Sherlock Holmes is probably the most famous fictional detective in the English language. Known for his keen observational skills and ability to put together facts, Sherlock is still considered a genius detective. In fact, the ultimate detective continues to inspire mystery fans, everywhere. However, his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle famously had a love-hate relationship with Holmes. In fact, he believed Holmes was preventing him from pursuing other characters in his writing and even killed him (and his mortal enemy, Moriarty) in a story, only to bring Holmes back to meet readers’ demands. To understand why, it is important to know a little bit more about Doyle. Focusing on his life will help you write your paper about the relationship between the author and his most famous character.
Looking at Doyle’s life, he seems to share more in common with Dr. John Watson, Sherlock’s sidekick in most of his famous stories. Like Watson, Doyle was a medical doctor with an extensive history of world travel. In fact, for much of his life Doyle’s main vocation seemed to be medicine, though he began writing as a young man and continued it throughout his life, even when he struggled to find a publisher. Doyle modeled Holmes on one of his own former professors, a man named Joseph Bell. Doyle was a fan of the scientific method and deductive reasoning, which Bell taught. In addition to scientific pursuits, Doyle was also heavily involved in the study of the occult, played cricket, boxed, and golfed. He was also an advocate for justice and had an amateur interest in architecture. The variety of his interests help explain how he was able to create such a learned character in Sherlock, who had knowledge in every area