Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes (pronounced /ˈʃɜːlɒk həʊmz/) is a fictional private detective created in 1887 by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. He is an English character from the late 19th century who stands out for his intelligence, his skilful use of observation and deductive reasoning to solve difficult cases. He is the protagonist of a series of four novels and fifty-six fictional stories, which make up the "Holmesian canon", published mostly by The Strand Magazine .

Sherlock Holmes is the quintessential brain researcher archetype and greatly influenced detective fiction after his appearance. Although Auguste Dupin, created by Edgar Allan Poe, is considered a very similar predecessor character, his eccentric genius did not achieve the enormous popularity that Holmes and his author achieved in his lifetime.

Description

Sherlock Holmes Statue at Picardy Place in Edinburgh, birthplace of Doyle.

Sherlock Holmes, whom Doyle originally intended to call Sherrinford, is a tall, thin, cold, wry, witty and intellectually restless consulting detective. His partner, friend and chronicler Dr. Watson, with whom he never gets to know first names (they call each other by his last name), physically describes him as follows shortly after they met:

His stature exceeded six feet, and was so extraordinarily rinsing, which produced the impression of being even higher. He had the sharp and penetrating look, [...] and his nose, thin and eagle, gave the whole of his factions an air of vivacity and resolution.

Study in scarlet.

He can be a bit brusque at times, but he is courteous to women despite the fact that he mistrusts them. Dr. Watson highlights in one of his cases the presence of a beautiful lady named Irene Adler, who blackmails the king of Bohemia (in the works of Sherlock Holmes you can see a parallel geopolitics, kings are named, like the one of Scandinavia or others...), which is always considered by Sherlock as "the Woman". In his eyes, she rivals himself in intelligence, as she demonstrates in one of his adventures.

And that was how a great scandal could have affected the kingdom of Bohemia was avoided, and how the most perfect plans of Sherlock Holmes were defeated by the wit of a woman. He used to joke about women's intelligence, but lately I haven't heard him. And when he speaks of Irene Adler or mentions his photograph, it is always with the honorable title of "the" woman.

Scan it in Bohemia.

He is not very tidy in his daily routine, he is very skilled at disguising himself, he smokes a pipe, he likes cookies, he plays the violin masterfully (a Stradivarius, often at inappropriate hours), he is an expert beekeeper, an excellent boxer, has great scientific knowledge, especially in chemistry, and, when bored due to lack of intellectual challenges that his cases pose, consumes cocaine in a seven percent solution (this is only mentioned in the book The Sign of the Four, published in 1890), which he left at the insistence of Watson, with whom he lived until the end of the century XIX at 221B Baker Street, London.

The first instance in which Sherlock intervenes as a young man, as he tells Watson, is in the adventure of "The Corvette Gloria Scott" (1893), in which he helps a friend decipher a coded message.

Doyle based his character's deductive method on the behavior of one of his professors at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where he studied medicine, Joseph Bell, a forerunner of forensic medicine.

Although many have denied this option, the writer based his description of Holmes on an old college friend named Sherrinford, who became part of Scotland Yard around 1844, and a great friend and ally of Conan Doyle and whose descriptions of police experiences inspired many of his works.

Biography

By Doyle's textual guidelines, Sherlock Holmes was born in 1854.^{[citation needed]} His father was an English squire and his mother descended from a lineage of French painters, including the illustrious Vernet, her grandmother's brother. He has two brothers: the first is Mycroft, who Sherlock has always said is smarter than him but "has no ambition or energy"; what Sherlock sees as a trade - deducing things from minuscule details - Mycroft sees as just a hobby. He works as a general coordinator and insider for British government affairs and is a distinguished member of the Diogenes Club. The second is called Sherrinford, and he is the oldest of the three, although he is rarely mentioned and we know very little about him, although many experts have confirmed his existence since it is very likely that, given the time, the firstborn was called the same as the father: Sherrinford.

Sherlock Holmes seems to have been a student at the university, probably at Oxford or Cambridge where he would take some subjects in music and musicology, medicine, law, but above all, chemistry. It is also at the university where he began some work as detective ("The corvette Gloria Scott") and where his facet as an actor begins, joining the university theater group, a fact that will be very useful for him when interpreting the roles he adopts when disguising himself in some of his cases. After completing his studies, he stayed near the British Museum to be able to study the sciences necessary for the development of his later career. He meets Watson in 1881, in the laboratory of Saint Bartholomew's Hospital through a mutual acquaintance in order to share a flat at 221B Baker Street. He declines the title of knight (sir), but accepts the Legion of honor in a completely discreet manner.

