Thanks to this man and his imagination, we all fell passionately in love with detective stories. The legendary Arthur Conan Doyle and his Sherlock Holmes completely changed the world of literature and the preferences of readers. The stories about the famous detective who lived at 221b Baker Street are so interesting and fascinating that you can completely forget about everything in the world. And Arthur Conan Doyle created a lot of them: “The Hunchback”, “The Speckled Ribbon”, “The Hound of the Baskervilles”, “A Study in Scarlet”, “The Union of Red-Headed People”, “The Blue Carbuncle” and so on. I would like to tell you a little about this unusual person.
Brief biography
The future writer was born on May 22, 1859 in Edinburgh. He studied at a boarding school, where he first discovered his talent for writing and telling fascinating stories. Having chosen the profession of a doctor, he studied medicine and at the same time met many writers of that time. Having tried to publish his stories, Arthur realizes that he can make money with his talent. Working as a ship's doctor, he studies the difficult maritime trade. Then Conan Doyle opens his own practice, devoting some time to literature. Life got better: Arthur got married, worked in his specialty and regularly published his works in popular magazines.
The illness of his wife caused the family to move, and financial difficulties forced him to write a lot. But Louise still died of tuberculosis. The writer married his new lover, Jean Leckie. By the way, although he loved her for a long time, he did not allow himself to leave his wife. As a doctor, he took part in the Boer War, and in 1902 Conan Doyle was awarded the title of knight. The brilliant writer died on July 7, 1930.
In 1887, readers met Sherlock Holmes, the hero of the work “A Study in Scarlet.” And he was so loved by the demanding public that Arthur was forced to invent new adventures for his protégé on the fly. For such popularity, the author hated his character, but continued to write because it was profitable: the editors agreed to any conditions of the writer. But when the famous detective “died” in the abyss of the waterfall, the public was very indignant, sales of the Strand magazine, where Conan Doyle’s stories were published, fell significantly. And only financial difficulties forced the writer to resurrect Sherlock Holmes, who had bored him. And if not for them, the reader would have lost a lot, since these stories can safely be called masterpieces of literature. “The Hunchback” (Conan Doyle), a summary of which we will give below, is one of them. Therefore, we recommend that everyone read this story for themselves in its entirety.
"The Hunchback" (Conan Doyle): summary
This is one of the most interesting stories about the famous detective. Therefore, just below you can read its summary. “The Hunchback” is the life drama of a little man whose life was ruined by envious people and traitors.
The story tells about life in the small town of Aldershot, where a military unit was based. The gallant Colonel James Barclay was killed there. He was an exemplary family man, doted on his beautiful wife Nancy. Before that fateful evening, Mrs. Barclay went with a friend to a charity, and returned very upset. The servants heard her arguing with her husband and calling him a coward. But when they got into the room after a heart-rending scream, they found her unconscious and Mr. James dead. One of the servants heard the woman say
We continue with the summary. "The Hunchback" is a work that is still worth reading in its entirety. The police reached a dead end: Mrs. Barclay was unconscious, her husband died on the spot from a skull fractured by a massive baton (the weapon was found in the room), and the woman’s friend knew nothing. Sherlock Holmes undertook to investigate this case, becoming interested in the fact that incredible horror froze on the face of the dead man, and the key to the door disappeared without a trace. The detective also found footprints on the lawn and concluded that there was someone else in the room.
Sherlock gets down to business
Having interrogated his friend Nancy again, Holmes learned that she had accidentally met with her old acquaintance - a wandering cripple-hunchback. Miss Morrison left them alone, after which she saw how upset Mrs. Barclay was. Although she asked her friend not to tell anyone about this meeting. The famed detective quickly finds this witness, and he reveals the truth about the fateful evening and his fate.
It turns out that the hunchback is Henry Wood, a brilliant officer in the past, a handsome man who was supposed to marry Nancy Barclay. But just then there was a riot in the country, and their regiment came under siege. Henry volunteered to go on reconnaissance, and James Barclay decided to become his guide. The latter was himself in love with Nancy, he betrayed his friend and led him into an ambush. Henry was maimed in captivity, but managed to stay alive. And only now, in his declining years, the traveling magician decided to visit his homeland.
