大学英语系毕业论文.docx

大学英语系毕业论文.docx

《大学英语系毕业论文.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《大学英语系毕业论文.docx（16页珍藏版）》请在冰点文库上搜索。

大学英语系毕业论文

ThePhenomenonofSherlockHolmesinBritishCulture

Introduction

SherlockHolmesoriginallycreatedbyArthurConanDoyleastheprotagonistofhisdetectivenovels,isfamousforhisuniquepersonalityandhisgreattalentinanalyzingcrimes.SinceSherlockHolmesfirstappearsinAStudyinScarlet,theSherlockHolmesstorieshaveattractedtheattentionofinnumerablereadersandscholarsaroundtheworld.TherelatedscholarsabroadwritecountlessarticlesandbooksabouttheHolmesstories.

Hisfirstappearancein“AStudyinScarlet”hascausedastirbothinBritishandbeyond,sincethenSherlockHolmesaswellashiscreatorArthurConanDoylehasbeenrememberedbytheirreaders.SherlockHolmeshasbecometherepresentativeofjustice,andthehiscareeras“consultingdetective”isassociatedwithmysteryandomnipotencebypeople,becauseeverythornycaseswouldbecamesimplewhenlaidbeforehim.AshesaidtoWatson,whentheyhavejustmetforonlyseveraldays,“IsupposeIamtheonlyoneintheworld.Iamaconsultingdetective.HereinLondon,wehavelotsofgovernmentdetectivesandlotsofprivateones.Whenthesefellowsareatfault,theycometome,andImanagedtoputthemontherightscent”,1andhismethodsof“thescienceofdeduction”inwhichhepresentedhisgreattalentinanalyzingandsolvingthecrimesthatisinaccessibletohiscontemporarypolicemenarewidelyrecognized.“Whenyouhaveeliminatedtheimpossible,whateverremains,howeverimpossible,mustbethetruth”2isperhapshismostfamousperspective.

SherlockHolmesissoimpressiveinhischaractersandhistalentthatpeoplearesoconvincedthatheisrealandindeedlivinginBakerStreet221B.Itisabelief“heldforyearsbythousandsthathewasanactuallivinghumanbeing—acircumstancethatconstitutesoneofthemustunusualchaptersinliteraryhistory”3PeoplearesofascinatedbyhisexistencethatwhenitcomestothemomentwhenArthurConanDoylemanagedtokillSherlockHolmesin“Thelastproblem”,“Anexaminationbyexpertsleaveslittledoubtthatapersonalcontestbetweenthetwomenended,asitcouldhardlyfailtoendinsuchasituation,intheirreelingover,lockedineachother’sarms.”4Asaresult,thedeathofSherlockHolmescausedasensationamonghisreaders,whichatlastmadeArthurrealizedthegeneralprotestagainsthissummaryexecutionofHolmesandhownumerousHolmes’friendswere,andeventuallyhebroughtHolmesbackagainsevenyearslaterin“TheAdventureoftheEmptyHouse”.Eventoday,peoplestillbelievethatthebigdetectiveistracingthecrimesateverycornerofLondonwithhislens.HehastakenonalifebeyondthestorieswrittenbyConanDoyle.TheAbbeyNationalBuildingSociety,whichtodayoccupies221BakerStreet,employsastaffmemberwhosejobistoactasHolmes’secretarytoanswertheapproximately50lettershestillreceiveeachweek.ThemanySherlockHolmesclubs,carryouttheiractivitiesontheclaimthatConanDoyledidnotinventHolmesorhisadventures—theywerereal.SosuccessthecreationissorealthatSherlockHolmeshastakenonhisownlifeandbreaksfreeofhiscreator.ThisisquiteamiracleinBritishculture,whyacharacteractuallyonlyexistedinnovelswouldhavesobiganimpactonhisreadersoreventheworld?

Theremustbesomedeepreasonbehindit.ThethesiswillexploretheculturalbackgroundthatliebehindthephenomenonofSherlockHolmesinBritishculture.ThefirstpartwillintroducebrieflySherlockHolmesandhisauthorArthurConanDoyle’writingbackgrounds,inwhatsocialconditioncouldArthurcreatesuchacharacter,andwhathasSherlockbroughtaboutonhim,wasthereonlyfameandreputation?

ThesecondpartwilldiscussSherlock’sinfluenceonBritishculture,onthepeopleaswellassociety,andhisgreatauguralrole-playedintheBritishcriminalinvestigation.ThethirdpartwillanalyzethereasonwhySherlockHolmeshasbroughtaboutsuchaphenomenonbetweenhisreaderandhiscountryintermsofhisownpersonality,people’scurrentpsychologicalactivitiesandthesocialfactorsthatcombinedtocontributetoit.

ChapterOne

TheSherlockHolmesandHisCurrentBackground

§1.1SirArthurConanDoyle’swritingbackground

BorninEdinburgh,Scotland,in1859,hestudiedmedicineatEdinburghUniversityandsettledinLondon,buthislessthrivingpracticeasadoctorlefthimwithagreatdealofsparetime.ItwasthenthanhebegantowritethefamousSherlockHolmesstories.HisfirstsuccesswasinASTUDYINSCARLETLETTER,whichappearedinBeaton’sChristmasAnnualfor1887.FollowingthepublicationofTHESIGHOFFOURin1890,heleftmedicinetodevotehimselftowriting.Although,storieswithrecurringcharactersarenottheoriginalcreationofConanDoyle,theyhasappearedbeforeinCharlesDickens’PickwickPapers,however,itisfromConanDoylewhodeliberatelytriedtocreateacharacterwhosepersonalitywouldattractaregularandpermanentreadership.

ArthurConanDoylelivedavariousandadventuredlife.Hewasahistorian,whaler,athlete,warcorrespondentandspiritualist.Hepersonallychampionedtwocasesofinjustice,usinghisowndetectiveworktoprovethemeninnocentofthecrimesinwhichtheywereconvicted.ArthurConanDoyleisregardedasoneofthemostprominentEnglishwritersforhiscreationofthemasterdetectiveSherlockHolmes.HepioneersthenewageofthewesterndetectivefictionandthusisbestknownasthefatherofEnglishdetectivefiction.ConanDoylewasknightedin1902forhisworkinaSouthAfricanfieldhospitalduringtheBoerWar.Hediedin1930.

§1.2SirConanDoyle’smixedfeelingstowardsHolmes

Althoughhewrotemanyotherstoriesofadventureandhistoricalromance,itwashisdetectivefictionfeaturingSherlockHolmesthatbroughthimfameandreputation.HecreatedHolmes,anditwasabsolutelycertainthathewashismasterpiece,anditisnotnecessarily,frommyvantagepoint,duetothefactthatHolmesbroughthimgoodandfortune.Iamstronglyconvincedthateveryauthorhasaspecialfeelingtowardshischaracterunderhispen,nomatterwhetheritissuccessfulornot.Arthurwasnoexception.YetSherlockwassopopularamonghisreadersthatwhenDoyletiedofthecharacterandkilledoffHolmesin“HislastBow”,publishedin1893,hewasforcedbypublicdemandtobringhimbackingeniouslytolife.

Totheauthor,TheAdventuresofSherlockHolmes（1892）broughthimnotjustfameandreputation,butalsoconfusionandanger.Thereaders’abundantlettersaddressedtoSherlockHolmesmadeArthurirritatedandfeeldeterredhimfromcreatingotherarticles,andthisresultedinhisthoughtsofkillingHolmes.Asheworkedon“theAdventuresoftheSpeckledBand”,whichalwaysconsideredasthebestofalltheHolmesmysteries;hedecidedthatitreallywastimetobedonewiththedetective,andhemanagedtodoitin“Thelastproblem”in1893.“IthinkofslayingHolmesinthelastandwindinghimupforgood”hewrotetohismom.TheMa’am,whowasoneofSherlockHolmes’greatestfans,wroteback“youwon’t,youcan’t,andyoumustn’t!

”5Holmes’fanscouldnotputupwithhisdeath.OnthestreetsofLondonmenworeblackcrepearmbandsandhatbandsasameansofmourning,andConanwasdelugedwithfuriouslettersfromthereaderswhoexpressedtheirangerandtriedtofigureoutwhatonearthhewasdoing.Conanwasmovedwiththescene,in1897,forthefirsttime,hefoundhimselfconsideringareturntoSherlockHolmes,whichhemadeitin“TheAdventureoftheEmptyHouse”.ThereasonofhisdosarenotnecessarilyjustduetothefactthathewasdemandedofbyHolmes’readers,instead,inmyopinion,hewasindeednotthathatefultoHolmesandhimselfwouldnotentirelyabandonHolmes.DespiterepeatedclaimsthathedidnotcareaboutHolmesandthattheSherlockHolmesobscuredhismoreimportantwork,ConanDoylemadeitclearinhisautobiographythathedidnotconsiderthenewoneshackwork.“IfearthatMr.SherlockHolmesmaybecomelikeoneofthosepopulartenorswho,havingoutlivedtheirtime,andstilltemptedtomakerepeatedfarewellbowstotheirindulgentaudiences”6Actually,itisafactthatConanDoyleneverrealizeshowmagnificentvalueSherlockHolmeshasbroughttohim.

ChapterTwo

TheInfluenceofSherlockHolmesinBritishCulture

§2.1Thephenomenonofpeople’sadmirationofSherlockHolmes

TheSherlockHolmesstoriesstartedtoappearin“theStrandMagazine”inJuly1891andhitabigsuccess.Atthebeginningofeachmonth,peopleweresoeagertoseethenewestSherlockHolmesstoriesastheyformedlonglinesatthemagazineofficeandatthebookssellers’stalls.Londonlibrariesremainedopenlatethenightwhenanewstorycameout.WeshouldnotforgetthatalltheHolmesstoriesarenarratedbyWatson,thedoctor,andhehimselfindeedisabigfunofSherlock,ifwecansayso.Asanarrator,Watson’sweaknessledhimtofailtoseetherealthoughtsofthedetective,whichisactuallyoneoftheobjectivestheauthorintendstoachieve.Inthedetectivestory,we,togetherwithWatson,hadthefeelingthatwecouldnotunderstandtheintertwinedclueslaybehindthecase.Yet,hecoulddeducesomethingextraordinaryfromthem,butnotallatonce,instead,itseemedthathewaspullingusforwardtothedeepfactsofthecases.Italsoseemedthatwe,aswellasWatson,couldnothelpbuttogoalongwithhismindstilltheend.Itwasanadventureofgreatvalueforus.Theauthorlikestoconcealthetruth,asaresultofwhich,offersusawonderfultravelofmindstothetruth.Suchconcealmentcancreatesuspenseandaneagernesstocontinuereading;weareinfactinlinewiththede