His great enemy, also of extraordinary intellectual faculties, is Professor Moriarty, who apparently ended the life of the eminent detective in the Reichenbach waterfall, Switzerland (The Final Problem). Doyle had to choose to resurrect his hero when thousands of readers protested wearing black crepe hats in mourning. Sherlock Holmes reappears in the case The Empty House ( The Return of Sherlock Holmes , 1903) explaining the reasons for his absence. This three-year interlude between the apparent death of Sherlock Holmes and his reappearance is known as The Great Hiatus, a literary time that has allowed some pastiche authors to give free rein to their imagination and allow themselves certain poetic licenses such as: Holmes's detoxification to cocaine thanks to the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud or the possible marriage of the consulting detective with his supposed love Irene Adler. But they are works that fall outside the Holmesian canon, so they are "unofficial."

After a career of twenty-three years, of which Watson shared seventeen with him, Holmes retired to Sussex, where he studied philosophy and beekeeping, eventually writing a book entitled A Handbook of Beekeeping, with some observations about the separation from the queen, and also, almost coincidentally, he solved one of his most complicated cases: The Adventure of the Lion's Mane (1907). After his retirement as a detective, he spent two years painstakingly preparing a major counterintelligence action shortly before the start of the First World War. Nothing more is known about him from 1914.

Knowledge and skills

Classic Sherlock Holmes outfit: a pipe, a magnifying glass and the deerstalker cap.

In the first story, A Study in Scarlet, some background to Holmes is given. In early 1881, he presents himself as an independent chemistry student with a curious array of interests, almost all of which serve him well in solving crimes. In one of the first stories, "The Corvette Gloria Scott", the father of a school friend compliments him on his deductive skills and Holmes himself explains that this was one of the reasons why he became a detective.

- Mr. Holmes, but it seems to me that all the detectives of fact and of fancy would be children in your hands. That's your line of life, sir, and you may take the word of a man who has seen something of the world.
- And that recommendation, with the exaggerated estimate of my ability with which he prefaced it, was, if you will believe me, Watson, the very first thing which ever made me feel that a profession might be made out of what had up to that time been the merest hobby.

- Sir. Holmes, but it seems to me that all the detectives of reality or fiction would be nothing but children in their hands. That's your line of work, sir, and you can believe in the word of a man who's seen some world.
- And that recommendation, with the exaggerated estimation of my faculties that preceded it, was, you can believe me, Watson, the first thing that allowed me to see that a profession could emerge from what I saw until then as a mere hobby.

The Gloria Scott tie.

Holmes always used scientific methods and focuses on the methods of logic and the powers of observation and deduction. He is an eccentric character and always remains objective. He only reveals things to us little by little.

In A Study in Scarlet, Watson is surprised by Holmes's ignorance of the heliocentric theory demonstrated by Nicholas Copernicus in the XVI:

However, my surprise reached the climax by casually uncovering the theory of Copernicus and the composition of the solar system. It was so extraordinary for me that in our 19th century there was a civilized person who ignored that the Earth revolves around the Sun, that it took me to do it for good.

Study in scarlet.

Even more so when, right after, Sherlock Holmes assures him that "now that he knows it, he will try to forget it", alluding to the fact that the brain is limited in terms of the capacity of information that it can retain, and that for this reason "it is of It is more important that useless data not displace useful data. As a result of this, Dr. Watson decides to evaluate Holmes's abilities, qualifying them in this way:

1. Literature. — Sensationalist. (However, in "The Sign of the Four" he quotes Goethe and La Rochefoucauld, as well as showing his knowledge of the writer Jean-Paul.)
2. Philosophy. - Zero.
3. Astronomy. - Zero.
4. Politics. — Lights.
5. Botanical. - Disapprove them. Current on the beautifuldone, opium and poisons in general (can distinguish the place of cultivation of the plant, day and time of consumption by studying a cigar colle). Ignore everything about practical crops and gardening.
6. Geology. — Practical, but limited knowledge. Distinguish from a blow to the land classes. After your walks in London you can, due to color and consistency, define which part of the city is each of the mud spots in your pants.
7. Chemistry. - Deep.
8. Anatomy. - Exactly, but not systematic.
9. Sensationalist literature. - Awesome. It seems to know in detail the crimes committed in the centuryXIX.
10. Music. - Play the violin well.
11. Fight. — Expert boxer and fencing of stick and sword. (However, in The adventure of the uninhabited house1901, Arthur Conan Doyle mentions that Holmes had some knowledge of "baritsu", referring to the bartitsu, eclectic martial art focused on personal defense that was developed in England between 1898 and 1902).
12. Laws. - He has practical knowledge of British laws.

