The detective stories Doyle published in the Strand magazine during the 1890s, including “The Red-Headed League,” are credited with doubling subscribers to the magazine. During the Victorian Age, which stretched from the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign in 1837 to her death in 1901, major writers such as Charles Dickens, George Eliot, and Thomas Hardy often published novels serially, in weekly or monthly parts. Doyle, however, was the first to write short stories using a similar method, relying upon interest in a central character rather than an ongoing plot to keep readers coming back for more. The factors that led to this amazing popularity reveal the interests and make-up of the reading public in Doyle’s day.
England had increasingly become a nation of readers in the decades before Sherlock Holmes first appeared, since the Education Act of 1870 and legislation to limit child labor made it possible for a wider segment of the population to attend school. In 1880 all children were guaranteed schooling through the age of ten. Since recreational reading among this newly literate class was often done in short spans of time-while riding the train or subway, for instance-forms of writing that could be quickly consumed flourished, like articles or short stories in newspapers and magazines. Similarly, true or fictional accounts of action, adventure, and crime captivated the attention of lower- and middle-class readers who worked hard for a living and whose lives often contained little of the excitement they sought in literature. Doyle wrote for such readers, often reinforcing through his stories beliefs that his readers would be likely to hold.
Even though a British police force had been established in 1829, the institution was not held in universal high esteem. Early police had often been seen as paid spies, and cases of bribery, corruption, and incompetence made the public skeptical of police honesty and expertise. Due in part to low wages, the police were often drawn from the lowest ranks of society, leading many people who considered themselves socially superior to question their authority and skill. Doyle’s portrayal of police agent Jones and Holmes’ attitude toward him reflect these stereotypes. In other Sherlock Holmes stories, too, the police are depicted as earnest in their desire to promote justice but unable to accomplish this without Holmes’ aid.
Changes in class structure and living conditions of British society are also reflected in Doyle’s stories. London became a world center of industry and commerce during the 19th century, its population rising from approximately 850,000 in 1810 to almost 5 million by the end of the century. Many were drawn to the city by dreams of financial success. In this environment of progress, skill and intelligence became keys to social advancement and prosperity, rather than the prominence of one’s family. Sherlock Holmes represents this new ideal of the gentleman, someone who achieves distinction and respect through his own merit and talents. The average British citizen also began to question why the upper class should be considered naturally superior. On numerous occasions, members of the British aristocracy, including the royal family, had been involved in well-publicized sexual, marital, and economic scandals. Such behavior was little in keeping with the moral standards the middle class was proud to uphold. John Clay in “The Red-Headed League” confirms widespread suspicions of aristocratic corruption. He has turned to crime when his background and education would have opened the doors of more honorable professions to him. His pride in his social rank appears ridiculous, since he has given up all claims to true respectability.
The middle and late decades of the 19th century also represented an explosion in scientific thought. This flowering of the sciences came in the wake of Darwin’s theory of natural selection, announced in his 1859 The Origin of Species and 1871 The Descent of Man. Darwin had proposed that each element of the natural world was not only part of an ongoing and orderly process of evolution but also carried physical signs of these evolutionary stages. His concept, and later theories indebted to it, led to increasing belief that all phenomena could be explained using the skills of observation and reasoning. Sherlock Holmes is seen by many critics as an embodiment of this new faith in scientific reasoning as a way of giving order and meaning to the world. But because science also threatened previous systems of belief, especially deeply held religious beliefs, Sherlock Holmes also presents a reassuring example of the usefulness of the scientist to society. Even though Holmes spends much of his time amassing information that might seem little more than academic or even humorous to the average reader-such as the study of tattoo marks mentioned in “The Red-Headed League”-the same methods of thinking that promote these academic studies prove vital to achieving the goals of justice and social order. Just as advances in scientific thought spread worldwide, the social changes and attitudes discussed above were not unique to England. Growing literacy, urbanization, changes in class structure, and the questioning of police authority and competence typical of British society had especially strong parallels in American culture. This might explain why Sherlock Holmes quickly became as familiar and appealing to American readers as to those in the country where his adventures were first published.