What did the cripple say?
The work “The Hunchback” (Conan Doyle), a summary of which we tell the reader, has a completely unpredictable ending. After talking with Nancy, the failed groom followed her secretly. Seeing her quarreling with her husband, he went into the house. Seeing Henry, Mr. Barclay became frightened and fell, hitting his head on the fireplace, his wife losing consciousness. Henry at first wanted to call for help and took the key, but then decided that he would be accused of murder. So the man ran away, leaving his baton in the room. The hunchback's story was confirmed by a medical examination, which found that Mr Barclay died as a result of a blow to his head. The case was closed. The only remaining question was why the woman called a certain David, since the cripple’s name was Henry, and her husband’s name was James. To which the brilliant detective replied that Nancy used this name as a reproach, drawing a parallel with the biblical king.
Story analysis and reviews
“The Hunchback” (Conan Doyle), the summary of which the reader already knows, is a complex story. He shows the drama of a person, his powerlessness in front of the world around him, flaunts the vices that need to be fought. After all, if Colonel James had not intervened during the events, Nancy and Henry would have gotten married and would have been happy. Although he achieved the girl’s favor with his betrayal, he made both her and her lover unhappy. And he himself probably lost peace, ashamed of his crime. And Conan Doyle is trying to warn against such fatal mistakes. “The Hunchback,” whose main characters are a detective and his friend Watson, talks about relationships between people, complex and unpredictable, and teaches them to be responsible for their actions.
The story is written in a fascinating, easy and understandable language that the author mastered perfectly. Everyone already knows that the creator of this creation is Arthur Conan Doyle. “The Hunchback” has received the most positive reviews so far. Contemporaries consider the writer a true master of his craft, because it is very difficult to come up with a plot and develop it in this way. Well, Sherlock Holmes is the best image of a detective of all time. Happy reading!
Very briefly, a colonel is killed in a military camp. Sherlock Holmes discovers that the killer is the man whom the Colonel betrayed in order to destroy and marry his fiancee.
In the small town of Aldershot, where a military unit is stationed, Colonel James Barclay, a valiant veteran who began his service as an ordinary soldier and was promoted to officer for his bravery, is killed. In his youth, Barclay married the daughter of his regiment's sergeant, Nancy. Having lived for thirty years, the couple were considered an exemplary couple. The colonel loved his wife madly, she treated him more evenly, they had no children. Mrs. Barclay enjoyed the favor of the regimental ladies, and her husband enjoyed the favor of his fellow soldiers.
The Barclay family, with several servants, occupies a villa, which is rarely visited by guests. A few days ago, Mrs. Barclay, in good spirits, went with her friend Miss Morrison to a meeting of a charitable society of which she was a member. Returning home in a bad mood, she locked herself and her husband in the living room, and the servants heard her calling him a coward and saying the name “David” several times. Suddenly a terrible scream, roar and scream of the mistress was heard. Since the inner door was locked, the servants rushed to the glass door opening onto the garden, which fortunately was open. In the room, the hostess was lying unconscious on the sofa, her husband was dead, his head had been broken with some kind of blunt instrument. Nearby lay an unusual club made of hard wood, which did not belong to the colonel. The police determined that the murder was committed by her. The door key also disappeared. The interrogation of Miss Morrison, with whom Mrs. Barclay was with all this time, yielded nothing. The girl did not know what could have caused a quarrel between the spouses.
After studying all the details of the case, the police come to a dead end. Sherlock Holmes, who is interested in this case, arrives at the crime scene. He draws attention to the fact that the face of the deceased is distorted with fear. Neither the colonel nor his wife had the key, therefore, there was someone else in the room, and he took the key. The stranger could only enter the room through the glass door. There were shoe prints on the lawn, and on the curtain there were paw prints of a small animal that was with an unfamiliar visitor. Seeing a cage with a canary at the top, the animal climbed up the curtain.
After weighing the facts, Sherlock Holmes draws conclusions. Standing on the road, a man sees the Barclays quarreling in a lit room with the curtains raised. Having run across the lawn, the stranger with the animal enters the room and hits the colonel, or the colonel, frightened, falls and hits the back of his head on the fireplace. The stranger leaves and takes away the key.
