Arthur and Sherlock

In researching the roots of Sherlock Holmes,  Michael Sims has delivered a book that is rich in details about Arthur Canon Doyle, and the influences in his life that created the fictional Sherlock Holmes.  This book also provides an in-depth picture of the creation of the detective novel genre itself.

Sherlock Holmes was a new kind of hero, a new kind of detective. Before the 1880s, most detective type characters were innocent victims of a conspiracy or caught in a crime based on revenge that they had to figure their way out of.  When creating Sherlock, Doyle was influenced by the characters created by Poe and Dickens and a few other well known writers at the time, but the greatest influence was a professor from Doyle's medical school, Dr. Joseph Bell.  Without all the medical equipment and test that are used to train doctors today, Bell's method involved the power of deduction.  He taught his students how to really look at their patients to deduct the possible origins of the problem being solved.  This was Sherlock's dominant trait.  The one that made him stand apart of all other fictional detective characters.

Holmes's was a new kind of detective - working for himself, bragging about his genius, often sleeping all day while tracking miscreants by night, belittling Scotland Yard detectives, reckless in his behaviors, nonchalant regarding money, but all the while demonstrating the potential of sheer intellectual power.

Doyle liked to think of himself as bohemian even though he was very ambitious, committed to his medical career, preoccupied with money and devoted to his family - traits not usually associated with the bohemian lifestyle. These traits became part of Holmes' persona.  Doyle often tried medical experiments on himself while in medical school and gave this reckless, come what may attitude to Holmes as well. Doyle also saw himself as brave and indomitable and he gave those traits to Holmes as well.

Although Edgar Allen Poe was mostly known for his fantasy and macabre novels, crime fiction was never the same after his contribution of the eccentric French detective Monsieur Dupin in a few short stories starting with The Murders in Rue Morgue.  The Murders in Rue Morgue may be the first detective novel. Doyle borrowed from Poe in making Holmes a  collector of violins and carefully locating Holmes' headquarters at 221 Baker Street.  Arthur also created Dr. Watson to act as a Boswell to bring Holmes to life.  On one occasion Watson writes about Holmes, " knows nothing of gardening but his understanding of chemistry is profound. Holmes can box, play the violin and handle a sword."

There are so many details in this book that will keep the reader saying, "OMG, I didn't know that." It's a fascinating read, but it may take time because you will want to digest each element as a kind of food for thought, or, if you are a creative writer - food for the soul.