The Life Of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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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