowes.SirArthurConanDoyleLiteraryEstateandCharacters.10IronBridgeHouse.
BridgeApproach.17April.2016.
Biography.comEditors.ArthurConanDoyleBiography.A&ETelevisionNetworks.2March.
2016.
StanfordUniversity.
DiscoveringSherlockHolmes.StanfordUniversity.24April.2016.