What did Sherlock Holmes do? Sherlock Holmes: years of life, character description, interesting facts

More than a hundred years have passed since the first appearance of the great detective, but even now his image is widely known throughout the world. There is no such person who has not heard of him. But few people know that many of the detective’s distinctive features were not present in the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle.

In total, the hero appears in 56 short stories and 4 novellas, most often narrated on behalf of Dr. John Watson. Doyle's works are a real field for creativity and reinterpretation. But something is still considered eternal...

Even some of the detective's household items have become indispensable classics: a coat with a cape, a hunting hat and a pipe. Not to mention his faithful friend Dr. Watson, the villain Moriarty and dear old lady Mrs. Hudson. All this, including his famous method and the phrase “Elementary, my dear Watson,” are part of the famous image.

However, if you study the primary sources a little deeper, you can find many interesting details that Conan Doyle mentioned in passing or did not write at all.

For example, deduction is not Holmes's only method for catching criminals. He thinks a lot, sometimes he even guesses. And, which is hard to believe, he can draw the wrong conclusions.

In terms of terminology, Holmes rather used the “inductive method” (a general judgment is made on the basis of particulars: cigarette butt-weapon-motive-personality, therefore Mr. X is a criminal. - Author's note) And in deduction, the investigation would dance from Mr. X.

From one drop of water, a person who knows how to think logically can conclude about the possibility of the existence of the Atlantic Ocean or Niagara Falls, even if he has never seen or heard of either one. Every life is a huge chain of causes and effects, and we can understand its nature one by one.

"A study in Scarlet"

Mrs. Hudson is also rarely mentioned in Conan Doyle's stories. Moriarty is not far removed from the detective's housekeeper, appearing in only two stories. Watson most of the time lives separately from his friend and a phrase about the elementary nature of any crime has never been uttered to him.

As mentioned above, the detective’s appearance is also “overgrown” with inventions. Thus, the famous cloak with a cape was invented by Sidney Paget, who was the first illustrator of Conan Doyle's stories. And actor William Gillett brought a large curved smoking pipe into the image. He felt that with such an accessory it would help viewers see him better.

And the catchphrase “Elementary, my dear Watson” was invented by the humorist author Pelham Grenville Woodhouse, known for his works about Jeeves and Wooster.

“I think,” said Psmith, “this is one of those moments when I should unleash my Sherlock Holmesian method.” Namely. If the rent collector had already been here, then, it seems to me, Comrade Spaghetti, or whatever you called him, would not have appeared here again. In other words, if the tax collector had come here and had not found the cash, Comrade Spaghetti would now be wandering in the cold darkness of the night and would not have appeared under his recently native roof. Are you following my line of reasoning, Comrade Maloney?
- Right! - said Billy Windsor. - Of course.
“Elementary, my dear Watson, elementary,” Psmith muttered.

"Psmith the Journalist"

So who is Sherlock Holmes really? What is he like? Where can we find him?

People in the know will say that the real Holmes is Arthur Conan Doyne's university mentor, Professor Joseph Bell. It was this man who served as the prototype for Sherlock Holmes.

And some are free to think that Holmes-Bell has faded under tons of interpretations, losing the features that Doyle put into the character.

However, this is still not a very satisfying answer. I guess we can find something a little more exciting.

And for this you need to reflect on all those interpretations of the detective. Since the first story, thousands of adaptations of Sherlock have been produced, making him the most used character of all time.

It all started with stage productions back in the Victorian era, the process accelerated with the advent of cinema. In terms of the number of film adaptations, the story of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson was included in the Guinness Book of Records. At the moment, there are about 210 films featuring the detective.

Let's look at the most significant and frequently mentioned works to date.

The first part of the Soviet television film about Sherlock Holmes with Vasily Livanov and Vitaly Solomin was released in 1979. Our Holmes at that time was compared to Jeremy Brett's Sherlock, the series with which had been running for several years in Britain.

Even Queen Elizabeth II herself gave preference to Vasily Livanov. He became famous outside his native country, and in 2006 received the Order of the British Empire.

For many viewers, Livanov is still the ideal embodiment of Conan Doyle's hero.

And of the sixteen films related to Holmes in one way or another, made from the early 2000s to the present day, the most famous were two films by Guy Ritchie starring Robert Downey Jr. The films are typical examples of Hollywood filmmaking, but still, behind the pathos and a series of unimaginable fights, the typical Sherlock Holmes for all of us is still visible.

Of the series about the brilliant detective, two can be distinguished. The first is, of course, “Sherlock” from the BBC, which appeared in 2010 and has long won its army of fans. The fourth season was released at the beginning of this year and became famous due to the leak of the last episode online.

Creating such a series initially carried great risks, but the BBC became interested in the project, and, after several drafts of the script and development of all the small details, the pilot episode was born. And then the whole season follows.

