In Victorian London crime rates were extremely high, many pickpockets roamed the streets with no consequences. This was because the police, approx. 3000 strong, were busy trying to chase larger, more notorious criminals, such as, the already mentioned, jack the ripper. Sherlock Holmes was a man, who realised the police’s poor methods and inability to quieten crime rates, and he disrespected them for it and in return, out of envy, they disliked him. ‘He has his own little methods, which are, if he wont mind me saying so, just a little to theoretical and fantastic, but he has the makings of a good detective in him.’ This is said by an officer about Holmes, it indicates the officer sees Sherlock as an inferior detective to himself and does not agree with his, sometimes irregular, methods. ‘He is not a bad man, though an absolute imbecile in his profession’ this is an interesting quote by Holmes, as he displays an almost arrogance towards the police force and towards this particular officer, Jones. This rivalry between the police and Holmes draws readers into the stories and elevates Holmes’s already great stature into something of invincibility.
Although the stories where published in a time where crime was of great interest and a detective was in demand, it is in Sherlock Holmes character that provides a massive appeal. “Holmes settling down to one of his chemical researches” Holmes’ personality was eccentric, yet believable. He was far from perfect, as he was a drug user and was very arrogant. ‘You imagine that I have added opium-smoking to my cocaine injections’ this indicates Holmes is a flawed character, which makes him more realistic and believable, as well as many readers could relate to his issues. Holmes is a solitary character, he is single and has not but one friend, but with this he is still very happy with his life. He never seems to value human relations like any other human, he is dispassionate and cold, all of this was part of his appeal. It made the readers more intrigued into his irregular lifestyle and character. Sherlock Holmes’s enthusiasm is a vital part of his popularity, as he will never be a person motivated by material goods, his reward is in his profession.
To many, Sherlock’s appeal is in his eccentric personality, but his methods draw in alot of admiration from a vast number of readers. Sherlock’s methods separate him from many other detectives, as they are very unique to him and are relevant to his character. “No, but I fancy I have deduced a little more” He is very observant, which many of the other methods rely upon, from his observations he has an almost supernatural ability to deduce hidden clues. “He is a genius, a philosopher, an abstract thinker. He has a brain of the first order” Although there is a certain arrogance to Holmes he still has every respect for his opponent, he will never underestimate them and always tries to become familiar with the villain and his mannerisms, before apprehending him. “There is no one who knows the higher criminal world of London better than I do” Holmes had an amazing knowledge of almost every high profile criminal in London, a skill which he exploited to his advantage. “My profession is its own reward” being a detective was not only Holmes’ job it was also his livelihood, his obvious enthusiasm is crucial in his success. He will never take interest into a boring, straightforward case instead he always pursues the more challenging and irregular cases, which also makes the stories so popular. “The left arm of your jacket is splattered in no less than seven places” Holmes observational skills were very important in his success, as all of his clues had to be factual, Holmes worked very much upon data and evidence which usually he had observed “ah, I have no data”. Holmes was a very open minded detective he did not set upon one idea until there was enough evidence to back it up. In the short stories of Holmes many of the plots were based on how the criminal committed the crime, or even why he did so, because of this ‘howdunnit’ approach his open mind was essential “I have devised several different explanations”. All of these unique methods added extremely to Holmes appeal and helped him to establish a name for himself in both, the fictional and non-fictional worlds.
Dr Watson narrates the stories of Holmes; he is a critical character, which is of indescribable importance. The reason he narrates the stories is reasonably straightforward; he is the bridge in between the readers, and Holmes mind. Dr Watson is a vital character, he is the one who still keeps the mystery in Holmes’ quests, if it were Holmes narrating it would bring away all mystery; as we would read into his mind. “I cannot yet see any connection” being a doctor he is a very intelligent man, but Holmes continually outsmarts him, he is made to look very unintelligent. This adds to the greatness of Holmes having someone around to show his superiority. Watson is very loyal and does not hesitate to do as Holmes requests. He has a practice, which he finds very tedious, instead of spending his time there he will go with Holmes on his quests. He has a clear thirst for knowledge, which is shown through his constant questioning. This is great for the reader, because they can see into his every bit of method and reasoning.
The stories have got to be one of the biggest appeals, they are very abstract and unusual, and this was because Holmes refused to follow up boring and regular stories. What sparked Holmes mind were the peculiar cases, with twists and anomalies. The variety of the mysteries was outstanding, for Arthur Conan Doyle to achieve such a wide range of original ideas is an extraordinary feat. Conan Doyle was very interested in forensics, which helped enormously. Every mystery was solvable, Doyle made sure of that he left subtle clues, which no doubt Holmes had picked up along the way. If you study each structure of every story they are all very similar, there is always an unusual crime featuring at the beginning of the mystery. You will always have a high profile villain. Then you will find an unusual or unexplained happening or event. There will always be a motive, usually money. There are always a mixture of clear cut and subtle clues along with the odd red herring, which will throw the reader and make the final explanation more climactic. The Explanation will always be delivered at the end and be either arrogantly retold to the villain or told to Watson. Every one of Holmes explanations was an amazing and defining part of the Sherlock Holmes stories.
There was always a high profile villain in each story. Each one of the villains was very stereotypical, physically strong intelligent and unforgiving. There were many villains that matched Holmes in his capabilities and there were some very defining moments because of this. A final showdown in the final problem between Holmes and his bitter rival Professor Moriarty proved to be very climactic. “It is inevitable destruction. You stand in the way of not merely an individual, but of a mighty organization, the full extent of which you, with all your cleverness, have been unable to realise. You must stand clear, Mr. Holmes, or be trodden underfoot.” This was a threat made by Moriarty, which defines the characteristic of him as a villain. He makes a very direct threat to Holmes life; Sherlock still stands tall and does not fear it. “ I know you, you scoundrel. I have heard of you before. You are Holmes, the meddler.” This is another confrontation between Holmes and his opposition. These confrontational scenes are very gripping for readers.
In conclusion, there is clearly a very wide range of factors that have all had an effect on the popularity of the stories. It is the combination of all these concerning factors that make the legendary Sherlock Holmes all he is today and this is precisely why he was so popular back in Victorian times. From the time of the publishing, to the stories themselves every factor was perfect for the creation of a very popular character.