Given that Mrs. Barclay left home in a good mood and returned upset, Sherlock Holmes assumes that Miss Morrison is hiding the truth. Fearing that Mrs. Barclay might be charged with murder, Mrs. Morrison says that on the way home they met a wandering cripple hunchback who turned out to be an old acquaintance of Mrs. Barclay. The woman asked Miss Morrison to leave them alone. Having caught up with her friend, Mrs. Barclay said that this man was very unlucky in life, and asked not to tell anyone anything.
Finding a hunchback in a small military town where there are few civilians is not difficult. He turns out to be a traveling magician, a cripple named Henry Wood. He once served in India in the same regiment with James Barclay and was considered the first handsome man of the regiment. Both were in love with Nancy, and she loved Henry. The young people wanted to get married, but then a riot broke out in the country, and the regiment came under siege. Henry volunteered to make his way to his own, and James Barclay, who knew the area well, advised him on the best route. While making his way, Henry was ambushed. From the conversation of the rebels, he learned that Barclay had betrayed him. As the rebels retreated, they took Henry with them. After torture he became crippled. While traveling, Wood learned magic tricks and earned his living from this. In his old age, Henry was drawn to his homeland.
Having met Nancy, who considered him dead, he followed her and from the street saw her quarrel with her husband, throwing accusations of betrayal at him. Henry could not stand it and rushed into the house. Seeing him, Colonel Barclay fell and hit the fireplace, and Nancy lost consciousness. Taking the key from her hands, Henry wanted to call for help, but realized that he could be accused of murder. He hastily put the key in his pocket and wanted to leave, but his mongoose, the animal with which he performs tricks, climbed up the curtain. While trying to catch him, Henry forgot his stick.
The case is closed - according to the examination, death was caused by apoplexy. Dr. Watson, however, does not understand why Mrs. Barclay said the name “David” if the deceased’s name was James and the hunchback’s name was Henry. To which the great detective replies that if he had been the ideal logician that Watson describes him, he would have immediately guessed what was going on: the name was thrown into reproach, by analogy with the biblical King David.
Watson (Dr. Watson, Var. Trans. Watson) is Sherlock Holmes' constant companion. A doctor by training, a military surgeon who graduated from the University of London in 1878, serves as a chronicler of Holmes's deeds. During the Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880), a rifle bullet shattered his shoulder. By his own admission, he couldn’t stand any noise. Arriving in London, he lived in a hotel for some time, then rented a room on Baker Street with Sherlock Holmes, who worked in the hospital’s chemical laboratory, whom he was introduced to as an eccentric, an enthusiast in some areas of science, but a decent man. Truthful, direct and courteous at the same time, possessing a sense of justice, reliable and touchingly attached to Holmes, V. is endowed with many wonderful qualities. His presence next to Holmes in the narrative elevates Holmes, who seems unattainable in his merits even against the background of such a decent person as V. He compares Holmes to Poe's Dupin. But Holmes has a low opinion of Dupin and his methods. One of the techniques, as a result of which Holmes and V. are perceived as actually existing personalities, is precisely that they discuss literary characters without including themselves among them, thereby emphasizing their “realness.”
Moriarty (Professor Moriarty) is Sherlock Holmes' most powerful opponent. “His gentle and precise manner of expression makes you believe in his sincerity, which is not typical of ordinary criminals.” “He is very skinny and tall. His forehead is white, huge and convex, his eyes are deeply sunken... His face is clean-shaven, pale, ascetic - something still remains of the professor in him. The shoulders are stooped - it must be from constantly sitting at a desk, and the head protrudes forward and slowly, like a snake, sways from side to side.”