Each episode is worked out to the smallest detail, this will be immediately noticeable if you scroll through the source material and just look at the photographs that the directors took.

This version can be called very similar, the heroes have only been transported to a new time. But as Holmes said through the mouth of Benedict Cumberbatch: “I have always known that I am a man out of time.”

And the second series that deserves attention is the American project “Elementary” starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu.

The action of the series, filmed by CBS, was moved to New York, and Holmes here is a closed neurasthenic, a drug addict who has just left the hospital.

This Sherlock takes on more human traits, he becomes like us. He also makes mistakes, as happened in Doyle’s stories, and successfully copes with his affairs and drug addiction.

He has experienced more than all the other Holmeses and therefore, perhaps, he is the most vulnerable and melancholy of them. And also the most tattooed.

Rather, this is the brainchild of big fans of the great detective, because many find him too radical in changing the characters. But this does not mean that this Holmes turned out worse than any other.

Doyle's character has appeared in hundreds of print publications, on television, on stage, and on radio. All this shows the popularity of Holmes, as well as his “plasticity”.

The plasticity of the character, caused by a large number of reinterpretations, turned the hero into a kind of palimpsest (a text on top of which another is written. - Author's note.). Now Sherlock is not just a hero, he is a real cultural phenomenon.

And every time a new layer of changes is applied on top of the previous ones, the detective changes. He appears before us as a bearer of new trends, values ​​and ideals, which are now far from the times of Conan Doyle.

And with every new story Holmes returns. Maybe slightly changed (new face, new manners). But he's still Sherlock. Our Sherlock.

ShaftSeries Saibonova

In his works he never reported the date of birth of Sherlock Holmes. Presumably the year of his birth is 1854 (according to the story “His Farewell Bow”). A version also appeared in the press that Holmes was born in 1850. The version was allegedly based on the biography of the doctor Joseph Bell, whom Arthur Conan Doyle himself mentioned more than once as the prototype of Sherlock Holmes, and, according to the writer, Joseph Bell was nine years older than him, that is, the year of his birth was 1850 (himself Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859). However, in reality, Joseph Bell was born in 1837, which invalidates this version.

Fans of Conan Doyle's work have attempted to establish a more accurate date of birth for Sherlock Holmes. In particular, it was suggested that the date was January 6. The date was calculated by a certain Nathan L. Bengis based on a comparison of fragmentary information from the works of Conan Doyle and astrological research. Part of the hypothesis is based on the fact that in the story "The Valley of Terror" there is an indirect reference to Shakespeare's play "Twelfth Night" with a relative time reference to Holmes' birthday. The date is quite common among fans of the great detective, although in general it is not objectively confirmed.

Little is known about the family and ancestors of Sherlock Holmes. In the story “The Incident of the Translator,” Holmes says: “My ancestors were provincial landowners and probably lived exactly the kind of life that was natural for their class.”.

Holmes also mentions there that his grandmother was the sister of the French battle painter Horace Vernet (1789-1863). A number of works feature Sherlock Holmes' brother, Mycroft Holmes, who is seven years older than him and works in the Foreign Office. Also in "The Norwood Contractor" there is a mention of a young doctor, Werner, a distant relative of Holmes, who bought Watson's doctoral practice in Kensington. There is no mention of Holmes' other relatives.

Sherlock Holmes. Illustration by artist Steele for the 1903 edition

Key dates in the life of Sherlock Holmes are as follows:

Watson says “we got it,” meaning, of course, himself and Holmes; If the actions of the hero of the story, Professor Presbury, worried scientific circles in 1903, and this was “twenty years ago,” then it is not difficult to conclude that both Holmes and Watson were alive and well in 1923.

It must be said that a character such as Sherlock Holmes enjoys unprecedented popularity all over the world. There are very few people who have never heard of him and don’t know who Sherlock Holmes is. But, still, not everyone knows for sure how this hero appeared and who wrote Sherlock Holmes, because he is a literary character, and what his story is.

So, first of all, it should be noted that Sherlock Holmes, as a literary character, was created by the popular English writer Arthur Conan Doyle, who was born in Great Britain in 1859. Conan Doyle managed to create Sherlock Holmes in bright colors and subtle details, bring him to life on the pages of his books and receive countless enthusiastic responses from readers from different countries.

We found out who wrote Sherlock Holmes, or rather, the stories about the adventures of this man. But who is Sherlock Holmes, who was he and what did he do? It seems that almost everyone knows the answer to this question. In short, Sherlock Holmes is a famous brilliant private detective from London, a great detective. In fact, the stories about Sherlock Holmes have become classics of the detective genre.

How did Sherlock Holmes appear?

