How Conan Doyle Perceives a Victorian Gentleman in Sherlock Holmes :: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Sherlock Holmes Essays

How Conan Doyle Perceives a Victorian Gentleman in Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes is a hero, he is also a typical Victorian gentleman. A very important fact about the books is that he was the first detective. This brought him much attention and many people loved this idea. He set the standard and has been copied by others many times. Detectives nowadays are still perceived to be just like Sherlock Holmes. They still have the same mannerisms: for example Sherlock Holmes Detectives nowadays * High Moral Yes. * Money - Rich Usually. * Women Not many of the detectives favour women. * Very clever Yes. * Loner Not many friends * Has a drug problem Many drink, and abuse alcohol etc. This table shows how many detectives nowadays are still very much like Holmes. Holmes was very popular too many people in the Victorian era. He was a brake from normal life, an escape from reality. Many of the men had to perfect and where find it too difficult so would take a break and read Conan Doyle's stories on Holmes. Victorian people needed a break from the hustle and bustle of the streets and daily life so turned to the stories of Sherlock Holmes. At this time in the Victorian era the police didn't have much control. There were many people on the streets and there was a lot of crime. Jack the Ripper was also on the loose and people didn't feel safe. They turned to Holmes to reassure them and comfort them. There was also a rise in middle class educated people. This meant more people were reading so would be more interested in finding good books. As more and more people enjoyed them the word spread, so many more people would by his stories, of Holmes. The first story that I am going to talk about is The Speckled Band. The Speckled Band This is a story about heartless widower, Dr Roylott. He returns with his twin step-daughters to Stoke Moran, to his family's old and country house, where wild animals and gypsies wander on its grounds. One of the girls, Helen, visits Holmes after the death of her sister. She comes to Holmes and tells him the story. She exclaims to Holmes that she came out of the room screaming "the band, the speckled band." Holmes notices livid spots and marks on Helen's wrists made by her stepfather, and agrees to go with Watson to Stoke Moran to investigate. They occupy the bedroom of her dead twin which is located next to Dr Roylott's. Late at night they hear a noise which proves to be a speckled snake going down the bell-pull from Roylott's bedroom.