However, Dr. Watson made this qualification shortly after starting to live with Holmes and, as it is later shown, the detective has knowledge of, for example, astronomy. This can be seen in Musgrave's Ritual (where Holmes talks about achieving the personal equation, as astronomers call it), in The Adventure of the Planes of Bruce-Partington (compares Mycroft Holmes's visit to 221B Baker Street to a planet leaving its orbit) and in The Greek Interpreter (Holmes talks on the causes of changes in the obliquity of the Ecliptic).

Books

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John H. Watson; Sidney Paget illustration The Strand Magazine (1893).

The extensive Sherlock bibliography recounting the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and his companion Watson, collectively known as the "Holmesian canon", consists of four novels and fifty-six short stories collected in several volumes:

Collections of short stories

• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892)
• Sherlock Holmes Memories (1894)
• The return of Sherlock Holmes (1903)
• His last reverence (1917)
• The Sherlock Holmes Archive (1927)

Novels

• Study in scarlet (1887)
• The sign of the four (1890)
• The Baskerville Saturday (1901-1902)
• The valley of terror (1914-1916)

Movies and TV

• Sherlock Holmes Baffled (1900)
• Sherlock Holmes (1916)
• Sherlock Holmes (1922)
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)
• Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942)
• Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)
• Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)
• The Spider Woman (1944)
• The Scarlet Claw (1944)
• The Pearl of Death (1944)
• The House of Fear (1945)
• The Woman in Green (1945)
• Pursuit to Algiers (1945)
• Terror by Night (1946)
• Dressed to Kill (1946)
• The Baskerville Saturday (1959)
• A Study in Terror (1965)
• Sherlock Holmes' private life (1970)
• Murder by decree (1979)
• Sherlock Holmes (TV, 1984-1994)
• Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
• Without a Clue (1988)
• Sherlock Holmes in the 21st century (lived series, 1999-2001)
• Sherlock Holmes (2009)
• Sherlock (TV, 2010-2017)
• Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows (2011)
• Elementary (TV, 2012-2019)
• Mr. Holmes (2015)
• Holmes and Watson (2018)
• Enola Holmes (2020)
• Enola Holmes 2 (2022)

Main actors who have starred in Sherlock Holmes

• Basil Rathbone (American Film Series between 1939 and 1946)
• Vasily Livanov (The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson1979-1986)
• Peter Cushing (The Masks of Death1984)
• Jeremy Brett (Sherlock Holmes1984-1994)
• Robert Downey Jr. (two British-American films, 2009 and 2011)
• Benedict CumberbatchSherlock2010-2017)
• Jonny Lee MillerElementary, 2012-2019)
• Ian McKellenMr. Holmes, 2015)
• Will FerrellHolmes and Watson, 2018)
• Henry Cavill (Enola Holmes, 2020)

Chroniclers

Most of Sherlock Holmes's adventures and stories are narrated by his friend Dr. J.H. Watson, except for six stories in particular. The Adventure of the Lion's Mane and The Adventure of the Soldier with the Pale Skin are narrated by a main narrator, since it is Holmes who tells what happened from his perspective, or that is, the main character of the stories. The Mazarin Stone is one of the famed detective's last experiences, and is narrated by an omniscient narrator as is His last greeting from him on stage. Both The Corvette Gloria Scott and The Musgrave Ritual are police cases prior to the association between Dr. Watson and Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and they show that, even though Watson wrote them, it was Holmes who told him anecdotally about his early days as a detective. The rest of his adventures and stories were narrated by Dr. John H. Watson.

Sherlock Holmes always criticized his adventure partner because, according to Holmes, in his stories, the significant facts were mixed with details that, being unnecessary, distract from the objective details that lead to the resolution of the case. However, as soon as he sees himself in the position of writing his adventures, he recognizes that the matter has his difficulties and that perhaps he judged Watson's "flowery" writing too severely.

Sherlock Holmes as a popular icon

Sherlock Holmes Statue in London (United Kingdom).

Sherlock Holmes has been taken many times to the cinema and the theater and also appears in novels, stories, comics, cartoons and television series, with the most diverse degrees of fidelity to the spirit of the character who is already an icon of popular culture.

Among the most applauded actors are Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Basil Rathbone, who, with Nigel Bruce, constituted the referential icon in the field of cinema; Peter Cushing, Robert Stephens and Jeremy Brett, perhaps the best Sherlock Holmes on the small screen due to his degree of fidelity in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Among the comics, stand out comic versions such as the Spanish The strange adventures of Sherlock López and Watso de Leche (1943) by Gabriel Arnao Crespo or Sir Tim O'Theo (1970) by Raf. He also appeared briefly in Detective Comics 50th Anniversary (issue #572, August 1980) alongside Batman, the publication's most popular character (and whose deductive method sometimes bears similarities to the character by Conan Doyle).