He has prickly eyes. “He comes from a good family, received an excellent education and is naturally endowed with phenomenal mathematical abilities. When he was twenty-one, he wrote a treatise on Newton's binomial, which won him European fame. After this, he received the chair of mathematics at one of the provincial universities, and, in all likelihood, a brilliant future awaited him. But he has a hereditary attraction to inhuman cruelty. The blood of a criminal flows in his veins, and this cruelty has become even more dangerous thanks to his extraordinary mind. Dark rumors circulated about him in the university town where he taught, and in the end he was forced to leave the department and move to London, where he began preparing young men for the officer exam. This is the Napoleon of the underworld. He is the mastermind behind half of all the atrocities and almost all the unsolved crimes in London. Realizing that in Holmes he has acquired a worthy and dangerous opponent, M. admits that he experiences intellectual pleasure in observing his methods of struggle, that he would be upset if he had to use extreme measures against Holmes, and, not wanting to give up, invites Holmes to stop the investigation. Holmes emerges victorious from the intellectual battle, which develops into a hand-to-hand duel, but he has to hide for several more months, hiding from the retribution of M’s supporters.
Sherlock Holmes (Mr. Holmes) is a character in a series of detective stories and short stories, the prototype of which was Joseph Bell, a teacher at a medical college in Edinburgh, who had extraordinary powers of observation and the ability to understand everyday situations using the deductive method, which surprised his students with one of whom was Arthur Conan Doyle. H. calls himself a consulting detective, he takes on only the most complex, most complicated cases, which Scotland Yard and private agencies refuse, without leaving the room, he can unravel the crime that others have struggled with in vain. He is fundamentally different from the standard-minded, stupid and incompetent policemen and detectives from Scotland Yard, who are never destined to become professionals. For X., being a detective is least of all a way to make money. He approaches the solution of any problem as a philosopher, as an artist, as. poet. The more difficult the problem, the more interesting it is to him. What makes X. unique is the height of his personality. A lover of Haydn and Wagner, who readily quotes Horace, Petrarch and Flaubert, X. is the author of works on psychiatry and chemistry. Watson testifies that X. had almost no idea about contemporary literature, politics and philosophy; he knew nothing about the Copernican theory or the structure of the solar system and told Watson that all this was unnecessary knowledge. According to X., a person only needs knowledge, which is a tool for understanding the world.
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES Collection of stories (1892) Watson (Dr. Watson, var. translated by Watson) is the constant companion of Sherlock Holmes. A doctor by training, a military surgeon who graduated from the University of London in 1878, serves as a chronicler of Holmes's deeds. During the Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880), a rifle bullet shattered his shoulder. By his own admission, he couldn’t stand any noise. Arriving in London, he lived in a hotel for some time, then rented a room on Baker Street with Sherlock Holmes, who worked in the hospital’s chemical laboratory, whom he was introduced to as an eccentric, an enthusiast in some areas of science, but a decent man. Truthful, direct and courteous at the same time, possessing a sense of justice, reliable and touchingly attached to Holmes, V. is endowed with many wonderful qualities. His presence next to Holmes in the narrative elevates Holmes, who seems unattainable in his merits even against the background of such a decent person as V. He compares Holmes to Poe's Dupin. But Holmes has a low opinion of Dupin and his methods. One of the techniques, as a result of which Holmes and V. are perceived as actually existing personalities, is precisely that they discuss literary characters without including themselves among them, thereby emphasizing their “realness.”
Moriarty (Professor Moriarty) is Sherlock Holmes' most powerful opponent. “His gentle and precise manner of expression makes you believe in his sincerity, which is not typical of ordinary criminals.” “He is very skinny and tall. His forehead is white, huge and convex, his eyes are deeply sunken... His face is clean-shaven, pale, ascetic - something still remains of the professor in him. The shoulders are stooped - it must be from constantly sitting at a desk, and the head protrudes forward and slowly, like a snake, sways from side to side.”
He has prickly eyes. “He comes from a good family, received an excellent education and is naturally endowed with phenomenal mathematical abilities. When he was twenty-one, he wrote a treatise on Newton's binomial, which won him European fame. After this, he received the chair of mathematics at one of the provincial universities, and, in all likelihood, a brilliant future awaited him. But he has a hereditary attraction to inhuman cruelty.
