MysteryThe Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Sir Arthur Conan Dolye Born on May 22, 1859 in

Edinburgh, England Father was distant, but Mary

Dolye instilled in him a love of the code of honor: chivalry

Went to university and met Dr. Bell, Although Bells methods fascinated Conan Doyle, his cold indifference towards his patients repelled the young medical student. Some of this coldness found its way into Sherlock Holmes’s character, especially in the early stories.

Interview with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about Dr. John Bell

BIO - Sherlock Holmes: The Original Holmes [play Video 1:29]

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His life He renounced Catholicism,

became an agnostic and then reverted to spiritual seances

He loved to travel and went to Antarctica and Africa

He became a doctor and practiced medicine where he met one of his patient’s sisters, Louise Hawkins, and he married her

He wrote his first Sherlock Holmes story around 1886, after many rejections, he was forced to sell it for $25 and it was not very successful at first

His most famous work, Sherlock Holmes He wrote and was very proud of Micah Clark, Sir Nigel, and The White

Company. Although these novels were widely admired, none of them created the stir caused by the first series of short stories featuring Sherlock Holmes and John Watson that appeared in The Strand Magazine, starting in 1891.

Conan Doyle was sick to death of the popular detective and decided to kill him off in the 1893 story, "The Final Problem." Conan Doyle considered the Holmes stories light fiction, good for earning money, but destined to be quickly forgotten, the literary equivalent of junk food.

The vehement public reaction to Holmes's death must have shocked Conan Doyle. People wore black armbands and wrote him pleading/ threatening letters. Still, it was nine years before he capitulated to public opinion and brought Holmes back.

Conan Doyle did not make up his mind to resurrect Holmes until 1903, when he wrote "The Empty House." He continued, reluctantly, to produce Holmes stories until 1927, three years before his own death.

Sherlock’s Residence 221B Baker Street.

Genre of Mystery A subgenre of narrative fiction; oftenthought of as a detective story. Usually involves a mysterious death ora crime to be solved. The central character must be a detective

who eventually solves the mystery by logical deduction from facts fairly presented

to the reader.

Literary Terms to remember Main character who is a detective who sets out to solve a mystery. Suspects and their motives; these must be weighed and evaluated. Overt Clues about the crime are presented. Hidden Evidence is presented, i.e., essential details are offered in such

away that they seem unimportant. Inference Gaps—mysteries, by their very nature, do not tell the whole story.

It is up to readers to notice the gaps in the story and try to fill these gaps by using and connecting the information that is presented.

Suspense—having to hold various possible conclusions at bay as you wait to see what happens; reader is expected to enjoy the suspense, and to read to find out what will happen.

Foreshadowing—clues left by the author as to possible outcomes. Red herring—a kind of foreshadowing clue that leads the reader to false conclusions.

Who is Sherlock Holmes?

Who is Sherlock Holmes?