In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Final Problem”, a short story in his collection The Memoirs of Sherlock Homes, he introduces a character known as Professor James Moriarty. Doyle’s creation of Moriarty was influenced by major criminals, who were known for terrorizing Victorian England such as Adam Worth and Jack the Ripper. Doyle had designed Moriarty to be a criminal mastermind who represents an opposition towards Victorian morality, and made him an “other” of Victorian England’s society. Victorian morality was a strict ethical code and a low tolerance for crime, which were the values of people living in 19th century England. Moriarty became an “other” of their society because he was known to oppose these beliefs, due to the fact that he had
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Malcolm Gaskill’s Crime and Mentalities in Early Modern England, also provides important context information about criminals in Victorian England. Context about Jack the Ripper, one of the people Moriarty is based off of, is found in the journal article, "Insinuation: "Détournement" As Gendered Repetition." By Patrick Greaney. "Ethics Replaces Morality: The Victorian Legacy To Bloomsbury” by Todd P Avery, explains the concept of Victorian morality, as does Kellye Dubard’s "Victorian Values Revisited; Step Back Not Necessarily a Step Ahead; Few Responses Call for Return to Sterner …show more content…
His lack of respect or Victorian morality, and his love for crime had caused him to be a villain in Doyle’s short story. Doyle had designed Moriarty to be this criminal mastermind because he had lived in an era where London was full of gangs and crimes, he had used major criminals from his society to build his villain from including Adam Worth, the original “Napoleon of Crime”, and Jack the Ripper, a serial killer. If Doyle hadn’t lived where he had during that era it is likely that Moriarty wouldn’t be the same character that Doyle made him to be, Moriarty could have been a pirate or warrior if Doyle had lived in a different place or
Malcolm Gaskill’s Crime and Mentalities in Early Modern England, also provides important context information about criminals in Victorian England. Context about Jack the Ripper, one of the people Moriarty is based off of, is found in the journal article, "Insinuation: "Détournement" As Gendered Repetition." By Patrick Greaney. "Ethics Replaces Morality: The Victorian Legacy To Bloomsbury” by Todd P Avery, explains the concept of Victorian morality, as does Kellye Dubard’s "Victorian Values Revisited; Step Back Not Necessarily a Step Ahead; Few Responses Call for Return to Sterner …show more content…
His lack of respect or Victorian morality, and his love for crime had caused him to be a villain in Doyle’s short story. Doyle had designed Moriarty to be this criminal mastermind because he had lived in an era where London was full of gangs and crimes, he had used major criminals from his society to build his villain from including Adam Worth, the original “Napoleon of Crime”, and Jack the Ripper, a serial killer. If Doyle hadn’t lived where he had during that era it is likely that Moriarty wouldn’t be the same character that Doyle made him to be, Moriarty could have been a pirate or warrior if Doyle had lived in a different place or