The influence of Conan Doyles work Essay Example

The influence of Conan Doyles work Essay Example The influence of Conan Doyles work Essay The influence of Conan Doyles work Essay Sherlock Holmes is an enduringly popular character and is so for many reasons. Conan Doyles stories about the afore-mentioned detective have been popular for many generations and have made a large impact on literature. The stories even began an entire genre and stereotype. The influence of Conan Doyles work can still be seen in TV and film today; it is because of this that it is important to understand the reasons behind this popularity.  There are several reasons that Sherlock Holmes has been so enduringly popular. Some of the reasons for Sherlock Holmes popularity are linked to the time the play was written; these give the play its original popularity and others more to do with Conan Doyles writing talent which give them a more enduring appeal. Sherlock Holmes was first introduced to the public in 1886 in A Study in Scarlet. He was introduced for entertainment only. The Victorian times werent easy times to live in and the people needed some relief and entertainment, this is one of the reasons Sherlock Holmes was so popular originally. At the start of A Study in Scarlet we are introduced to another character before Sherlock Holmes, we are introduced to Watson. Watson is the narrator of the stories; he is by all accounts a literary device used to tell each story.  In the year 1978 I took my degree of Doctor of Medicine of the University or London and proceeding to Netley to go through the course prescribed for surgeons in the army. The first lines of A Study in Scarlet introduce Watson and immediately start to build his credibility as a narrator. He is shown as a learned and honourable man, a doctor and someone who has pride in his country, these things would have been very important in the Victorian times and would have helped the reader a great deal when it came to trusting him. It is very important that Conan Doyle builds his credibility so early on and presents him as a trustworthy character as the readers of the story needed to be able to trust him, because of Conan Doyles skill in presenting Watson this way the readers are able to trust in what he says and engage in the stories in a more interactive way as he acts like a link for them. Watson is used to tell the stories and due to the eccentric nature of a lot of the cases and because of the amount of exact information he apparently relays from memory, it is important that this trust and respect for his intelligence are built early on so that the reader can easily believe him and trust in what he says. It is after we have a good idea of Watson and his ways that we have our first information on Sherlock Holmes.  Yes, but it may be pushed to excess. When it comes to beating the subjects in the dissecting-rooms with a stick, it is certainly taking a rather bizarre shape. In our first mention of Sherlock Holmes he is being recommended to Watson as a potential room-mate but his first impression is shocking, he is referred to as a kind of scientist and a cold person, very calculated in his nature. It is also mentioned that he beats bodies with a stick. As this is Sherlock Holmes character a typical Victorian reader may have been shocked by this and taken an instant dislike to Sherlock Holmes had the story been a direct introduction of him and had it been told by him, but Watson acts like a buffer. As Watson is between the reader and Sherlock Holmes and as the reader already trusts Watson it makes it acceptable for them to read on and enjoy the story even though Sherlock Holmes seems quite strange and something they wouldnt normally want to associate with. Conan Doyles language does also help dull down some of Holmes antics which could have been found offensive as it is predictable and structured like a police report. Our first introduction to Sherlock Holmes is an interesting one though.  When Watson is first introduced to Sherlock he is in his laboratory and performing an experiment. The experiment he performs is one on haemoglobin and it is a success. Why, man, it is the most practical medico-legal discovery for yearscriminal cases are continually hinging on that one pointnow we have Sherlock Holmes test and there will no longer be any difficulty.  Holmes says this with a pinch of salt and makes it seem unimportant, to him it is but to a Victorian reader he has just helped engage them further into his world. The Victorian reader had such a hard life that they where reading Sherlock Holmes for entertainment only and just wanted to get away. As Sherlock Holmes is showing that he is a man of science, working for the greater good for of the people and helping to keep them safe from crime; in a time when there is a crisis in religious faith, a rise in crime and an inadequate police force this makes Sherlock seem like a pretty good bet and will help the reader trust him and engage in his cases so they can get away from everyday life, this will obviously increase the stories popularity.