Life Of Arthur Conan Doyle :: essays research papers

Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 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).