There is still some debate about how Sherlock Holmes appeared. But the generally accepted view is that writer Arthur Conan Doyle had close contact with Dr. Joseph Bell, who was his colleague. This doctor acted as the prototype of Sherlock Holmes, since he was famous for some brilliant abilities, for example, Joseph Bell could see the smallest details, remember them and, after analyzing, guess a person’s character and his past.

But speaking about who Sherlock Holmes is, it is necessary not only to say that he was an intelligent detective with extensive experience. He was a brilliant detective who noticed what others did not see. And this attention to detail and ability to compose an accurate analysis glorified Sherlock Holmes, made him inimitable and set him apart from everyone else.

Once you know who Sherlock Holmes is and who wrote Sherlock Holmes, you can read the stories about him for yourself. This can be done by visiting the Books section of our website. There, find this or that story about Sherlock Holmes and download the book.

Conan Doyle's attitude towards Sherlock Holmes

Conan Doyle's famous detective appears in dozens of works, namely: there are 56 short stories and 4 novellas with the participation of Sherlock Holmes. Holmes's best friend Dr. Watson narrates the events mainly.

Interestingly, when readers realized who Sherlock Holmes was and got a taste of the stories about Sherlock Holmes, they could not contain their delight, constantly sending letters of gratitude to Doyle, the one who wrote Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyle himself was somewhat irritated by this reaction, since he believed that these stories were just “light reading” and attention should be paid to his completely different works.

Finally, Arthur Conan Doyle ended his story about the detective, describing his last battle with Professor Moriarty, in which Holmes died. However, readers did not like this outcome at all; many began to be indignant and complain, and some of Sherlock’s fans were even representatives of the royal family. Conan Doyle had to bring Sherlock back, “revitalizing” him in the next story.

We hope you enjoyed the article about who Sherlock Holmes is, where he came from and what impact he had on world literature, especially when it comes to the detective genre. To make it easier to remember who wrote Sherlock Holmes, we advise you to read

May 22 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the literary “father” of one of the greatest detectives of all time, Sherlock Holmes. The writer himself did not like it when the public forgot that he was the author of stories not only about the London detective, but also many others. Meanwhile, his hero is still “alive”: he became an honorary member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and thanks to the filmmakers, Holmes acquired a house in London and a wife.

The return of Sherlock Holmes took place in April 1894 in the story "The Empty House".

Since then, the legendary detective has become no less real for the British than his creator. Over the past century, he managed to acquire a house, a monument, numerous fan clubs... He was even accepted as an honorary member of the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Before Holmes, only Nobel Prize laureates, as well as other celebrities from the world of science and business, received this honor. The award ceremony took place at the detective's official residence at 221b Baker Street, London.

Recently, an avid bachelor and a brilliant detective got married. The detective's mysterious lover, Irene Adler, will be played by 32-year-old Canadian actress Rachel McAdams in the new sequel by British director Guy Ritchie.

By the way, in Conan Doyle's original version, Irene Adler appears only once - in the story "A Scandal in Bohemia", but evokes romantic feelings in the unapproachable bachelor.

The role of Dr. Watson went to Jude Law, and the most famous detective will be played by Robert Downey Jr. - his last film work was the main role in the science-fiction blockbuster “Iron Man”.

Meanwhile, Vasily Livanov is unanimously recognized as the best Holmes in the world. The Russian actor was awarded the Order of the British Empire for the “best detective”. A photograph of Vasily Livanov hangs on the ground floor of the famous house on Baker Street.

The material was prepared by the editors of rian.ru based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources

However, a stream of letters from indignant readers, among whom were members of the royal family (according to legend, Queen Victoria herself), forced the writer to “revive” the famous detective and continue describing his adventures.

Biography

Arthur Conan Doyle himself never reported the date of birth of Sherlock Holmes in his works. Presumably the year of his birth is th (according to the story “His farewell bow”). A version also appeared in the press that Holmes was born in 1850. The version was allegedly based on the biography of the doctor Joseph Bell, whom Arthur Conan Doyle himself mentioned more than once as the prototype of Sherlock Holmes, and, according to the writer, Joseph Bell was nine years older than him, that is, the year of his birth was 1850 (himself Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859). However, in reality, Joseph Bell was born in 1837, which invalidates this version.

Fans of Conan Doyle's work have attempted to establish a more accurate date of birth for Sherlock Holmes. In particular, it was suggested that the date would be January 6. The date was calculated by a certain Nathan L. Bengis based on a comparison of fragmentary information from the works of Conan Doyle and astrological research (!). Part of the hypothesis is based on the fact that in the story “The Valley of Terror” there is an indirect reference to Shakespeare’s play “Twelfth Night” with a relative time reference to Holmes’ birthday. The date is quite common among fans of the great detective, although in general it is not objectively confirmed.

