The Life Of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Essay, Research Paper

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a British physician who later devoted his life to writing,

has become one of the most popular and widespread authors and creators of all time.

Doyle’s early childhood years to his later years in life have allowed him to observe many

sophisticated yet adventurous paths, in which have inspired him greatly to become an

influence on spiritualistic views as an author and crusader. His interests and

achievements in medicine, politics, and spiritualism have allowed him to create the

iridescent master detective of fiction, Sherlock Holmes. His creation of Sherlock Holmes

in his mystery novels has brought him fame amongst many people, even so Sherlock

Holmes may be one of the most popular and recognized characters of English Literature.

On May 22nd, 1859, Arthur Conan Doyle was born at Picardy Place, in

Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, Charles, was an architect-clerk at the Government

Office of Works in Edinburgh where he married Mary Foley in1855. Arthur had three

sisters and one brother, with quite a large family occasionally times got hard as money

grew scarce, fortunately his father sold paintings on the side to earn extra money (Jaffe

3).

When Arthur Doyle was seven years old he was sent to school and for two years

he was toughened by the schoolmaster and his punishments of lacerations (Pearson 2).

The schoolmaster wasn’t the only thing that toughened him, he was also used to getting in

quarrels with other children and became quite a fighter, especially if he saw a bully

picking on someone smaller and weaker (Pearson 3). Along with his rugged

characteristics, young Arthur loved to read. He found himself caught up in books of

action and adventure, his favorite one being Scalp Hunters by Mayne Reid which he read

numerous times. Arthur was also somewhat interested in poetry and he showed it by

learning Macaulay’s Lay of Horatius by heart. At the age of nine, Arthur went to Hodder

the preparatory school for Stonyhurst College, which also was located in Edinburgh

(Jaffe 8). On a journey to Preston, in Lancashire, he started to feel lonely and

experienced homesickness. When he arrived at Preston, he joined a group of other kids

and was driven the remaining twelve miles with a Jesuit, a follower of Jesus in Roman

Catholicism. He stayed at Hodder for two years, where he was partially happy, then the

Franco-German War had arisen and gave him something to dream about during his

lessons. He would find himself daydreaming about fascinating adventures to escape his

regular days of studies which constantly bored him (Pearson 4).

He then went on to Stonyhurst College, where he found himself suffering in

classes of Latin, Greek, and Algebra. Near the end of his life Arthur wrote “I can say

with truth that my Latin and Greek … have been little use to me in life, and that my

mathematics have been no use at all.”(Carr 10) Doyle may not have enjoyed Latin or

Algebra, on the other hand he seemed to pick up reading and writing skills automatically.

The Jesuits who were guarding and keeping Doyle and the boys in order believed that

“dry knowledge could only be absorbed with dry food,” so the nourishment they received

was quite unappetizing (Jaffe 16). The discipline they received was pretty brutal,

because if the demands for religion were unsatisfied, and if the young men’s behavior was

not well, the Jesuits applied a more encouraging correction. Doyle remembers this

punishment quite well, through his own experience, he describes it as “the instrument of

correction, it was a piece of India-rubber of the shape and size of a thick boot sole….One

blow of this instrument, delivered with intent, would cause the palm of the hand to swell

up and change color.” Arthur had wondered if any other boys had endured more of the

brutal punishment than he. Doyle wrote “I went out of my way to do really mischievous

and outrageous things simply to show that my spirit was unbroken.” (Pearson 5) During

his stay at the college, Doyle wrote much verse that he thought was nothing but this

showed to everyone else that he had a literary gift. He was also encouraged to tell stories

to the other boys sitting in a circle, his favorite stories talking about murders and

mysteries, and he was able to captivate his audiences with his ability. Upon his last year,

he edited the College magazine, and amazed everyone by taking honors in the London

Matric before he left Stonyhurst at the age of sixteen (Carr 13).

When Doyle left Stonyhurst, he realized he had an interest and gift in writing, that

would later on greatly influence his later career. Arthur enjoyed history and literature,

and one day he was completely absorbed in a volume of Macaulay’s Essays, giving him a

new aspect of English Literature. Doyle’s last year with the Jesuits was spent at Feldkirch

in Austria, and on his way there he stopped in London to visit Westminster

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