“Bromance” between Holmes and Watson

The lean years of literary beginnings, described by Kurtz Investigations Hanover in the previous part of our series "The Private Detective in Literature," seemed finally over for Arthur Conan Doyle. In July 1891, after two novels, the first short story about Sherlock Holmes, A Scandal in Bohemia, appeared in the Strand Magazine, bringing Doyle the long-awaited success: the English master detective became an instant sensation! The Strand Magazine wanted more and was certainly willing to pay a few extra pounds for the continuation of stories. In the following months, Doyle poured his heart into writing, producing 11 more short stories after A Scandal in Bohemia, with Holmes and Watson as central characters maintaining perhaps the first male friendship (today one might say "bromance") in literary history. Doyle’s stories were published monthly in each new issue of the Strand Magazine.

 

Apart from the chronology of the plot, he varied little in these first short stories – and why should he? Conan Doyle demonstrated full control over his protagonists: the interplay between the loyal, intelligent, and thus seemingly naive Watson and the eccentric, brilliant Holmes worked perfectly! The Scottish author clearly enjoyed having the two interact, and the actual case often became almost secondary. For many readers, Holmes in these early stories remained the true, unaltered Sherlock Holmes, who would later lose some of his quirks (consider his straightforward cocaine use in the early stories).

Collection of the Strand Magazine stories

The two novels A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four had already been published in book form, and the same now applied in late summer 1892 to the short stories, which had grown to twelve. The volume The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes contained all twelve stories in the original order. This shortened the readers’ wait for the next new story – and for Conan Doyle, the next cheque. Unlike his debut, he would no longer allow all rights to be bought for a mere 25 pounds. In October 1892, the collection was published simultaneously in the UK and the USA, where the famous fictional predecessor of our detectives from Hanover had long maintained a loyal fan base.

Doyle grows weary of his detective and kills him off

By December 1892, readers finally received news from Doyle’s pen: with Silver Blaze, a new story featuring the master detective Sherlock Holmes appeared, as usual in the Strand Magazine, whose subscription numbers had now reached an all-time high. The new short stories were well received: Doyle’s already considerable literary skill was now complemented by routine; he knew his heroes Holmes and Watson thoroughly and handled them skillfully.

 

However, the work was likely becoming monotonous for Doyle: attempts at variation, such as a retrospective into Holmes’ earlier years without Watson in The Gloria Scott ("Holmes Begins"), or introducing new characters like Sherlock’s brother Mycroft in The Greek Interpreter, did not provide the needed excitement. Routine increasingly set in: monthly releases and assembly-line work left little time for research; some stories and “solutions” seemed implausible or marginal to the narrative. Doyle grew increasingly weary of his fictional detective – and decided on a radical step: in December 1893, the twelfth short story of the second series, The Final Problem, appeared, leaving readers shocked at Christmas – for at the end, Sherlock Holmes is dead!

Mourning in London – Holmes’ death sparks (inter)national concern

The timelines of previous stories sometimes spanned several years and frequently jumped back and forth, but The Final Problem takes place chronologically at the end – in April/May 1891. In the climax, Holmes falls to his death during a furious struggle at the Reichenbach Falls, alongside his arch-enemy Professor Moriarty, who appears unexpectedly in this story – how could he have survived? Outrage spread on both sides of the Atlantic; imagine today if the latest Bond film ended with James Bond falling into a lava-filled volcanic crater with Blofeld! Doyle’s global readership was appalled, even expressing their disappointment with mourning bands. The Strand Magazine lost 20,000 subscribers at once. Those who suspected a brilliant marketing move were quickly proven wrong: years passed, a new century began, Queen Victoria died – and still no sign of Sherlock Holmes!

 

Doyle seemed to have lost all interest in the character that had made him rich and famous. He turned his attention to his family and other literary genres: historical novels and adventure stories inspired by his time at sea. He also wrote a pro-British book about the Boer War (1899–1902) in South Africa, which he later cited as a reason for his knighthood in 1902.

After 2 novels and 24 short stories: Is the legendary detective Sherlock Holmes finished?

For the many fans of Sherlock Holmes, the turn of the century was a dark period. However, in The Final Problem, it is never mentioned that Holmes’ body is found – and it would not have been the first time that Sherlock Holmes outwitted his adversaries! After all, the self-proclaimed “Consulting Detective” would not have become the unparalleled genius and role model for generations of detectives like the investigators of Kurtz Investigations Hanover if he did not still have an ace up his sleeve – more on this in Part 5 of our series "The Private Detective in Literature."

Author: Gerrit Koehler

 

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