The blood of a criminal flows in his veins, and this cruelty has become even more dangerous thanks to his extraordinary mind. Dark rumors circulated about him in the university town where he taught, and in the end he was forced to leave the department and move to London, where he began preparing young men for the officer exam. This is the Napoleon of the underworld. He is the mastermind behind half of all the atrocities and almost all the unsolved crimes in London. Realizing that in Holmes he has acquired a worthy and dangerous opponent, M. admits that he experiences intellectual pleasure in observing his methods of struggle, that he would be upset if he had to use extreme measures against Holmes, and, not wanting to give up, invites Holmes to stop the investigation. Holmes emerges victorious from the intellectual battle, which develops into a hand-to-hand duel, but he has to hide for several more months, hiding from the retribution of M’s supporters.
Sherlock Holmes (Mr. Holmes) is a character in a series of detective stories and short stories, the prototype of which was Joseph Bell, a teacher at a medical college in Edinburgh, who had extraordinary powers of observation and the ability to understand everyday situations using the deductive method, which surprised his students, one of which was Arthur Conan Doyle. X. calls himself a consulting detective; he only takes on the most complex, most complicated cases, which Scotland Yard and private agencies refuse. Without leaving the room, he can unravel a crime that others have struggled with in vain. He is fundamentally different from the conventional, stupid and inept policemen and detectives from Scotland Yard, who are never destined to become professionals. For X. being a detective is least of all a way to make money. He approaches the solution of any problem as a philosopher, as an artist, as a poet. The more difficult the problem, the more interesting it is to him. What makes X unique is the height of his personality qualities. A lover of Haydn and Wagner, who easily quotes Horace, Petrarch and Flaubert, X. is the author of works on psychiatry and chemistry. Watson testifies that X. had almost no idea about contemporary literature, politics and philosophy; he knew nothing about the Copernican theory or the structure of the solar system and told Watson that all this was unnecessary knowledge. According to X., a person only needs knowledge, which is a tool for understanding the world.
After receiving his medical degree, Dr. Watson goes to fight in Afghanistan. After being wounded, he returns to London. Being on a budget, Watson is looking for an inexpensive apartment. A paramedic acquaintance introduces him to Sherlock Holmes, an employee of the chemical laboratory at the hospital, who has rented an inexpensive apartment and is looking for a companion, since he cannot afford to pay alone. Holmes is characterized as a decent man, but somewhat eccentric. He is a first-class chemist, but is an enthusiastic student of other sciences.
The Doctor finds Sherlock Holmes examining blood stains. Thanks to its discovery, it is possible to determine the type of stain, and this is important for forensic medicine.
For several weeks, Holmes leads a measured lifestyle. He spends whole days in the hospital, and then goes for walks. His personality piques Dr. Watson's interest. A variety of people come to see Holmes, including Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade.
One day at breakfast, Watson reads an article that says that you can determine a person’s profession and his character by his clothes and hands. He tells Holmes that this is nonsense, to which he replies that he wrote the article, and, being a one-of-a-kind consulting detective, puts this method into practice. He applies his theory to Dr. Watson, saying that he served in Afghanistan. Holmes determines by his bearing that Watson is a military doctor, and by his dark face and white wrists - that he has been in the tropics. Watson is unwell and injured, therefore he was in the war that is currently going on in Afghanistan.
Holmes receives a letter in the mail from Police Inspector Gregson. The body of a man is found in an abandoned house. He has a business card with the inscription: “Enoch Drebber, Cleveland, USA.” There are no signs of robbery or violence, although there are blood stains on the floor. Taking Watson, Holmes arrives at the crime scene.
First, the detective examines the sidewalk, the neighboring house, and the soil. Then he enters the house and examines the corpse, whose face is disfigured by a grimace of horror and hatred. Near the corpse, Holmes finds a woman's wedding ring, and in the pockets a book with an inscription from Joseph Stengerson and letters: one to Drebber, the other to Stengerson. Inspector Lestrade arrives and discovers “RACHE” written in blood on the wall. The police come to the conclusion that this is Rachel's unfinished name, but Holmes examines the inscription, the dust on the floor and smiles mysteriously. He says the killer is a tall man with small legs. The detective also tells what kind of shoes he wears, what cigars he smokes, and adds that the killer has a red face and long nails. He arrived in a cab with a horse, which had three old horseshoes and one new. The killer used poison, and "RACHE" is German for revenge.
