Model Character Sketch
Head: Brainstorm- What are this character’s intellectual characteristics?
 “…vigilant and deductive” (Lederer 3).
 “…aesthete with a cool creative touch…” (Ellis 1).
Right Hand: Right-Hand Man- Who helps this character?
 “His sober, credulous companion, Dr. Watson, narrates most of the Sherlock Holmes stories”
(Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 1).
 “…the game was always afoot with Holmes and Watson” (Ellis 1).
Left Hand: Handy Dandy- What are this character’s skills?
 “…Sherlock Holmes, ‘the most perfect reasoning and observing machine’” (Ellis 1).
 “…Holmes solves all his extraordinarily complex cases through ingenious deductive reasoning”
(Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 1).
Stomach: Blow to the Gut- What are this character’s inner weaknesses?
 “…workaholic…” (Ellis 1).
 “penchant for…morphine and cocaine…” (Ellis 1).
Left Leg: A Leg to Stand On- Why is this character historically/socially relevant (as in, why do we still
know/read about him today?)
 “…Sherlock Holmes, the world’s first consulting detective” (Lederer 1).
 “…one of the first detectives to base his work squarely on scientific methods” (Lederer 1).
Right Leg: Just Kickin’ It- What are this character’s interests/hobbies?
 “…penchant for violins…” (Ellis 1).
 “…pipe-smoking…” (Ellis 1).
Left Foot: Strong Foundation- Who created this character? (provide a short bio)
 Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859 in Edinburgh, England. He became a doctor in the early 1880s,
though he was more interested in writing. He created the popular character Sherlock Holmes in 1887,
and he quit his job as a doctor three years later. He also wrote historical love stories, political lectures,
and research-based novels on spiritualism. He was knighted for his valiant efforts in literature in 1903,
and continued writing until his death in 1930 (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 1).
Right Foot: Best Foot Forward- Why did the author create this character/what was the author’s
inspiration?
 “Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s detective Dupin and the neat dovetailing of plots in Emile Gaboriau’s
M. Lecoq tales, Doyle added the ‘science’ of detailed observation…” (Ellis 1).
 “…his model for Sherlock Holmes, the amazing lecturer Dr. Joseph Bell, whose deductive powers in
sizing up patients from their behavior, physiognomy, accent, and clothing were legendary” (Ellis 3).
EXTRA CREDIT: Mouth: Say What?- Give a quote from this character about who they are (and the
context in which it appears)
 “My name is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what other people don’t know.” –The
Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle