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Saho King
Professor Dr. Lynda Haas
Writing 39B
84 June 2014
The Attraction of Holmes
The mystery genre came into prominence during the late Victorian Era with the
increasing popularity of the Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle
revolutionized the genre by combining the inspiration he drew from Poe and other writers before
himin the past with aspects of adventure, intelligence, and emotion. Literary scholars often
credit Doyle for establishing the popular conventions of the genre, such assome of which are the
ineffective policemen, the mastermind criminal, the loyal sidekick, and the detective hero. The
Sign of Four was, Doyles second novel, starsring the now iconic Sherlock Holmes; it follows
Holmes and Watson as they embark on an adventure to uncover the mystery surrounding the
disappearance of Miss Morstans father. As the investigation unfolds, they discover a
complicated past of bloodshed and betrayal over the exotic Indian Agra treasure. Throughout,
Holmes characteristics are revealed and many of the traits discovered have are now become the
fundamental building blocks for the detective character. Most scholars agree on the necessity of
the detective to possess athat godlike genius, and keen powers of observation and deduction, and
a shroud of mystery collectively characterize some add that these qualities unavoidably make
Holmes as an eccentric outsider with dual-personality.
In the Doyle chapter of his scholarly book-length study of the genre, An Introduction to
the Detective Story, Leroy Panek claims that one of the major areas of attraction in Holmes is his
split personality. He describes the paradox of Holmes as a rational drug addict, a sloppy
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precision, and a lazy athlete at the same time that he is an expert without working at it who
is able to snap out of lassitude into action (93). Naturally, rReaders are naturally drawn to a
character who is accomplished without effort, but who also has a side that is surprisingly human
and relatable. The paradoxical nature of Holmes character is illustrated in The Sign of Four:
Holmes snaps out of his depression and dependency on cocaine as soon as he gets a case from
Miss Morstan and then he quickly goes backreverts to laziness and drugs once the crime is
solved. For Holmes, cocaine is a method to achieve mental exaltation and cure himself of the
boredom brought on by his genius. During the period of investigation, Holmes acts likeembodies
a completely different person full of energy and vigor, telling Watson that he cannot sleep or
relax because the problem is consuming [him] me (Doyle 1375). For the detective, a life
without brain-work or a case to concentrate on is a dull routine of existence (Doyle 183) and
not worth living at all. The detective profession basically essentially requires Holmes to dedicate
his life to solving other peoples problems and leaves him with no significant personal life
outside of his work. Kirby Farrell, author of Heroism, Culture, and Dread in The Sign of Four,
argues that Holmes lives vicariously through his clients and their experiences, so without any
cases to work on, his life is dull and lacks mental stimulation (47). While both Farrell and Panek
acknowledge that the boredom resulting from Holmes genius plays a part in his drug use and
need for mental exaltation, Farrell goes a step furthers this point and to describes the inevitable
isolation Holmes suffers due to his knowledge. In his scholarly text, Farrell claims that the
process of investigation produces power, yet it also entails alienation which in turn discloses the
fearful smallness of mankind and leads to despair and the compensation of drugs (48). So
thenIn conclusion, the scholars agree that Holmes genius is a twodouble-edged sword that
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makes him an outsider this characteristic has prevailed and become a standard convention of
the detective in the mystery genre.
Just as many scholars academic writers agree with Farrells idea that Holmes is an
outsider, ambiguously above the law, in danger of obsession and despair, (40) they also point to
Watson as the contrast he is considered the norm. In Doyles series, Watson is portrayed as the
average, Victorian middle-class man, and always a proper gentleman. John McBratney, the Chair
of the Department of English at John Carroll University, argues in his scholarly article, Racial
and Criminal Types: Indian Ethnography and Sir Arthur Conan Doyles The Sign of Four, that
Holmess divigation from the normemphasizes his resistance to conventional notions of type
and the disciplinarity it maps (161). For example, at the end of The Sign of Four, Watson makes
the decision decides to marry Miss. Morstan and follow a more conventional life plan. Holmes,
on the other hand, tells his friend that he would never marry because love is an emotional thing,
andis opposite the true cold reason which I place above all things (Doyle 2163). Holmes
preference for logic and reason makes him less inclined to follow the accepted, orthodox path of
the Victorian Era. Holmes tendency to be unconventional allows him to do things that others
would not and see things from a unique perspective. McBratney goes on to say that Holmes has
unique qualities that make him the only man who can save the system from those who wish to
exploit, scuttle, or invade it. He may seem beyond the system; indeed, it has been argued that
Holmes is the outsider who makes the population inside the social system secure (162).