Self-Portrait of Horace Vernet (1835)

Little is known about the family and ancestors of Sherlock Holmes. In the story “The Incident of the Translator,” Holmes says:

Holmes also mentions there that his grandmother was the sister of the French battle painter Horace Vernet (-). A number of works feature Sherlock Holmes's brother, Mycroft Holmes, who is seven years older than him and works in the Foreign Office. Also mentioned in The Norwood Contractor is a young doctor, Werner, a distant relative of Holmes, who bought Watson's doctor's practice in Kensington. There is no mention of Holmes' other relatives. The grandmother is French, which indicates Holmes's partial French origin, although it is difficult to judge how dominant it is.

Key dates in the life of Sherlock Holmes are as follows:

• In 1881, Holmes met Dr. John Watson (if we take Holmes's date of birth as 1854, then at that moment he is about 27 years old). He is apparently not rich, as he is looking for a partner to rent an apartment together. Then she and Watson move to Baker Street, house 221b (221b Baker Street), where they rent an apartment together from Mrs. Hudson. In the story "Gloria Scott" we learn something about Holmes' past, about what prompted him to become a detective: the father of Holmes' classmate admired his deductive abilities.
• In 1888, Watson marries and moves out of an apartment on Baker Street. Holmes continues to rent an apartment from Mrs. Hudson alone.
• The story “Holmes's Last Case” takes place in 1891. After a fight with Professor Moriarty, Holmes goes missing. Watson (and with him almost the entire English public) is confident in the death of Holmes.
• Holmes was on the run between 1894 and 1894. Having survived a single combat on the edge of a waterfall, he crossed the Alps on foot and without money and reached Florence, from where he contacted his brother and received funds from him. After this, Holmes went to Tibet, where he traveled for two years, visited Lhasa and spent several days with the Dalai Lama - apparently Holmes published his notes about this journey under the name of the Norwegian Sigerson. Then he traveled all over Persia, looked into Mecca (obviously using acting skills, since, according to the laws of Islam, visits to Mecca and Medina by non-believers are excluded) and visited the caliph in Khartoum (about which he presented a report to the British Foreign Secretary). Returning to Europe, Holmes spent several months in the south of France, in Montpellier, where he was engaged in research on substances obtained from coal tar.
• In 1894, Holmes unexpectedly showed up in London. After eliminating the remnants of the Moriarty criminal group, Holmes again settles on Baker Street. Dr. Watson, who was widowed by that time, also moved there.
• In 1904, Holmes retired and left London for Sussex, where he was engaged in bee breeding.
• The last described Holmes case dates back to 1914 (the story “His Farewell Bow”). Holmes here is about 60 years old (“He could have been about sixty years old”). Arthur Conan Doyle mentions the future fate of Sherlock Holmes several times. From the story “The Devil's Foot” it follows that Dr. Watson received a telegram from Holmes with a proposal to write about the “Cornish Horror” in 1917, therefore both friends survived the First World War safely, although they live separately. Further in the story “The Man on All Fours,” Watson again indirectly hints at the date of publication of this case to the general public and about the fate of Holmes:

Watson says “we got it,” meaning, of course, himself and Holmes; If the actions of the hero of the story, Professor Presbury, worried scientific circles in 1903, and this was “twenty years ago,” then it is not difficult to conclude that both Holmes and Watson were alive and well in 1923.

Holmes's personality

When first meeting Sherlock Holmes (A Study in Scarlet), Dr. Watson describes the great detective as a tall, thin young man:

Sherlock Holmes is apparently a biochemist by training. At the time of his acquaintance with Watson, he was working as a laboratory assistant in one of the London hospitals - this is stated at the beginning of A Study in Scarlet. “One fellow who works in the chemical laboratory at our hospital... In my opinion, he knows anatomy very well, and he is a first-class chemist, but it seems he has never studied medicine systematically.” Holmes's work as a medical assistant is not mentioned in any of the subsequent works. Just as the author no longer talks about any other work of his protagonist, besides private investigation.

Holmes is a multifaceted personality. Multi-talented, he dedicated his life to his career as a private detective. Investigating cases supplied by his clients, he relies not so much on the letter of the law as on his life principles, the rules of honor, which in some cases replace paragraphs of bureaucratic norms for him. Repeatedly, Holmes allowed people who, in his opinion, were justifiably committing a crime, escape punishment. Holmes, in principle, is not mercantile; he is primarily concerned with work. For his work in solving crimes, Sherlock Holmes takes a fair remuneration, but if his next client is poor, he can take a symbolic payment or refuse it altogether.

The connection between the image of Sherlock Holmes and the pipe is only partly true. He valued pipe tobaccos, first of all, for their strength, despite their cheapness and roughness. The fact that he smoked strongly curved pipes is a later myth generated by illustrators. In a number of works (for example, “The End of Charles Augustus Milverton”, “Holmes’ Last Case”, “The Empty House”, “Pince-nez in a Gold Frame”) Holmes willingly smokes cigars and cigarettes.

In A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson states that Holmes does not use drugs, but in The Sign of Four we see him using cocaine intravenously. Sherlock Holmes used drugs only in the complete absence of interesting crimes:

“My brain rebels against idleness. Give me a case! Give me the most complex problem, an unsolvable problem, the most confusing case - and I will forget about artificial stimulants.”

Moreover, by 1898 (this is exactly the estimated time of action of “The Terror Over London” - the manuscript from “The Testament of Sherlock Holmes”) Sherlock had already gotten rid of this bad habit, as the tireless Doctor Watson told us about in the story “The Lost Rugby Player”.

It is difficult to say anything definite about Holmes’ relationship with alcohol, although he is clearly not a strict teetotaler.

Holmes is not vain in principle, and in most cases he is of little interest in gratitude for a solved crime:

How unfairly the winnings were distributed! […] Everything in this matter was done by you. But I got a wife. And all the glory will go to Jones. What remains for you?
- To me? - said Holmes. - And for me - an ampoule with cocaine.

Although in a number of cases Holmes expresses his annoyance at this state of affairs:

But, probably, we can’t waste a second,” I became alarmed. - Should I go call a cab?
- I’m not sure whether I’ll go or not. I’m the most lazy person in the world, that is, of course, when laziness attacks me, but in general I can be agile.
- You dreamed of such a case!
- My dear, what is the point to me? Suppose I unravel this case - after all, Gregson, Lestrade and company will pocket all the glory anyway. Such is the fate of an unofficial person.

However, he is quite jealous of comparing his talent as a detective with other European detectives.

Considering you the second largest European expert...
- That's it, sir! Let me ask you who has the honor of being first? - Holmes asked in a rather harsh tone.
- The works of Mr. Bertillon inspire great respect among people with a scientific mindset.

Holmes prefers to receive clients at his home. In a number of stories one can see that even very wealthy clients, royalty and the Prime Minister of England himself come to see him personally. Holmes is a theatergoer and loves to dine at Simpsons restaurant (the most prestigious place in London). He is well versed in opera and apparently knows Italian:

It is also likely that Holmes has a working knowledge of other European languages:

The big "G" with a small "t" is an abbreviation for "Gesellschaft", which means "company" in German. This is a common abbreviation, like our "K°". "P" of course stands for "Papier", paper.<...>And the person who wrote the note is German. Do you notice the strange construction of the phrase: “We received such feedback about you from all sides”? A French or Russian could not write like that. Only the Germans are so unceremonious with their verbs.

Holmes shrugged: “Perhaps I do bring some benefit.” "L"homme c"est rien -- I"oeuvre c"est tout", as Gustave Flaubert put it in a letter to George Sand.

Weapons and martial arts

• Revolver. Both Holmes and Watson have personal revolvers; Watson always had a service revolver in his drawer, but this is mentioned only in 8 stories. Holmes is clearly a good shot, as evidenced, in particular, by the famous episode from the story “The Rite of the House of Musgrave,” where Holmes shot Queen Victoria’s monogram on the wall.
• Cane. Holmes, being a respectable gentleman, almost always walks with a cane. Described by Watson as an expert in fencing, he uses it as a weapon twice. In the story "The Speckled Band" he uses a cane to ward off a poisonous snake.
• Sword. In the story "A Study in Scarlet" Watson describes Holmes as a man who is excellent with a sword, despite the fact that he never used it in the stories. However, the sword is mentioned in the story “Gloria Scott”, where Holmes practices fencing.
• Whip. In some stories, Holmes appears armed with a whip. In the story "The Six Napoleons" the whip is even named as Holmes' favorite weapon and it is mentioned that the whip was additionally weighted with lead poured into the handle. A little later in the same story, Holmes breaks the last bust of Napoleon with a whip. He also uses a whip to snatch a gun from John Clay's hands in "The Redheads' Union" - a move that requires masterly use of the whip. In addition, in the story “Identification” Holmes intended to give the swindler a beating with the help of a whip hanging on the living room wall.
• Hand to hand combat. Watson describes Holmes as a good boxer. The Sign of Four indicates that Holmes was a boxer and competed:

  No, McMurdo, you know! - Sherlock Holmes suddenly said good-naturedly. - I don't think you've forgotten me. Remember the amateur boxer you fought three rounds with in the Alison ring on the day of your benefit four years ago?
  <…>
  - Isn’t it Mr. Sherlock Holmes I see?! - exclaimed the boxer. - But he is the one! How come I didn’t recognize you right away? You wouldn’t stand here so quietly, but would strike me with your famous counter blow to the jaw - then I would immediately recognize you. Eh, what can I say! You are one of those who bury talents in the ground. Otherwise they would go far if they wanted to!

