Sherlock Holmes Symbolism

The figure of Sherlock Holmes first appeared more than 150 years ago but the level of interest and adoration of it has not changed through the years. We know about the famous detective probably more than about any other historical figure of the Victorian time. As Orson Welles, an American actor, described Sherlock as „The world’s most famous Man who never existed » (Jackson 151), and this phrase can not characterize the image of the famous detective more precisely. The character outlived his author, sir Artur Conan Doyle, managed to survive through the centuries and become an immortal character which appears not only in literature but has conquered the whole media market. Moreover, the number of fans is growing, and they are not only

The long queues of people, desirous to visit the place where the famous detective was living and working, are something usual on Baker Street. The fans from every corner of the planet still keep writing hundreds of letters and sending postcards to the well-known address: 221B Baker Street, London, asking Holmes to solve mysterious stories, puzzling cases, or just to say hello to their favourite character. There is even a special service where people work to read all the letters sent to the detective. Such examples are

Searching for the reasons of Sherlock Holmes` continuing popularity can be very helpful in understanding the cultural and social background of fan industry not only in Great Britain as the motherland of the character, but also in the whole world. Such contradictory question as what is Sherlock Holmes, a cult phenomenon or a consistent pattern of the global consumer base, should be