 Ben Hank
The author I found most interesting in my search for the final exam was no than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This man
alone revolutionized media itself. Without him there would be no crime dramas on television, or the addicting
mystery books! This man has given us so much to appreciate! This is his story.
Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born into a well off Irish-Catholic family on May 22, 1859. Doyle’s
hometown was no other than Edinburgh, Scotland. This is where his family lived as prominent figures in the world
of art. Doyle’s father, Charles, was an alcoholic, who had accomplished nothing other than creating a brilliant son.
Doyle’s mother, Mary, was a great story teller, with a passion for books. As a child, Doyle was sent to a Jesuit
boarding school in England.
These years drug out for him. While there he found that he had a passion for a few things. Those things
were writing to his mother, storytelling, and cricket! At the age of seventeen, he graduated. Arthur was then ready to
accept the challenges of the world and make a name for him. When Doyle had returned home, he found that his
father became severely mentally ill. He was later placed in a lunatic asylum. It soon came to Doyle, that he had a
passion for the medical field. This is when he entered the University of Edinburgh. Over the next few
years, he will meet many future authors and influences. The most influential person that Doyle encountered
in college was no other than Dr. Joseph Bell. Doyle’s interest in this man was sparked by his high intellect and great
observational qualities. Later, he will base the character Sherlock Holmes.
After his stint as a doctor, Doyle came into the world of writing. Of all of his writings, the Sherlock Holmes
series was by far the most popular. The first Sherlock Holmes story, “A Scandal in Bohemia”, was published in The
Strand magazine. It was an instant hit, receiving great reviews. This series ended up with fifty six more installments!
Doyle had a “love hate” relationship with his character, Sherlock Holmes. Doyle killed him off in The Final
Problem. Public outcry was so overwhelming that Doyle had to bring him back nine years later in The Hound of the
Baskervilles. After this, Doyle got away from his infamous series, and served as a doctor in the South African War.
This is where he wrote The Great Boer War. This piece earned him the title of Knight Bachelor from King Edward
VII (1902). Within the next year, Doyle will marry Jean Blythe Leckie, the woman who he would eventually have
three children with. In his last twenty plus years of life, Doyle got into writing spiritualist works, since he got away
from his religious upbringing. As his life soon came to an end, he published The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, in
1927. Just like that, the case of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was closed. He died on July 7, 1930 in Crowborough,
Sussex. Though his life has ended he still lives on through his many works of literature!
 There is absolutely no series like Sherlock
Holmes. Sherlock Holmes is the crimemystery starring Mr. Sherlock Holmes; a
London based detective, working out of
Scotland Yard. Along with Holmes was Dr.
John H. Watson. In all twenty three years
of his practice as a detective, Watson was
along for seventeen years. These two used
a very original way of solving cases.
Holmes was known for using what is
known as adductive reasoning to solve his
cases. When combined, their minds were
like no other! Holmes and Watson were
also known to go incognito on cases. The
duo was known to do whatever it took to
get the case solved! These two were
featured in over fifty books, as well as
narratives. Of all Sherlock Holmes stories,
I found A Scandal in Bohemia and The Sign
of the Four to be my favorite. I came to
like these because of the ever twisting
plot, and the puzzling characters. Without
this series, there would be no foundations
for shows like CSI and NCIS, who could
imagine such a world!
 The outset of the story really
intrigued me. It starts off with
none other than Sherlock Holmes,
injecting cocaine into his arm.
Watson begins to explain how he
has watched Holmes do cocaine
for months on end. Eventually,
Watson confronts him about it and
Holmes claims that it is nothing but
a mind stimulant! As the plot
progresses a woman by the name
of Mary Morstan comes to Holmes
and Watson with a rather unusual
case. Morstan has received a
package of pearls at her place of
work. The sender is anonymous.
Morstan claimed that it could not
be her father, since he had
disappeared under unusual
circumstances. Morstan reveals to
Holmes that she got a letter asking
to rendezvous.
 While on the way there, Morstan explains
that her father, and his friend, Major Sholto,
were convict guards at Andaman Islands.
After that she pulls out a strange piece of
paper with a map of sorts that has four
crosses on it. The paper reads “The Sign of
the Four”. Once they reach the rendezvous
point, Holmes, Watson and Mortan are
escorted to the home of Thaddeus Sholto.