As for the novels, Sherlock Holmes reappears as a secondary character in the saga Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars. The novels, written by Tracy Mack and her husband Michael Citrin, focus on the group of orphans (The Baker Street Irregulars), who assist Holmes in several of the original novels.

In 1994 the Detective Conan manga (in honor of the author's name) was released in Japan, whose main character uses the same methods as Sherlock Holmes.

In 2004 Holmes was taken as a great source of inspiration in the American television series House, about the irreverent doctor of the same name, a specialist in medical diagnosis. Holmes not only shares a similar name with House, but also his eccentric personality and very similar methods when it comes to solving his cases. As a nod to viewers, the writers house Dr. House in 221B, he also shares a drug dependency (Vicodine / 7% cocaine). His best friend, James Wilson, also shares a similar name with John Watson, in addition to having the same profession, that of a doctor.

In 2008, Hidan no Aria, a series of action-comedy light novels that were later adapted into manga and anime, began publishing, whose co-star, Aria H. Kanzaki, is the great-granddaughter of Holmes.

In December 2009, the new film about the adventures of Sherlock Holmes was released, directed by Guy Ritchie and featuring Robert Downey Jr. (Holmes), Jude Law (Watson) and Rachel McAdams (Adler).

From 2010 to date, the BBC produced a 12-episode miniseries about Sherlock Holmes, three per season, entitled Sherlock although set in the present day. The miniseries features Benedict Cumberbatch. as Sherlock Holmes, and Martin Freeman as Watson. The first season of the miniseries consists of three episodes, the same as the second and fourth, the third also consists of three episodes plus a special episode titled "The Abominable Bride", it is not yet known if there will be a fifth season.

In 2012, the CBS television network started a new series, Elementary, where a Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) in the present year moves to New York after being in rehab for a problem with drugs. In this series, Watson is introduced as a woman, former surgeon Joan Watson (Lucy Liu).

Sherlock Holmes Museum

221b Baker Street, London

Entry

In 2012 Holmes & Watson. Madrid Days by José Luis Garci. The story is about a trip of the detective and his companion to the capital of Spain, Madrid. Here they will try to find out if Jack the Ripper is in the city.

In 2012, SM Entertainment group SHINee released their song titled "Sherlock", said music video shows the 5 members of the group solving a mystery about a lost jewelry.

In 2015, Mr. Holmes, directed by Bill Condon, which tells the life of an aging Sherlock in 1947, aged 93, enjoying his retirement raising bees and trying to solve the enigma of the case that made him abandon his profession 35 years ago. Sherlock is played by Ian McKellen.

In 2018 Holmes and Watson was released, a comedy film that strays far from the literary source of the character. In said tape Holmes is played by Will Ferrell and Watson by John C. Reilly.

Sherlock Holmes Museum

In London there is a museum dedicated to recreating the apartment described in Doyle's work. It is located at 221 Baker Street, exactly the same address that is mentioned in the famous novels. In it you can visit the study, the bedroom, including the bathroom in which Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson supposedly spent their days. There are also mannequin recreations of some scenes from the novels.

Sherlock Holmes and the writers

Many authors have dedicated lines to the famous detective.

• Borges wrote about his admired English character:

He didn't come out of a mother or knew of elders.

Identical is the case of Adam and Quijano.
It's made of random. Immediate or near

it is governed by the variations of readers. [...]

Thinking late at Sherlock Holmes is a

of the good customs we have left. Death
and nap are others. It's our luck too.

converge in a garden or watch the moon.

• Enrique Jardiel Poncela makes a parody of Sherlock Holmes in his book To read as the elevator rises.

• Stephen King includes a short story entitled “The Doctor’s Case” in his book Pesadillas y Alucinaciones.

• Brittany Cavallaro Create a series of books on Sherlock Holmes and Watson's ancestors today. This series of novels is called Charlotte Holmes Novel Series.

• Blas Matamoro recreates the relationship between Holmes and Watson in The mustaches of the Gioconda.

Sherlock Holmes on the radio

A radio series about Sherlock Holmes called The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes was broadcast in the United States and ran for nine seasons. It aired from October 2, 1939 to June 14, 1950.

Curiosities of the Sherlock Holmes stories

There is a text repeated in two different stories, this phenomenon occurs in both European and American editions. In question is the famous phrase of Sherlock Holmes that says "All wars are useless and only serve to sow pain and misery". This same phrase appears in two stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle where they are told by the same protagonist: The Adventure of the Cardboard Box and The Internal Patient. The translator of the book Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, More Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, named Esteban Riambau, affirms that it is not the author's fault but rather the opposite because one of his stories could be considered "too strong" and could be censored he decided to create two stories where the main message could be perpetuated without the need for repetition.