Why did Arthur Conan Doyle resurrect Sherlock Holmes?

Question

Why bring him back after the Reichenbach Falls, er... fall, if he'd become such a millstone?

Answer 1

It was Strand Magazine which introduced most of the Holmes stories to the public and made Doyle famous. But Doyle felt he was capable of better things. In the 24th story, The Final Problem, Doyle killed Holmes in a struggle with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls.

The public outcry was astonishing. Black armbands were worn and letters of protest flooded the offices of Strand Magazine. Eventually, in 1901, Doyle was persuaded to resurrect the great detective and The Hound of the Baskervilles was published. The story was set before Holmes' disappearance, so it was not a real comeback.

But in 1903, Holmes did reappear, much to the delight of his fans, in a story called The Empty House. By the time of his death in 1930, Doyle had written no less than 60 Holmes adventures.

Holmes finally `retired' in 1927, when Conan Doyle wrote: "And so, reader, farewell to Sherlock Holmes! I thank you for your past constancy, and can but hope that some return has been made in the shape of that distraction from the worries of life and stimulating change of thought, which can only be found in the fairy kingdom of romance."

Answer 2

Sherlock Holmes was a much beloved character in literature of the time and the public cried out for more. Solving mysteries was a much enjoyed passtime among Victorian readers. Remember at that time communication was better and there were more crimes being reported in the news - like for instance Jack the Ripper and people had a morbid fascination with crime and Sherlock was their favorite fictional detective. All authors should be so lucky to create such a beloved character. C.

Answer 3

The simple answer is that the publisher's responding to public demand - and seeing a slight profit for themselves - persuaded him. In fact, Doyle was heartily fed up with his hero, believing, as an author and a person in his own right, that he had more fulfilling projects to take on. See what happens to J.K.Rowling in a year or two!!!! (Mind you, she's worth a bob or two more than Conan Doyle so probably money wouldn't be the persuasive tool.)

Answer 4

Fans of the character pressured the author to bring him back. The choice was ultimately the author's, so there may be no real way of knowing if he had any personal reasons, except that realizing that killing off the character was akin to "political suicide" in that it would doom his credability as an author at a time when he felt that the risk was not worth taking.
For example what do you think the reaction would be if J. K. Rowling killed off Harry Potter?

Answer 5

Public demand, the people loved Sherlock Holmes and wanted more, so Doyle was forced to resurrect him.It was not because of money.

Answer 6

There was such an outcry from fans when he killed Holmes off he actually had no choice but to bring him back he didn't want to but wanted to please the fans and of course the strand paid big money for him to bring him back due to the drop in sales

Answer 7

Public outcry.

PS. My name comes from Sherlock Holmes, Wiggins was the chief boy amongst the Baker Street Irregulars.
Pps, My cat is also called Wiggins.

Answer 8

Money of course. Look at Stephen King. He will keep cranking out the same old same old because of this. And who could blame anybody? Sure a writer could want to go in different directions and pursue the art but...... not going to turn down the money.

Answer 9

Probably because he's running out of money and thought: Hmmm I think I'm going to bring him back into life, after all I made a fortune out of him!

Answer 10

Public Preassure (sp)