Sherlock Holmes Accomplishments

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has written many books and stories, all of which were successful. His “Sherlock Holmes” series has merited immense success and popularity for over a century, and continues to be seen in popular media today. The phenomenon of Sherlock Holmes redefined mystery novels as a genre for generations to come. However, the written work that I feel has made the most impact on both his literary career and the literary world would be his first Sherlock Holmes story, “A Study in Scarlet”. This story paved the way for mystery writers, and set the standard of what makes a true mystery entertaining, and was the novel that best indicated his talents as a writer out of all his other works.

When “A Study in Scarlet” was released in 1886,

it immediately became a success, garnering many requests for Doyle to write a sequel. Soon after this, he began to write short stories featuring the detective character, and eventually received £1000(an unheard of sum at the time) for three series of 12 Holmes stories, making him one of the best-paid authors of his time. Despite the low opinions Doyle had of the Holmes series, the opulence these stories gave him are undeniable, and the popularity and respect as an author given to him for this series helped him to expand his career, by writing historical novels, the Challenger series (his best-known work after the Sherlock Holmes series), and a few spiritualistic novels that are largely considered to be biographical, but has never been confirmed. He was also able to write a pro-war political essay to persuade people that the UK’s role in the Boer War was important and justified, entitled “The War in South Africa: Its Cause and Conduct”, which was widely translated and was part of the reason for Doyle being knighted. Without this novel introducing the character of Sherlock Holmes, Doyle would not have the success, or the status to be able to stray from the series for most of his writing career.
“A Study in Scarlet” showcases Doyle’s writing talents very well, as it shows his detail to character and his intelligent plots and mysteries.

For example, the way he tells the story is through John Watson’s memories/point of view, which very clearly shows the reader that kind of person Watson is, and gives us his back story in detail. However, it also keeps Holmes’ character in secret, and slowly reveals parts of his personality/backstory throughout the series. The novel also demonstrates Doyle’s intelligence through Holmes’ keen sense of deduction, as it uses Holmes’ ability to figure out a person’s backstory simply by looking at them to tell the reader Watson’s past. He also uses his background of scientific education to add a sense of realism and help better convey Holmes’ methods/intelligence. It also shows his creativity in the way the murder mystery in the book unfolds, with all of these different leads to who the killer may be changing with each murder that occurs. The ending where he finally reveals the killer is unexpected, and also shows how smart the killer himself is, giving Holmes a worthy adversary and ending in a one-on-one-battle of wits and logic. This novel easily exhibits Doyle’s intelligence and his ability to write an engaging

mystery.
As the first installment of the Sherlock Holmes series, “A Study in Scarlet” paved the way for many aspiring mystery writers, and set the standard for other novels in the genre. This is due to the fact that during Doyle’s time, mystery was not especially popular. Although Doyle did not invent the mystery genre, he highly popularized it with this book, as he received demands to write more and more additions to the series until his death. Without this series, mystery stories in both the literary and film/TV world would be much less relevant or significant today. Even now, authors have written their own interpretations of a Sherlock Holmes story, simply based on the likability and intrigue the character brings. This iconic detective revolutionized the way people saw mystery novels, and still does to this day, as many popular mystery series in television star Holmes, and adapt the stories Doyle originally wrote into the visual medium. The deducing, always inquisitive character of Sherlock Holmes and his innovative ways of problem solving in his cases has become quite normative in the mystery genre after his creation and rise of popularity, and many modern detective characters exhibit at least on of Holmes’ famous traits. Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes novel changed people’s perceptions of the mystery genre, and was a trailblazer for all the other mystery novels to come.
The craze over Sherlock Holmes has lasted for more than a century, and I predict that it will continue to be loved and enjoyed by many for years to come. Although the series makes up only a fraction of his bibliography, it doesn't cease to be Doyle’s greatest masterpiece in the eyes of the public, and this novel clearly shows why he is still one of the most influential authors, and how he created such an impact in the world of mystery fiction. “A Study in Scarlet” is one of his most popular books, and in my opinion is his best written work that I have read. Without the impact this novel has made in the literary world, mystery as a written genre would not be the same as it is today, and pop-culture would be lacking the incredibly fascinating character of Sherlock Holmes and the wild mysteries he solved. These reasons show why I consider it to be my favourite written work in his bibliography, and why I feel that “A Study in Scarlet” is the best example of Doyle’s talents as an author, his impact on the literary world, and his impact on pop-culture as a whole.