Arthur Conan Doyle
by Barry Wright
Essay: Arthur Conan Doyle
Pages: 10
Rating: 3 stars
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Although, the words were never actually uttered by Sherlock Holmes, the phrase “Elementary, my dear Watson,”
has been stuck in minds since Arthur Conan Doyle first wrote about the famous detective. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
widely known for his stories about the great detective Sherlock Holmes, was born into poverty in Edinburg,
Scotland on May 22, 1859. Doyle’s early life and later experiences with his medical career and religion helped
influence stories centered around his most famous series and detective, Sherlock Holmes, along with Holmes’ best
friend, John Watson. His early interest in Edgar Allen Poe’s style of Gothicism also helped mold his writing style
later in life. Living in England and Scotland, and serving in the Boer War, his life was filled with influences that later
affected Holmes’ biggest adventure, The Hound of the Baskervilles. Of all of Arthur Conan Doyle’s influences, his
three biggest ones are his love of Edgar Allen Poe’s works, his adventures as a doctor, and his belief in spiritualism.
As a young child, Arthur Conan Doyle was an avid reader of the most popular books of the time, especially
adventure and gothic novels (British Writers 161). Poe’s works were among the most famous and influential of
Doyle’s writing. Gothicism, the main style of Poe’s writing, which intertwined elements of romance and horror, was
just starting to reach its height in Victorian England in cheap books and magazines. In fact, Poe’s detective
character C. Auguste Dupin was thought of as part of the inspiration for Doyle’s own mystery hero, Sherlock
Holmes (“The Hound” 120, 130). Attending a Jesuit school in England which he despised, his short visits home led
him to the discovery of Poe’s short stories, which influenced his love ...