Why did Conan Doyle kill Holmes himself?

The much-anticipated fourth season of "Sherlock" came to an end with fans around the world watching.

This may be the most controversial season of "Shenxia" since its broadcast in 2010. However, everyone should be familiar with this crew's style of dancing.

According to research on the Ancestry website, the 40-year-old Curly and Conan Doyle, who died in 1930, have the same ancestor as the Duke of Lancaster, the fourth son of Edward III.

Researchers say this connection was not commissioned by anyone, but stemmed from personal preference and confusion about the episode and the history behind it.

The world loves Sherlock Holmes, except for one person, and that is his creator Conan Doyle himself.

Conan Doyle must have never imagined that Sherlock Holmes, who he had worried would be abandoned by the world like a has-been star, would still have the upper hand today, 130 years later. Sherlock Holmes has more fans than in the Victorian era. fanaticism.

In 1887, Conan Doyle published the first story with Sherlock Holmes as the protagonist, "A Study in Scarlet," in "Beaton's Christmas Annual." This not only opened up a new form of popular fiction, but also And created a beloved legend.

He is over six feet tall, wears a hunting hat and a windbreaker, and often carries a pipe and cane. When thinking, I like to sit on the sofa with my legs curled up and my hands clasped together in a prayer position. Most of the time he is a loner, acting strangely and full of wisdom.

Sherlock Holmes in "The Divine Summer" seems to have more accurately strengthened the image in people's minds.

There is evidence that Doyle modeled the great detective on his mentor at Edinburgh University Medical School, Dr. Joseph Bell.

Bell has extremely keen observation skills. He can judge the patient's condition, as well as their occupation, residence, habits, etc. before the patient speaks. In addition to teaching in schools, this lecturer and doctor also likes to study famous cases.

Doyle recalled in an interview:

If Bell had become a detective, he would have transformed this interesting and disorderly profession into something close to a rigorous science. I thought I would try my best to have the novel's heroes treat criminals the way Dr. Bell treats disease.

Joseph Bell

Holmes was able to gain insight into complex human nature, but the other side of his heart - alcoholism and neurosis, had been ignored for a long time.

Conan Doyle's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes was also deeply influenced by his father, Charles Doyle.

Charles Doyle was a small civil servant in Edinburgh and a well-known painter. Later, he lost his job due to alcoholism, suffered from epilepsy and depression, and his family was in dire straits.

This left a deep shadow on Conan Doyle's mind. Many scholars believe that Holmes's neurotic character and the frequent drunken violence in the story come from Doyle's unpleasant teenage memories.

However, readers are deeply impressed by Holmes's superb reasoning ability. In their eyes, the shortcomings of a habitual smoker and drug addict are nothing to hide the flaws of a true gentleman.

In real life, fans regard Sherlock Holmes as a synonym for wisdom.

There are also many people who believe that Sherlock Holmes is a real person who existed. His residence in the novel has become a landmark, with an endless stream of visitors from all over the world every day.

President Conan Doyle wrote 60 stories about Sherlock Holmes, including 56 short stories and 4 novels. The popularity of the Sherlock Holmes series quickly made Conan Doyle famous, and he became the highest-paid writer in the late Victorian period.

But Doyle was not pleased.

Or, to be more precise, he regretted it almost immediately after creating the character: Holmes's popularity meant that he and his other works were not "deservedly appreciated".

Conan Doyle

Conan Doyle began writing and publishing articles while studying at Edinburgh Medical School, until the publication of "A Study in Scarlet" made him famous.

After the popularity of "The Sign of Four", he was invited to write a Sherlock Holmes short story once a month in the magazine.

But Holmes took up too much of Doyle's time. The unsuccessful ophthalmologist failed to see a single patient before his London practice closed.

When Doyle became popular, he began to write novels on historical themes such as "McCrack" and "White Column". With a literary ambition, he also tried poetry, drama, and war. Shi, participated in the film adaptation.

In order to free up time for serious literary creation, he offered a sky-high price of 1,000 pounds in an attempt to decline the manuscript. Unexpectedly, the other party agreed immediately, so Doyle had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue the Sherlock Holmes story.

"On the Waterfront" Magazine

Many of Doyle's works could be very good film blueprints with slight modifications.

Without the works of Sherlock Holmes, many people would mention "The Lost World". The story told by Conan Doyle is based on real historical exploration: an arrogant but extremely interesting scientist and an expedition team discovered living dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures on a plateau in the South American jungle.

This novel is a classic on the theme of "lost civilizations", and it is obvious that "Jurassic Park" was also inspired by it. Long before movies became popular, Doyle had such artistic thinking, which must be said to be very avant-garde.

Even so, Doyle has put a lot of effort into serious creation, but still cannot match the fame of "Sherlock Holmes".

What people are talking about is not "Conan Doyle" but "Sherlock Holmes". Conan Doyle's mother once asked him if he could give a signed book to a friend of hers. Doyle was overjoyed, but the old man asked if he would mind signing "Sherlock Holmes"?

Conan Doyle was angry that the Sherlock Holmes novels defined him as pulp fiction.

In his heart, Sherlock Holmes stories are like a bowl of chicken soup. His serious and valuable works have been ignored by readers for a long time, but this bowl of "pleasing" chicken soup has achieved great success.

He could no longer stand the protagonist. "I want to kill Sherlock Holmes and be done with it."

In 1893, a large number of readers gathered in front of Conan Doyle's house, angrily throwing stones at the windows of the house, accusing the people inside of murdering their hero.

In "The Last Case", the 37-year-old, cold, shrewd, and unsexy Holmes died together in a contest with his old rival Moriarty, and was buried in the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. This is the place where Conan Doyle chose to die after personally visiting Switzerland.

The death of the great detective caused an uproar. Subscriptions to "The Strand" magazine, which published Sherlock Holmes's detective stories, dropped sharply. Workers in London wore black armbands on their arms. Even Queen Victoria couldn't sit still and publicly Said: I am very disappointed!

Conan Doyle himself was inundated with angry and abusive letters from readers, and some people threatened to murder him...

But Doyle was unmoved, and he even tried to prove , Holmes is actually a fool. In "Watsonian Mysteries," Holmes explains to Watson that each of his observations can have an infinite number of explanations.

In other words, anyone standing in Holmes's shoes can make countless similar inferences, and have an equal chance of being correct.

He also said to a friend:

If it were my own wish, I would not resurrect him, at least not within a few years, because I really I'm tired of writing it, and now just the name makes me want to vomit, the same feeling I had after eating too much foie gras.

However, people still remember the clever and arrogant Sherlock Holmes. The fate of this great detective who has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people can no longer be controlled by Doyle alone.

Ten years later, under strong public demand and weighing interests, Doyle finally "resurrected" Holmes in "The Return of the Empty House." But the protagonist at this time is no longer the image created by Doyle ten years ago.

After his son died in World War I, Conan Doyle became obsessed with spiritualism. In addition, influenced by the adaptation and incorporating mythology, Sherlock Holmes became a figure similar to Frankenstein.

Doyle may have thought that when Holmes' death became words printed on paper, everything would be over. But this resistance may be "in vain".

Sherlock Holmes can be said to be the most adapted literary character. The great detective has appeared in 211 films, and 75 actors in total have worn deerstalker hats.

This legendary figure has deeply inspired the public imagination, and people continue to tell and continue Sherlock Holmes stories in various ways.

Just like Sherlock, some people will leave, whether temporarily or permanently.

Regardless of whether season 4 actually means the end, Holmes will not die and he will return for good.

Article source: WeChat public account cover news