Holmes often uses hand-to-hand combat skills to fight opponents and always emerges victorious.

In the story “The Illustrious Client,” Holmes, alone and unarmed, confronts two criminals armed with clubs and escapes with minor injuries. In the story “Holmes's Last Case,” the detective also describes a case of self-defense from “some scoundrel with a club.”

In the story “The Treaty of the Sea,” an unarmed Holmes successfully confronts a criminal armed with a knife:

I had no idea that Mr. Joseph could be so evil. He came at me with a knife and I had to knock him down twice and cut myself on his knife before I got the upper hand. Although he looked at me with a “killer” look in his only eye, which he could still open after the fight was over, he still heeded my persuasion and gave me the document.

Examines evidence from both a scientific and substantive perspective. To determine the course of a crime, he often examines prints, tracks, tire tracks (“A Study in Scarlet”, “Silver”, “An Incident at the Boarding School”, “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, “The Mystery of the Boscombe Valley”), cigarette butts, ash remains (“ The Regular Patient", "The Hound of the Baskervilles", "A Study in Scarlet"), comparison of letters ("Identification", "Reigate Squires"), gunpowder residues ("Reigate Squires"), bullet recognition ("The Empty House") and even fingerprints left many days ago ("Norwood Contractor"). Holmes also demonstrates knowledge of psychology (“A Scandal in Bohemia”), luring Irene Adler into a trap and rightly assuming that in the event of a fire, an unmarried, childless woman will rush to save what is most precious (in the story, a photograph), and a married woman, the mother of the family, will rush to save first all your child.

Due to troubles in life (or the desire to leave everything behind), Holmes retires to Sussex to take up beekeeping (“The Second Spot”), where he writes the book “A Practical Guide to Keeping Bees.” His love of music can also be considered as one of the ways of relaxation: for example, in the story “Union of Redheads” he takes an evening free from participation in business to listen to Pablo de Sarasate play the violin.

He also really loves vocal music (“The Scarlet Ring”).

Sherlock Holmes method

Sherlock Holmes. Illustration by artist Steele for the 1903 edition

Sherlock Holmes' deductive method

1. Based on all the facts and evidence, a complete picture of the crime is built.
2. Based on the obtained picture of the crime, the only accused person corresponding to it is sought.

When drawing up an idea of ​​the crime scene, Holmes uses strict logic, which allows him to reconstruct a single picture from scattered and individually insignificant details as if he had seen the incident with his own eyes.

From one drop of water, a person who knows how to think logically can conclude about the possibility of the existence of the Atlantic Ocean or Niagara Falls, even if he has never seen or heard of either one. Every life is a huge chain of causes and effects, and we can understand its nature one by one.

An observer who has thoroughly studied one link in a series of events should be able to accurately establish all the other links - both previous and subsequent ones. But in order to bring the art of thinking to its highest point, it is necessary that the thinker be able to use all established facts, and for this he needs the most extensive knowledge...

The key points of the method are observation and expert knowledge in many practical and applied fields of science, often related to forensics. Here Holmes's specific approach to understanding the world is manifested - a purely professional and pragmatic one, which seems more than strange to people unfamiliar with Holmes' personality. Having the deepest knowledge in areas specific to forensic science, such as soil science or typography, Holmes does not know basic things. For example, Holmes does not know the fact that the Earth revolves around the Sun, because this information is completely useless in his work.

It seems to me that the human brain is like a small empty attic that you can furnish however you want. A fool will drag all the junk he can get his hands on there, and there will be nowhere to put useful, necessary things, or at best, you won’t be able to get to them among all this rubbish. And a smart person carefully selects what he places in his brain attic.

“Throw away all the impossible; what remains will be the answer, no matter how incredible it may seem.”

For example, while investigating the case of the missing treasures of Agra, Holmes is faced with a situation where the criminal, based on signs and evidence left behind, turns out to be a short man with a leg like a child’s. Having rejected all options, Holmes settles on the only one: this is a short savage from the Andaman Islands, no matter how paradoxical this option may seem.

In the name of the method the term deduction not strictly used by Conan Doyle. It can be understood as:

However, at least part of the method is based on induction - conclusion from the particular to the general. Some researchers see abduction as the basis of Holmes' method.

Holmes's unusual ability to make astonishing guesses based on the smallest signs causes constant amazement for Watson and the readers of the stories. The detective uses and trains this ability not only during the investigation, but also in everyday life. As a rule, Holmes subsequently thoroughly explains his train of thought, which after the fact seems obvious and elementary.