McBratneys perspective on being an outsider is presented in a more positive light than Farrell,
but they both agree that Holmes can do what he does and be good at it because he is the other:
because he is outside apart from the norm, he can therefore act outside of the law. Maria
Konnikova, a columnist for The New Yorker online, also inadvertently supports the claim of
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Holmes being an outsider in her novel, Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes, by
splitting the human mind systems into the Watson system and the Holmes system. She writes
that the Watson system is the natural thought process of most people that is operated by lazy
thought habits, while the latter system is aspirational (18) and much more thoughtful and
reflective. She goes on to say that to thinking in the Holmes system is a difficult task and would
bring the average person to exhaustion (21). Holmes mental capacity and ability is a major
factor in making Holmes an outsider. Konnikova sets Holmes apart by writing that he is not the
norm in the way he thinks so although she doesnt call him other, she describes him as
such.
Some scholars argue that one of the reasons that for Doyles was so successful was
because he modified the detective character and added some unique qualitiesto be more
interesting and mysterious than those in the past. Unlike the other authors before him, Doyle
decided to keep the focus off of the detective and on the action. While the stories suggest that
Holmes is a complex and eccentric character with incredible intelligence and keen powers of
observation, they do not reveal much else about him. The readers learn almost nothing about
Holmes life and family; instead, they are captivated by the crime-solving action (Panek 92).
While Even though Holmes is the main character, the focus is kept away from him and Doyle
makes certain that the main plot of the story is the account of the investigation and resolution
(Dove 10), which Dove argues is one of the four essential conventions of the detective genre.
Also, Doyle never describes the protagonists appearance and the readers are left to rely on the
illustrators imagination. In Theory and Practice of Classic Detective Fiction, a collection of
essays compiled by Jerome Delamater and Ruth Prigozy, a writer argues that the detective
evinces odd personal habits: He conducts chemical experiments in his rooms, keeps tobacco in
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the toe of a Persian slipper, and during periods of intellectual boredom, uses cocaine (22).
Holmes is also a violinist and a botanist, which are interests that seem to have little relevance to
crime-solving. All of tThese various hobbies are one of the few things that the readers remember
and they add to the characters mysteriousness. Furthermore, Doyles use of second person
narrative in most of the Sherlock Holmes stories is partly responsible for keeping anmaintaining
the air of mystery around Holmes. Doyle is very careful to reveal as little as possible about the
detective and his background. The readers only know as much as Watson knowsare limited to
Watsons knowledge. In what may be the secret of his attraction to readers, McBratney goes
on to argues that Holmes is that individual who remains an insoluble mystery to his fellow
human beings, beyond the reach of even those means he uses to solve crimes (161). The scholar
goes back to the idea of Holmes being an outsider of incredible proportions that the readers
desperately want to understand. While agreeing with McBratney, Panek goes a step further in the
Doyle chapter of his scholarly academic text to argue that the mystery of Holmes increases the
anticipation in the story: On the whole, the author keeps Holmes under wraps to heighten the
wonder of the surprise at the end of the story. Holmes, nevertheless, is a creature of immense
attraction (92). McBratney and Panek concur that the secret behind the attraction of Holmes is
that so little is knownthe readers know very little about him, which was a unique characteristic
developed by Doyle that made the detective so iconic.
The Victorian Era was a period of vast and turbulent change that was is reflected in the
stories written by Sir Author Conan Doyle. He revolutionized the detective genre and established
a number of conventions that have now became an expected and necessary components in the
stories. Some Most scholars believe that one of the reasons for the success of the Sherlock
Holmes stories lies in the fascinating detective hero. With Holmes, Doyle created a protagonist
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that the readers were are attracted to and interested in. In Doyles his stories, including The Sign
of Four, the detective is portrayed as an outsider with unique and mysterious characteristics. Not
only that, Holmes has a split-personality, where he possesses incredible knowledge and keen
powers of observation, but can also be extremely lazy if nothing interests him. The literary
scholars are mostly in agreement about the conventions of the detective character with only
minor differences. The modern audience is still captivated by these qualities of Holmes and these
conventions, which are still widely used in the contemporary detective stories and media
adaptations, such as the British TV series Sherlock and the recently released Sherlock Holmes
movies directed by Guy Ritchie. In the Revisionist stage of genre development, the conventions
developed in the classical stage have become so well-known and expected that the authors and
directors often decide to experiment with the genre.


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Work Cited
Conan Doyle, Arthur. The Sign of the Four. Seattle: Amazon Digital Services, 2013. Kindle
eBook. Online.
Panek, Leroy. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State
University Popular Press, 1987. Print.
Farrell, Kirby. Heroism, Culture, and Dread in The Sign of Four. Studies in the Novel 16:1
(1984): 32-51. JSTOR. Web. 01/15/2014.
Dove, George N. The Reader and the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State
University Popular Press, 1997. Print.
McBratney, John. Racial and Criminal Types: Indian Ethnography and Sir Arthur Conan
Doyles The Sign of Four. Victorian Literature and Culture 33:1 (2005): 149-167.
JSTOR. Web. 01/15/2014.
Konnikova, Maria. Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes. New York: Viking, 2013.
Print.
Delamater, Jerome and Ruth Prigozy, eds. Theory and Practice of Classic Detective
Fiction. New York: Praeger, 1997.