"Hadithi za Doyle zilizochapishwa katika jarida la Strand katika miaka ya 1890, ikiwa ni pamoja na ""The Red-Headed League,"" zinahesabiwa kuwa na idadi ya wanachama wa mara mbili kwa jarida hilo." Wakati wa enzi ya Victoria, ambayo ilianzia mwanzo wa utawala wa Malkia Victoria mnamo 1837 hadi kifo chake mnamo 1901, waandishi wakuu kama vile Charles Dickens, George Eliot, na Thomas Hardy mara nyingi walichapisha riwaya kwa mfululizo, katika sehemu za kila wiki au kila mwezi. Doyle alikuwa wa kwanza kuandika hadithi fupi kwa kutumia njia kama hiyo, akitegemea maslahi ya mhusika mkuu badala ya njama inayoendelea ili kuwafanya wasomaji warudi tena. Mambo yaliyofanya kitabu hicho kiwe maarufu sana yanaonyesha jinsi watu wa wakati wa Doyle walivyovutiwa na kitabu hicho na jinsi walivyochagua kukisoma. Uingereza ilikuwa taifa la wasomaji katika miongo kadhaa kabla ya Sherlock Holmes kuonekana kwa mara ya kwanza, tangu Sheria ya Elimu ya 1870 na sheria ya kupunguza kazi ya watoto iliwezesha sehemu kubwa ya idadi ya watu kuhudhuria shule. Mwaka 1880 watoto wote walipewa elimu ya shule hadi umri wa miaka kumi. Kwa kuwa kusoma kwa burudani kati ya jamii hii mpya ya kusoma na kuandika mara nyingi hufanywa kwa vipindi vifupi vya wakati - kwa mfano, wakati wa kuendesha gari-moshi au gari-moshi la chini ya ardhi - aina za uandishi ambazo zinaweza kutumiwa haraka zilifanikiwa, kama vile makala au hadithi fupi katika magazeti na magazeti. Vivyo hivyo, masimulizi ya kweli au ya kuwaziwa ya vitendo, vituko, na uhalifu yaliwavutia wasomaji wa tabaka la chini na la kati ambao walifanya kazi kwa bidii ili kupata riziki na ambao maisha yao mara nyingi hayakuwa na msisimko ambao walitafuta katika fasihi. Doyle aliwaandikia wasomaji kama hao, mara nyingi akitia nguvu kupitia hadithi zake imani ambazo wasomaji wake wangekuwa na uwezekano wa kushikilia. Hata kama polisi wa Uingereza walikuwa wameanzishwa mwaka wa 1829, taasisi hiyo haikuheshimiwa sana ulimwenguni pote. Polisi wa mapema walikuwa wamekuwa wakionwa mara nyingi kuwa wapelelezi waliolipwa, na visa vya rushwa, ufisadi, na ukosefu wa uwezo vilifanya umma ushawishi kwa uaminifu na utaalamu wa polisi. Kwa sababu ya mishahara ya chini, polisi mara nyingi walichaguliwa kutoka kwa safu ya chini ya jamii, na kuongoza watu wengi ambao walijiona kuwa bora kijamii kutilia shaka mamlaka na ustadi wao. Mchoro wa Doyle wa wakala wa polisi Jones na mtazamo wa Holmes kwake huonyesha mitazamo hii. Katika hadithi nyingine za Sherlock Holmes, pia, polisi wanaonyeshwa kuwa na hamu ya kukuza haki lakini hawawezi kutimiza hili bila msaada wa Holmes. Mabadiliko katika muundo wa darasa na hali ya maisha ya jamii ya Uingereza pia yanaonyeshwa katika hadithi za Doyle. London ikawa kituo cha ulimwengu cha viwanda na biashara katika karne ya 19, na idadi ya watu wake ikiongezeka kutoka karibu 850,000 mnamo 1810 hadi karibu milioni 5 mwishoni mwa karne hiyo. Wengi walivutiwa na jiji