There they discover twin brothers, Thaddeus
and Bartholomew Sholto. These were the
only children of Major Sholto. Thaddeus
explains that while in India, his father and
Morstan’s father stumbled upon a large sum
of treasure, which they contacted Ms.
Morstan to split their share. After this,
Mortan, Holmes, and Watson proceed to
meet the twins at a lodge. Upon arrival, they
find Bartholomew, shot dead. Along with his
body was a note saying how the sign of the
four was taken. After an investigation Holmes
finds that it was a joint effort, comprised of a
man with a wooden leg, and an agile
individual. Soon after, Athenely Jones, a
police officer arrives and arrests
Bartholomew for the murder of his own
brother. Holmes tries to give Jones a
description of the real perpetrator (Jonothan
Small), but he is dismissive. Jones comes to
Baker Street for help on the case, for he is
having trouble.
 That night, Holmes works with police
in finding the Aurora, Jonothan
Small’s boat. When spotted, the boat
is ransacked and Jonothan Small is
captured. Along with that, his
aborigine accomplice is shot dead.
We find that there was no treasure
aboard the Aurora. It turns out that
Small cooperated with Mr. Morstan
and Major Sholto while they were his
guards when he was in prison. If they
would get Small and his three
comrades out in prison, they were in
store for a share of the treasure that
they supposedly had. So Sholto took
the map and cheated everyone out
of the treasure. In order to get it
back, small had his friend Tonga kill
Bartholomew and obtain the map.
The police eventually finish up the
case, and Watson Marries Mary
Morstan!
 There are several literary devices used in
the Sherlock Holmes series. Doyle liked to
use a lot of foreshadowing in his works.
Foreshadowing is to “show or indicate
beforehand” (www.dictionary.com) Just
like in The Sign of the Four when Holmes
said this about cocaine, “Would You Care
to Try It?” (The Sign of the Four 2). This
was foreshadowing Holmes’ remarks in
the end of the book when he offered
Watson some, and he once again turned it
down! In some sense all of Holmes’ cases
deal with some foreshadowing. Like when
we were introduced to Major Sholto in
The Sign of the Four. It turned out he was
a guard at the same prison as Mr.
Morstan, and he even swindled him for
the treasure! Another example of
foreshadowing is the clues that the
perpetrators leave behind. Like the scent
that Jonothan Small left behind that
eventually lead to his capturing.
Foreshadowing is very important to this
series because it allows the plot to
develop.
 Conflict, is “to come into collision or
disagreement; be contradictory, at
variance, or in opposition”
(www.dictionary.com). Conflict is
important to Sherlock Holmes in several
ways. For example, without conflict, there
would never be Sherlock Holmes. Holmes’
clients always come to him with a conflict
in which he has to resolve. One direct
example is when Watson finds Holmes in
a drug den. “Holmes! What On Earth Are
You Doing In This Den?” (The Man with
the Twisted Lip 106). This slight remark
creates a conflict between the two and
they begin to have words with each other.
My personal favorite example of conflict
in Sherlock Holmes is between Major
Sholto and Small. Sholto tried to cheat
Small for his treasure! This conflict is the
spark that ignites the plot! Even though
the reader doesn’t know it until the end,
this was the reason Bartholomew was
murdered! The Speckled Band has lots of
good examples as well. For example, the
father in the story creates conflict by
killing the first girl and attempting to kill
the second one. Without conflict, these
stories wouldn’t be near as interesting or
addicting!
 Characterization is also used in
Sherlock Holmes. It is defined as “the
creation and convincing
representation of fictitious
characters” (www.dictionary.com).
This is used when Doyle introduces
the character who comes to Holmes
and Watson with an intricate
description of what they look like
and a brief history of their life. Like in
The Copper Beeches when Doyle
described Miss Hunter as someone
who was “Plainly but Neatly Dressed,
With a Bright Face” (The Copper
Beeches 235).Or like when he
characterized Mrs. Rucastle in The
Copper Beeches as someone who “Is
Colorless in Mind As Well As feature”
(The Copper Beeches 244). Without
characterization, the reader would
have no mental picture of the
characters they are reading about.
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Murder Most
Oxford Books of Prose
Mammoth Anthologie
Isaac Asimov's Magical Worlds of
Fantasy
Story Library
Professor Challenger
Fontana
Books of Great Horror Stories
 Doyle, A. Conan. The adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York:
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