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Literary Figures Of The 20th Century

Best Essays

Macayla Jefferis
Williams
Writing 301
29 September 2015
Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is not the most well-known author, but his characters are perhaps some of the most iconic literary figures of the nineteenth century. Sherlock Holmes, Doctor Watson, Professor Moriarty, and even Mrs. Hudson are all familiar to readers and non-readers world-wide. Over the course of his career, Conan Doyle published more than 50 short stories and novels about the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes and his friend Doctor John Watson. Holmes’s popularity was so great that, after killing him in a desire to move forward with other projects, Conan Doyle was forced by distraught fans, including his own mother, to resurrect the character. Holmes’s fame has continued to grow, particularly due to the variety of adaptions to the stage, film, and other mediums. Organizations such as the Baker Street Irregulars, the Conan Doyle Literary Estate, and numerous Sherlock Holmes Societies are comprised of book lovers who adore Conan Doyle’s particular brand of detective fiction, from casual readers to devoted scholars. Together, these readers have worked to to analyze his works, share ideas, and apply Holmes to the real world. Like all literature, the Holmes stories are open to interpretation and analysis. Readers of all levels of scholarship and devotion have poured countless hours into examining every last detail in hopes of finding some new detail or something to unlock an additional

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