The Influence of Sherlock Holmes on Literature

Reading a book is like embarking on a journey. Great are those books which succeed in resonating with the emotions of the reader and can provide characters which look so real. The evergreen Sherlock Holmes was a masterpiece by Arthur Conan Doyle, which not only elevated the detective literature to greater heights but also helped create a character that is always remembered for historic investigations and mysteries. It won’t be wrong to state that stories of Sherlock Holmes are a must pick for every growing child. So much so that it is often becomes part of the syllabus.

But what in the gorgeous books by A.C. Doyle could stand out amongst other detective novels of the same time? It was not because of the type of writing that the stories about the detective gained popularity but rather the attention paid to each and every detail from what the detective and his friend, Dr. Watson is wearing to what type of lighting does the room has. All these were new to readers and they could enjoy the book as if they were sucked into the scene and were witnessing everything from their own eyes.

Sir Arthur’s literature is to date picked up and given a modern touch by many story-tellers and directors. The reason why the character has such a long life is because of the character’s organic complexity, that makes it very unique. Not only that, over the years many scholars have tried to formulate the basic set of rules for ‘crime novels. The stories on Sherlock Holmes have been taken up as the basis for the same. According to one of the rules, the lead detective should have a companion less clever yet complementing, like Dr. Watson. These stories have been put to critical analysis time and again by people interested in exploring crime literature. One of their findings have been the unique relationship shared by two men of different background all together. Arthur Conan Doyle has done a remarkable work in linking two individually substantial characters with each other by the means of writing.

In a totalitarian term, the fact that stories like ‘A Study in Scarlet’, ‘The Final Problem’, ‘The Red Headed League’, and many more are deeply embedded in the minds of readers, is very well established. Be it the use of words to lead the reader into a line of thought and then to surprise them, or to simply impress readers with Sherlock’s art of deduction, Doyle has created history by providing the world with the best character ever.