The city of London in Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" (1887-1927)

Abstract

In this thesis I will investigate the representation of the city of London in the detective novels of Sherlock Holmes, written by Arthur Conan Doyle. I will also examine the shift from Victorian London to the modern city as portrayed in these novels.

The central research question will be: how is the city of London represented and what role does this play in the stories of Sherlock Holmes?

The sub question to the central research question is: how is the contrast between the civilized Victorian London on one hand and the dark, foggy, mysterious London on the other hand represented in these novels? In the novels of Sherlock Holmes, crime takes place in this dark side of the city, where the city itself enables the crime. The detective, who lives in the comfortable area of Baker Street, solves the crimes and with that he becomes the connection between those two faces of London.