A Victorian Readership Essays

A Victorian Readership Essays A Victorian Readership Essay A Victorian Readership Essay However, quality of life in London ranged from one extreme to another. Whilst many people were suffering in destitution, others were enjoying every luxury. The rich resided in splendid tall houses surrounded by beautiful gardens, clean streets and a waiting carriage on hand whenever they needed it. A troop of servants kept their houses gleamingly clean, prepared lavish meals and dressed the ladies in their finest jewels and dresses. Their houses were even built where the dirty smog of the poor slums could not be blown towards them. The wealthy ignored and isolated themselves from the disgustingly unjust poverty which shared the same city as them, as this made their lives easier and carefree. Why would they, happy and safe in their beautiful, warm houses, want to think about starving, suffering, disease-ridden citizens? Almost as inadequate as its capacity to deal with poverty, London was also inept at dealing with crime. In 1829 the very first London police force was established and they were still much undeveloped a few decades later, when Conan Doyle was writing his stories about Sherlock Holmes. Their emphasis was on prevention rather than detection, which meant that their main method was simply the presence of numerous policemen on the streets in the hope that this would deter any criminals from taking action. What made Doyles stories unique and exciting for the Victorians was the fact that Holmes was a detective he solved crimes after they had happened. The Victorian police force did make an attempt at crime detection but it had little impact. In 1842 a Detective Department was set up, but it consisted of only two inspectors and six sergeants. Furthermore, detectives were seen with a negative view. Very little value was placed on their work; it was considered to be very un-British and sly. This may seem an ignorant view, but it was understandable. Religion was a very important part of Victorian society, and most branches of Christianity taught the values of an individuals responsibility to society. Children were brought up to have a clear conscience and be perfectly behaved, therefore preventing any crime in the first place. Only if society was failing and crime was being committed would a detective department be needed, and therefore Victorians saw the department as a reminder of that failure. The CID (Criminal Investigation Department) was established in 1878 and it contained 200 officers. In 1888 the serial killer Jack the Ripper hit London, murdering five East End prostitutes. This led to an increase in the number of detectives to 200. The police force failed to ever catch Jack the Ripper, and Victorian society became accustomed to un-solved and un-prevented crimes. It was the weakness of their own police force that caused Victorians to love Sherlock Holmes. He solved every crime, provided justice and restored order. He was what the police force couldnt be but what they should be, and so he became a character Victorians cherished. The reassuring, formulaic routine and unique character Conan Doyle created established the convention of the crime fiction genre, as his stories were so popular.