1.1.1

Author Background

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Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle was born in 1859 and had a difficult life, although he went on to become a doctor and a successful novelist.

Conan Doyle's father

Conan Doyle's father

  • Conan Doyle's father struggled to earn a living for the family, and then later became an alcoholic.
Dr Doyle

Dr Doyle

  • Arthur Conan Doyle became a medical doctor but didn’t practice medicine for long.
    • He soon became a writer instead.
  • This gave him an in-depth knowledge of medicine, which he used in his stories, making his character, Dr Watson, a medical doctor as well.
Dr Watson

Dr Watson

  • Dr Watson was able to use his understanding of medicine to try to advise Sherlock Holmes about the dangers of drug use.
    • Holmes ignores him anyway.

The Beginning of Sherlock Holmes

The Sherlock Holmes stories were first published in 1887 as a series in magazines. Victorians loved the character and his use of scientific methods.

Publishing

Publishing

  • The Sherlock Holmes stories were first published in 1887 in small sections in magazines.
    • They were not published as whole novels at first.
Fans

Fans

  • In 1893, Conan Doyle tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes. But, after outrage from fans of the stories, he decided not to.
    • Victorians loved the character because he represented a heroic fictional detective (during the rise of the detective genre).
Science

Science

  • During a time when scientific discovery was becoming more and more prevalent, Holmes used scientific methods to examine evidence closely.
    • During a time when the Victorian police were unable to catch Britain’s first recorded serial killer, Sherlock Holmes used evidence to solve every case.
Example of Holmes using science

Example of Holmes using science

  • For example, Holmes looks closely at the evidence in Chapter 5, determining that the suspect ‘had the misfortune to tread in the creosote. You can see the outline of the edge of his small foot here’.
Jump to other topics
1

Context

1.1

Victorian England & British Empire

1.1.1Author Background1.1.2Victorian Crime & Police1.1.3Historical Context1.1.4Victorian London1.1.5Women1.1.6The British Empire1.1.7End of Topic Test - Author & Victorian Police1.1.8End of Topic Test - Victorian London & Empire
2

Plot Summary

2.1

Chapter Summaries

2.1.1Chapter 12.1.2Chapter 22.1.3Chapter 32.1.4Chapter 42.1.5Chapter 52.1.6Chapter 62.1.7Chapter 72.1.8Chapter 82.1.9Chapter 92.1.10Chapter 102.1.11Chapter 112.1.12Chapter 122.1.13Chapter 12: Jonathan Small's Stories2.1.14End of Topic Test - Chapters 1-62.1.15End of Topic Test - Chapters 7-12
3

Characters

3.1

Key Characters

3.1.1Sherlock Holmes3.1.2Sherlock Holmes: Quotations3.1.3Dr John Watson3.1.4Mary Morstan3.1.5End of Topic Test - Key Characters3.1.6Exam-Style Questions - Mary & Dr Watson
3.2

Other Characters

3.2.1Thaddeus Sholto3.2.2Jonathan Small3.2.3End of Topic Test - Thaddeus and Jonathan Small
3.3

Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.3.1Grade 9 - Key Characters3.3.2Extract Analysis - Tonga
4

Key Themes

4.1

Key Themes

4.1.1Corruption4.1.2Criminals & Victims4.1.3Victorian Fear4.1.4British Empire & Imperialism4.1.5Duality4.1.6End of Topic Test - Key Themes
5

Writing Techniques

5.1

Writing Techniques

5.1.1Narrative Voice5.1.2Dialogue5.1.3Structure5.1.4Structure & Characters5.1.5Pathetic Fallacy5.1.6End of Topic Test - Writing Techniques
6

Recap: Main Quotes

6.1

Characters Quotes

6.1.1Sherlock Holmes - Quotations6.1.2Dr John Watson - Quotations6.1.3Mary Morstan - Quotations6.1.4Thaddeus Sholto - Quotations6.1.5Jonathan Small - Quotations
6.2

Text Structure - Quotes

6.2.1Chapter 1 - Quotations6.2.2Chapter 2 - Quotations6.2.3Chapter 3 - Quotations6.2.4Chapter 4 - Quotations6.2.5Chapter 5 - Quotations6.2.6Chapter 6 - Quotations6.2.7Chapter 7 - Quotations6.2.8Chapter 8 - Quotations6.2.9Chapter 9 - Quotations6.2.10Chapter 10 - Quotations6.2.11Chapter 11 - Quotations6.2.12Chapter 12 - Quotations

Practice questions on Author Background

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    In what year was Arthur Conan Doyle born?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Which character from _The Sign of the Four_ is a doctor?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    What jobs did Arthur Conan Doyle have?Fill in the list
  4. 4
    What do we know about Arthur Conan Doyle? True / false
  5. 5
    Why did Victorians love the character of Sherlock Holmes?Multiple choice
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Victorian Crime & Police