Madison Verschleiser
Social Studies
The Victorian Man, Sherlock Holmes
In 1887, Conan Doyle introduced, arguably, one of the most famous literary characters into the world, Sherlock Holmes. Even decades after the original publication of the series, Sherlock Holmes as a character still resonates with people around the world. Today people are drawn towards Sherlock Holmes as a polarizing character whom they can live vicariously through and be drawn into a world of a man so different from the norms of today . Conan Doyle’s character, as portrayed in media today, is a self-proclaimed, “high functioning sociopath,” with a drug addition, an aptitude for solving crime, and a distaste for human relations and emotions . While the characterization …show more content…
Conan Doyle’s depiction of Sherlock Holmes’s drug use exhibits the Victorian society’s acceptance and use of drugs for both social and medical reasons. Victorian society had also begun to accept the philosophy of Empiricism, which governed how people explained the occurrences around them; this is possibly one of Sherlock Holmes’s most famous characteristics. Additionally, the social, economic and political movements of the time gave rise to a heightened awareness of crime. On the positive side, the industrialization of England, fostered by the invention of the steam engine, made printed material more readily available for the masses of British people. With more people reading magazines and newspapers, sensationalism allowed for the fear of crime to take root among the people. Conan Doyle displays this fear in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes by creating a character whose methods and success fostered a sense of comfort among his readers. Ultimately, Sherlock Holmes is much more than the eccentric character portrayed in the media today, he is a window into the values of Victorian
Social Studies
The Victorian Man, Sherlock Holmes
In 1887, Conan Doyle introduced, arguably, one of the most famous literary characters into the world, Sherlock Holmes. Even decades after the original publication of the series, Sherlock Holmes as a character still resonates with people around the world. Today people are drawn towards Sherlock Holmes as a polarizing character whom they can live vicariously through and be drawn into a world of a man so different from the norms of today . Conan Doyle’s character, as portrayed in media today, is a self-proclaimed, “high functioning sociopath,” with a drug addition, an aptitude for solving crime, and a distaste for human relations and emotions . While the characterization …show more content…
Conan Doyle’s depiction of Sherlock Holmes’s drug use exhibits the Victorian society’s acceptance and use of drugs for both social and medical reasons. Victorian society had also begun to accept the philosophy of Empiricism, which governed how people explained the occurrences around them; this is possibly one of Sherlock Holmes’s most famous characteristics. Additionally, the social, economic and political movements of the time gave rise to a heightened awareness of crime. On the positive side, the industrialization of England, fostered by the invention of the steam engine, made printed material more readily available for the masses of British people. With more people reading magazines and newspapers, sensationalism allowed for the fear of crime to take root among the people. Conan Doyle displays this fear in The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes by creating a character whose methods and success fostered a sense of comfort among his readers. Ultimately, Sherlock Holmes is much more than the eccentric character portrayed in the media today, he is a window into the values of Victorian