Consequence

In most cases, Holmes is faced with carefully planned and complexly executed crimes. At the same time, the range of crimes is quite wide - Holmes investigates murders, thefts, extortion, and sometimes he comes across situations that at first glance (or ultimately) do not have the elements of a crime at all (the incident with the king of Bohemia, the case of Mary Sutherland, the story of a man with split lip, the case of Lord St. Simon, the mystery of the man with the yellow face).

Sherlock Holmes prefers to act alone, performing all investigative functions in one person. He is helped by John Hamish Watson and the staff of Scotland Yard, but this is not of a fundamental nature. Holmes finds evidence and, as an expert, evaluates the involvement of those involved in the crime. Questions witnesses. In addition, Holmes often directly acts as a detective agent, searching for evidence and persons involved, and also participates in the arrest. Holmes is no stranger to various tricks - he uses makeup, wigs, and changes his voice. In some cases, he has to resort to complete transformation, which requires the art of an actor.

In some cases, a group of London street boys work for Holmes. Holmes mainly uses them as spies to assist him in solving cases.

Overall, the cultural influence of the image is quite large. Interestingly, according to a survey conducted by the British sociological association Ask Jeeves in 2011, on average, one in five Britons believes that Sherlock Holmes really existed.

Data

• The founder of this deductive-detective genre is, contrary to popular belief, not Conan Doyle, but Edgar Allan Poe with his story “Murder in the Rue Morgue.” At the same time, Holmes himself spoke very contemptuously about the deductive abilities of Auguste Dupin, the main character of “Murder in the Rue Morgue” (story “A Study in Scarlet”).
• At the time of writing the Sherlock Holmes stories, houses with addresses 221b Baker Street didn't exist. In fact, it does not exist now - house numbers from 215 to 229 refer to the building Abbey National. Archived from the original on August 23, 2011.). However, a constant stream of letters arrived at this address. The company located at this address even had a position for an employee to process letters to Sherlock Holmes. Subsequently, the address "221b Baker Street" was officially assigned to the house in which the Sherlock Holmes Museum was located in the form of his apartment (despite the fact that this had to break the numbering order of the houses on the street, since it is actually house 239).
• Conan Doyle considered his stories about Sherlock Holmes frivolous, so he decided to “kill him” - a common technique of writers. After the publication of the story “Holmes's Last Case,” a heap of angry letters rained down on the writer. There is an unconfirmed legend about a letter from Queen Victoria to Conan Doyle, in which the queen suggested that the death of Sherlock Holmes was just a cunning move by the detective. And the writer had to “revive” the character.

Sherlock Holmes hat

Holmes is dressed fashionably. Illustration from 1904

Holmes is dressed fashionably. Illustration from 1892

Sherlock Holmes wears a special deer hunter's hat. Nothing is written about her in the text; she was invented by the first illustrator of stories about Holmes, Sidney Paget. At that time, such a hat was worn only in rural areas. In town, Holmes wears a regular hat with a brim.

Holmes versions

Images, ideas, vision by other individuals

It is very difficult to list all the works with the participation of Holmes, written by other Russian and foreign authors - there are several hundred of them (see Sherlockian). Here are just a few of them:

Best works

When Conan Doyle was once asked to list the best Holmes stories, the author selected 12 works:

Film adaptations

In terms of the number of film adaptations, the story of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson was included in the Guinness Book of Records. At the moment, there are about 210 films featuring the detective.

USA (1939-1946)

USSR-Russia

• "Blue Carbuncle" (1979) (Algimantas Masiulis)
• “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson” (Vasily Livanov)
  • "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson: The Hound of the Baskervilles" (1981)
  • "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson: The Treasure of Agra" (1983)
  • "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson: The Twentieth Century Begins" (1986)
• “My Dearly Beloved Detective” (1986) - the parody film features detectives Miss Shirley Holmes and Miss Watson.
• “Sherlock Holmes” (2012) is a 2012 serial film that presents new original stories based on stories by Conan Doyle. According to the director, some episodes use motifs from previously unfilmed stories, and each dilogy represents a separate direction of the detective genre (gothic, politics, romance, etc.). Holmes is played by Igor Petrenko.

Great Britain

• “Without a single piece of evidence” - (sometimes - “Without a single clue”, “Without any evidence”, English. Without A Clue) - Crime comedy about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
• “Murder by Order” - A joint British-Canadian thriller about the confrontation between Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper. Holmes was played by Christopher Plummer.
• “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” (1985-1994) - TV series. Starring Jeremy Brett.
• Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking is a 2004 television film starring Rupert Everett as Holmes.
• “Sherlock” is a series about Holmes and Watson, moving the action to 2010-2012. Sherlock is played by Benedict Cumberbatch.

