Sherlock Holmes is presently associated with a deerstalker hat, a pipe and a magnifying glass, but few people know that the first description of the character has nothing to do with these items (with the exception of the magnifying glass, which he rarely used in "A Study in Scarlet"). Every popular character, regardless of its importance, is bound to change in appearance over a period of years. This is probably due to the intervention of various factors, such as the public's opinion and trends changing along with the passing of time. The general image of Sherlock Holmes has been gradually influenced by various depictions of the character, as each depiction has provided material for the one after it.
Doyle lived to see his novel adapted to be put in plays and to be transformed into film scripts. The character is part of a great number of books, motion pictures, and articles which have been performed over the course of time. Almost everyone is aware of "who" Sherlock Holmes is, regardless of one's age, gender, or nationality. Holmes is involved in dramas, comedies, and even in cartoons.
In spite of its rather mediocre success, "A Study in Scarlet" is one of the most valuable documents of...
Holmes is certainly not one of the most rational characters, considering his drug-addiction and his eccentricities, but he is an icon for the world of detective fiction.
Works cited:
1. Browning, Gary & Eliason, Eric a. "Crypto-mormons or Pseudo-mormons?," Western Folklore 61.2 (2002)
2. Childers, Joseph W. "Recent Studies in the Nineteenth Century," Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900-38.4 (1998).
3. Doyle, Arthur Conan. (2007). "A Study in Scarlet." Filiquarian Publishing, LLC.
4. Mitchell, Lee. "White Slaves and Purple Sage: Plotting Sex in Zane Grey's West," American Literary History6.2 (1994): 234.
5. "Arthur Conan Doyle." Retrieved April 28, 2010, from the Stanford University Web site: http://sherlockholmes.stanford.edu/biography.html
Eric a. Eliason, and Gary Browning, "Crypto-mormons or Pseudo-mormons?," Western Folklore 61.2 (2002)
Joseph W. Childers, "Recent Studies in the Nineteenth Century," Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900-38.4 (1998).
Lee Mitchell, "White Slaves and Purple Sage: Plotting Sex in Zane Grey's West," American Literary History6.2 (1994): 234.