hilo kwa sababu ya ndoto za kupata mafanikio ya kifedha. Katika mazingira haya ya maendeleo, ustadi na akili zikawa funguo za maendeleo ya kijamii na ufanisi, badala ya umaarufu wa familia ya mtu. Sherlock Holmes anawakilisha hii mpya bora ya gentleman, mtu ambaye anafikia tofauti na heshima kwa njia ya sifa yake mwenyewe na vipaji. Raia wa kawaida wa Uingereza pia alianza kuhoji kwa nini tabaka la juu linapaswa kuonwa kuwa la juu kwa asili. Katika pindi nyingi, washiriki wa tabaka la juu la Uingereza, kutia ndani familia ya kifalme, walikuwa wamehusika katika kashfa za kingono, za ndoa, na za kiuchumi zilizotangazwa sana. Tabia kama hiyo haikupatana na viwango vya maadili ambavyo tabaka la kati lilijivunia kutetea. John Clay katika "The Red-Headed League" anathibitisha tuhuma za ufisadi wa aristocracy. Amejiingiza katika uhalifu wakati ambapo malezi na elimu yake ingemfungulia milango ya kazi zenye kuheshimika zaidi. Kiburi chake katika cheo chake cha kijamii huonekana kuwa cha kipumbavu, kwa kuwa ameacha madai yote ya kuheshimika kwa kweli. Katika miaka ya katikati na mwishoni mwa karne ya 19, mawazo ya kisayansi yalianza kuenea sana. "Kutoka kwa Darwin, nadharia ya ""uchaguzi wa asili"" ilitolewa katika vitabu vyake vya 1859 ""The Origin of Species"" na 1871 ""The Descent of Man.""" Darwin alidai kwamba kila kitu katika ulimwengu wa asili si sehemu tu ya mchakato wa mageuzi unaoendelea na wenye utaratibu, bali pia kilikuwa na alama za kimwili za hatua hizo za mageuzi. Dhana yake, na baadaye nadharia zilizokuwa na deni lake, zilisababisha imani inayoongezeka kwamba matukio yote yanaweza kuelezwa kwa kutumia ujuzi wa uchunguzi na kufikiri. Sherlock Holmes anaonekana na wakosoaji wengi kama mfano wa imani hii mpya katika hoja ya kisayansi kama njia ya kutoa utaratibu na maana kwa ulimwengu. Lakini kwa sababu sayansi pia ilitishia mifumo ya imani ya zamani, hasa imani za kidini zilizoshikiliwa sana, Sherlock Holmes pia anatoa mfano wa kuimarisha faida ya mwanasayansi kwa jamii. "Hata ingawa Holmes hutumia muda wake mwingi kukusanya habari ambazo zinaweza kuonekana kuwa za kitaaluma au hata za kuchekesha kwa msomaji wa kawaida - kama vile utafiti wa alama za tattoo zilizotajwa katika ""Ligi ya Red-Headed,"" njia zile zile za kufikiri ambazo zinaendeleza masomo haya ya kitaaluma zinathibitika kuwa muhimu kufikia malengo ya haki na utaratibu wa kijamii." Kama vile maendeleo ya mawazo ya kisayansi yalivyoenea ulimwenguni pote, mabadiliko ya kijamii na mitazamo iliyozungumziwa hapo juu haikuwa ya Uingereza pekee. Kuongezeka kwa elimu, ukuaji wa miji, mabadiliko katika muundo wa tabaka, na kuhojiwa kwa mamlaka ya polisi na uwezo wa kawaida wa jamii ya Uingereza kulikuwa na ulinganifu mkubwa hasa katika utamaduni wa Marekani. Hii inaweza kueleza kwa nini Sherlock Holmes haraka akawa kama ukoo na kuvutia kwa wasomaji wa Marekani kama wale katika nchi ambapo adventures yake walikuwa kwanza kuchapishwa.