USA (2009-2012)

• Sherlock Holmes (A Threat from the Past) is a film by Rachel Goldenberg with steampunk elements.
• “Sherlock Holmes” and “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” are films by Guy Ritchie in 2009 and 2012, starring Robert Downey Jr. as the great detective.
• Elementary is a series about Holmes and Watson, released in the fall of 2012, which takes place in the present day in the USA. Sherlock is played by Jonny Lee Miller.

Computer games about Sherlock Holmes

• Sherlock(1984) (Philip Mitchell) (PC text adventure)
• Sherlock Holmes: Another Bow(1984) (Bantam Software) (PC, Commodore 64)
• Sherlock Holmes: The Vatican Cameos(1986) (Ellicott Creek) (PC, Apple II)
• Young Sherlock: The Legacy of Doyle(1987) (Pack-In-Video) (MSX)
• Sherlock Holmes: A Matter of Evil(1988) (Creative Juices) (ZX81/Spectrum)
• Sherlock Holmes: The Lamberley Mystery(1990) (Zenobi Software) (ZX81/Spectrum)
• 221B Baker Street(1987) (Datasoft) (PC and Mac)
• Sherlock: The Riddle of the Crown Jewels(1988) (Infocom)
• Trilogy by Towa Chiki:
  • Sherlock Holmes: Hakushaku Reijou Yuukai Jiken/Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Count's Abducted Daughter(NES) (1986) (Towa Chiki)
  • Meitantei Holmes: Kiri no London Satsujin Jiken/Great Detective Holmes: A Case of Murder in London Fog(1988) (NES) (Towa Chiki)
  • Meitantei Holmes: M-Kara no Chousenjou/Great Detective Holmes: A Challenge from M(1989) (NES) (Towa Chiki)
• Sherlock Holmes: Loretta no Shouzou(1987) (Sega) (Sega Master System)
• Trilogy from ICOM Simulations:
  • Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. I
  • Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. II(1992) (ICOM Simulations) (PC, Sega CD, TurboGrafx-CD)
  • Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective Vol. III(1993) (ICOM Simulations) (PC, Sega CD, TurboGrafx-CD)
• Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective (1999) (Infinite Ventures) (DVD Player, interactive movie game)
• Duology from Mythos Software:
  • The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Serrated Scalpel(1992) (Mythos Software) (PC, 3DO -1994)
  • The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes: The Case of the Rose Tattoo(1996) (Mythos Software) (PC)
• Sherlock Holmes: The Return of Moriarty(2000) (Buka Entertainment) (PC)
• Games from Frogwares:
  • Sherlock Holmes: Mystery of the Mummy(2002) (Frogwares) (PC, Nintendo DS)
  • Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet(Frogwares) (PC)
  • Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles(Frogwares) (PC)
  • Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper(2009) (Frogwares) (PC) (X360)
  • Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of Osbourne House(2011) (Frogwares) (Nintendo DS)
  • The Testament of Sherlock Holmes(2012) (Frogwares) (PC, X360, PS3)
  • Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the Frozen City(2012) (Frogwares) (Nintendo 3DS)
• Games based on Guy Ritchie films:
  • Sherlock Holmes: The Official Movie Game(2009) (Gameloft) (cell phone game)
  • Sherlock Holmes Mysteries(2009) (Warner Bros.) (iPhone/iPod/iPad-2010)
  • Sherlock Holmes 2: Checkmate(2011) (Sticky Game Studios) (PC, Mac online game)
• Sherlock Holmes Trivia(2009) (Phoenix Venture, LLC) (iPhone/iPod)
• Sherlock Holmes: The Game is Afoot(2009) (Mobile Deluxe) (iPhone/iPod)
• Detective Holmes - Hidden Objects(2010) (Warelex) (iPhone/iPod)
• Holmes(2011) (lukassen) (iPhone/iPod)
• Duology from Legacy Interactive:
  • The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes(2008) (Legacy Interactive) (Mac, PC)
  • The Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes, Vol. 2(2010) (Legacy Interactive) (Mac, PC)
• Duology from gameX/Greenstreet Games:
  • Sherlock Holmes - The Case of the Vanishing Thief(2004) (gameX/Greenstreet Games) (PC)
  • Sherlock Holmes: The Case Of The Time Machine(2006) (gameX/Greenstreet Games) (PC)

Notes

1. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Joseph Bell
2. Miscellaneous
3. Arthur Conan Doyle.“Father of Sherlock Holmes” // The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. - Moscow: OLMA-Press. - P. 9. - 512 p. - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5 224 03361 6
4. Alexander Shaburov: How Sherlock Holmes almost got to the Lubyanka, A. Shaburov, April 28, 2007, “Look” (Retrieved January 5, 2010)
5. The detective of all times celebrates his birthday, January 6, 2007,