The Maze, the Fog, the Mass, the Dog : Sherlock Holmes in London

Abstract

The article revolves around the concept of the late-Victorian London as an accomplice in crime. Employing a number of literary examples but mostly concentrating on Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, the text investigates specific techniques the metropolis uses in order to aid criminals and hinder the work of law-enforcement officers. The labyrinthine structure of the city, its ability to envelop itself in impenetrable yellow fog, and its vast population make the late nineteenth-century London a haven for wrongdoers. The final part of the article presents arguments in favour of the claim that only Sherlock Holmes is capable of leading a successful career of a private investigator in such a crime-aiding city. This is made possible not just because of his extraordinary observational skills, but also due to the fact that the detective, as presented in the stories, possesses a number of unique canine features which make him immune to London’s tricks.