The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 1 Publication Preface
Detective mystery novels are an important type of novels in western literature. Since the publication of such novels, many famous writers and classic works have emerged.It is generally believed that Edgar Allan Poe is the father of detective novels, but it was Conan Doyle who promoted detective novels to the world, and he created "The Complete Works of Detective Sherlock Holmes".

Conan Doyle is known as the father of British detective fiction.He is a doctor of medicine, has received a knighthood, practiced medicine, and has a pot to help the world.However, he loves literature deeply and likes to read detective novels.As a scientist, he received professional scientific training before creating Sherlock Holmes. He observes things accurately, thinks carefully, and reasoning rigorously. Before making a judgment or drawing a conclusion, he must have sufficient evidence and verification.His professional background and professionalism have left a deep imprint on Holmes and Watson.

The first "Study in Scarlet" of "The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes" was written in 1886 and published in 1887, and the last "Shoscombe House" was completed in 1927. Conan Doyle took 40 years to create a total of There are 60 stories, including 4 novellas and 56 short stories.Since the birth of Sherlock Holmes, it has been popular in the world for more than one hundred years, and has been translated into more than 50 languages ​​and published around the world; there are as many as two hundred movies and TV series based on it.Holmes became the best-known detective and revered screen hero.Recently, the re-adaptation of "Sherlock Holmes" by the British eccentric director Guy Schitch, who became famous for his filming of "Two Smoking Barrels", has been released in the world, and it is bound to blow another "blessing".And it has been more than 120 years since Sherlock Holmes was born. Its tenacious vitality, wide influence, deep love and great charm make it a treasure of film and television companies and a topic that "Fu fans" love to talk about.Many detective and reasoning fans call it the "Bible" in reasoning novels, a necessary "tool book" for every reasoning fan; some avid readers even try to find the fictional Building B, No. 221 Baker Street, London in the novel.Why is "Sherlock Holmes" loved by generations?Comparing the classics in the world, we can find that at least two conditions must be met in order to become an enduring classic that is often read and updated.

First, the storyline is attractive.Many novelists have acknowledged such a fact, or their creative experience: to write a novel is to tell a story, and the quality of a novel depends on the level of storytelling.This includes two aspects. On the one hand, what content the story tells can make readers like it.Sherlock Holmes is a big type of novel--detective mystery novel. When Conan Doyle created it, he did his best and collected a wide range of cases. Royal scandals, secret chamber tricks, inheritance scrambles, etc., involving professors, doctors, bishops, officers, captains, politicians, nobles, architects, businessmen, students, athletes, monks, rogues, etc., are very "attractive". The events and characters in "Eyeball" extensively reflect the social situation at that time, and describe all social classes; each story has its own characteristics, and there is no similarity.On the other hand, how to tell a story can be fascinating, which is a matter of novel creation skills. "The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes" provides many samples and experiences for future detective novelists.Conan Doyle cleverly set up the role of Watson as the recorder and narrator of the detective story.Watson is almost inseparable from Holmes, and as his assistant, he can closely participate in the specific work of handling the case, observe every detail of the case, listen to his analysis, and obtain his authorization to record the case and selectively make it public to the world .It can be said that in the novel, Watson is both Sherlock Holmes' assistant and his "press spokesman", holding first-hand information.Letting Watson tell the story of Sherlock Holmes will undoubtedly increase the authenticity, sense of presence and credibility of the story.In the novel, Watson is also skilled in storytelling.In the novella "The Hound of the Baskervilles", the author's storytelling skills can be described as rich and proficient, using techniques such as flashbacks of memories, small stories within big stories, side-by-side narratives, report records, diary excerpts, etc. A case with many clues and complex plots is narrated in an orderly manner, full of suspense, and many characters are arranged reasonably, which not only serve the whole story, but also have their own stories; At the same time, the description of the novel's thrilling scenes and the setting off of the tense atmosphere are also extremely successful.This kind of narrative method that combines multiple techniques is very common in "The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes", which avoids the straightforward narrative of telling stories in chronological order, and makes the storyline develop in multiple lines and develop three-dimensionally.

Second, the portrayal of characters is successful.A good story can attract readers, and a successful character image can make readers have endless aftertaste. In "The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes", as the absolute protagonist, the image of Sherlock Holmes is plump and vivid. He has extraordinary talents and abilities, his observation and memory are super strong, and he has genius-like reasoning ability and rational thinking.For example, in "The Hound of the Baskervilles", when he received a cut-and-pasted letter, he immediately concluded that it came from an article in the "Times" of the day. Sure enough, the words used appeared in an economic review in the newspaper.At the same time, he paid great attention to on-site investigations. In order to obtain clues and first-hand materials, he never hesitated to go deep into the tiger's den at the risk of death.He can hibernate in the hiding place of the suspect to wait for work, he can eat and sleep on the rocky hills in the wild, just to get closer to the enemy, and he can even jump into the abyss of the cliff with his opponent.This reflects his extreme enthusiasm and responsibility for his work. For the sake of the detective career, he puts life and death aside.And Holmes' original deductive method helps him connect the existing clues into pearls and outline the outline of the case. With his rich imagination and careful reasoning, the details of the case are also revealed.Super talent, fanatical attitude towards work, and unique method of solving crimes make him an excellent and outstanding expert in solving crimes.And his justice, tolerance, and kindness make his image great. In "Milverton", in order to investigate the case of a noble woman being blackmailed, Sherlock Holmes violated the law and broke into the thief's lair at night, and finally burned the letter in which the noble woman's privacy was recorded, and kept the secret for the client. In "The Lone Cyclist", Holmes is very tolerant to Carruthers, who participated in the conspiracy, but finally made a remedy, and expressed his willingness to testify for him in order to reduce the legal punishment for him.When dealing with cases, Sherlock Holmes respected the law on major issues of principle, punished rape and eliminated evil through normal and legal means, and supported justice.But when it comes to small issues, he handles them with great human touch.For example, in "Three College Students", he gave great comfort and encouragement to the unsuccessful student who stole the test paper, and wished him success in the future.These characteristics make the image of Sherlock Holmes more real and flesh and blood.At the same time, his speech and behavior are very close to life, there is no deliberate affectation like pretentiousness, and there are humorous and wonderful words from time to time.There are still many small flaws in him, for example, his appearance is always a bit cold and aloof, sometimes quite conceited and stubborn; he will show a mocking tone to his opponents or other detectives, and he has even been mean to Watson; He also suffered from anxiety disorder, sometimes unable to control his emotions, and in severe cases, he relied on cocaine to relieve his condition.These small shortcomings did not damage his image, but made him more three-dimensional, full, and real, avoiding the facial makeup and flattening of the characters, making him lifelike and vivid on the paper.

Conan Doyle promoted detective mystery novels to the whole world, triggered the popularity and development of European and American detective novels, and has become a popular trend, which has not declined to this day.And "The Complete Works of Detective Sherlock Holmes" has become a classic among detective novels. The famous British writer Maugham praised: "Compared with "The Complete Works of Detective Sherlock Holmes" written by Conan Doyle, no detective novel has ever enjoyed such a high reputation." honor."

This retranslation and revision of this classic is a challenge, because there are many excellent translations in China; at the same time, it is a kind of luck, because it can "stand on the shoulders of giants", learn from the strengths of others, and avoid mistakes. The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes, on the basis of referring to many versions, unifies the translation methods of the names of people and places in the novel according to the latest national standards, adjusts the relevant translations and translated sentences, and corrects the errors in other translations in China. The grammar and translated sentences have been revised to make it more in line with contemporary reading habits and tastes. It is the most treasured version for "Fu fans".

(End of this chapter)