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On thursday 10 august 1893, [[Arthur Conan Doyle]] gave a lecture "Fiction as part of Literature" at the Old Catholic Church, Lucerne (Switzerland). He then toured the lecture all around UK from 4 october to 16 december 1893, starting at the ''Upper Norwood Literary and Scientific Society'' (UNLSS) meeting held at Norwood. The lecture was mainly known as "Facts about Fiction"<br />
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== Tour dates & locations ==<br />
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* 10.08.1893 : ''Fiction as Part of Literature'', at Christ Church (Lucerne, Switzerland)<br />
* 04.10.1893 : ''Some Facts about Fiction'', at Upper Norwood Literary and Scientific Society (Norwood, UK).<br />
* 06.10.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Sale Public Hall (Manchester, UK).<br />
* 17.10.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at St. James Hall (Kingston, UK).<br />
* 29.10.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Picton Lecture Hall (Liverpool, UK).<br />
* 02.11.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Story Institute Lecture Society (Lancaster, UK).<br />
* 07.11.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Harborne and Edgbaston Institute (Birmingham, UK). <br />
* 08.11.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Walsall Literary Institute (Walsall, Birmingham, UK). <ref>Advertised in ''The Walsall Observer'' (23 september 1893). No report found yet.</ref><br />
* 14.11.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Bradford Mechanics' Institute (Bradford, UK).<br />
* 15.11.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Albert Hall (Leeds, UK).<br />
* 16.11.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Cleveland Literary and Philosophical Society (Middlesbrough, UK).<br />
* 17.11.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Music Hall, Surrey Street (Sheffield, UK).<br />
* 23.11.1893 : ''<s>Facts about Fiction</s>'' <ref>Advertised as "Facts about Fiction", but in fact it was for the George Meredith lecture. Error reported and explained by Conan Doyle in The Scotsman [[Dr. Conan Doyle in Glasgow|here]].</ref>, at Caledonia Road U.P. Church (Glasgow, UK). <br />
* 24.11.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Kinnaird Hall (Dundee, UK).<br />
* 26.11.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Tyneside Sunday Lecture Society (Newcastle, UK).<br />
* 28.11.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Queen's Park U.P. Church (Glasgow, UK).<br />
* 29.11.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Music Hall (Inverness, UK).<br />
* 01.12.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Watt Museum Hall (Greenock, UK).<br />
* 03.12.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Coliseum Theatre (Leeds, UK).<br />
* 04.12.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Mechanics' Hall (Nottingham, UK).<br />
* 06.12.1893 : ''Facts about Fiction'', at Victoria Rooms (Bristol, UK).<br />
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== Conan Doyle's lecture ==<br />
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Conan Doyle asserted that literature was Britain's lasting glory, outliving the work of statesmen and soldiers. While Hardy and Meredith were talented, they had not captivated the public like earlier writers. He argued that fiction had improved, becoming more cosmopolitan, with writers like Kipling, Stevenson, and Haggard bringing diverse cultural influences into literature. He gave special praise to Robert Louis Stevenson, highlighting his mastery of both novels and short stories, and his precise word choice. He also commended Olive Schreiner and J. M. Barrie, calling Barrie's style as valuable to Scotland as Robert Burns' poetry. Quiller-Couch ("Q") was noted for his confidence, while Kipling, though flawed in style and self-criticism, was a powerful literary and political force, bringing India closer to England. He concluded by emphasizing the moral power of literature, arguing that it shapes thoughts and actions, making novelists the philanthropists of literature with the noble mission of alleviating human suffering.<br />
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== Reports ==<br />
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'''Lucerne'''<br />
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* [[Fiction and Literature. Dr. Conan Doyle at Lucerne]] (12 august 1893, [[The Daily Chronicle]])<br />
* [[Dr. Conan Doyle on Fiction]] (18 august 1893, [[The Cork Constitution]])<br />
* [[Recent Fiction]] (27 august 1893, [[New-York Tribune]])<br />
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'''Norwood'''<br />
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* [[Reviews and Reflections]] (7 october 1893, [[Hampshire Telegraph and Sussex Chronicle]])<br />
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'''Manchester'''<br />
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* [[Dr. Conan Doyle at Sale]] (11 october 1893, [[The Northwich Guardian]])<br />
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'''Kingston'''<br />
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* [[Dr. Conan Doyle's "Facts about Fiction"]] (21 october 1893, [[The Surrey Comet]])<br />
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'''Liverpool'''<br />
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* [[Liverpool Sunday Society (report 30 october 1893)|Liverpool Sunday Society]] (30 october 1893, [[Liverpool Mercury]])<br />
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'''Lancaster'''<br />
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* [[Facts about Fiction (report 3 november 1893)|Facts about Fiction]] (3 november 1893, [[Lancaster Standard]])<br />
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'''Birmingham'''<br />
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* [[Dr. Conan Doyle on Fiction of the Day]] (8 november 1893, [[Manchester Evening News]])<br />
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'''Bradford'''<br />
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* [[Dr. Conan Doyle on Modern Novelists]] (15 november 1893, [[The Bradford Daily Telegraph]])<br />
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'''Leeds'''<br />
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* [[Visit of Dr. Conan Doyle to Leeds]] (16 november 1893, [[The Leeds Mercury]])<br />
* [[Lecture by Dr. A. Conan Doyle (article 18 november 1893)|Lecture by Dr. A. Conan Doyle]] (18 november 1893, [[The Leeds Times]])<br />
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'''Middlesborough'''<br />
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* [[A Novelist's Views on Fiction]] (17 november 1893, [[North-Eastern Daily Gazette]])<br />
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'''Sheffield'''<br />
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* [[Dr. Conan Doyle's Lecture]] (18 november 1893, [[The Sheffield Daily Telegraph]])<br />
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'''Dundee'''<br />
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* [[Dr. Conan Doyle on Fiction (report 25 november 1893)|Dr. Conan Doyle on Fiction]] (25 november 1893, [[The Evening Telegraph (Dundee)]])<br />
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'''Newcastle'''<br />
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* [[Sunday Lecture (report 27 november 1893)|Sunday Lecture]] (27 november 1893, [[The Evening Chronicle (Newcastle)]])<br />
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'''Glasgow'''<br />
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* [[Dr. Conan Doyle in Glasgow (article 29 november 1893)|Dr. Conan Doyle in Glasgow]] (29 november 1893, [[Scottish Leader]])<br />
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'''Inverness'''<br />
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* [[Dr Conan Doyle as a Lecturer (report 1 december 1893)|Dr. Conan Doyle as a Lecturer]] (1 december 1893, [[The Inverness Courier]])<br />
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'''Greenock'''<br />
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* [[Facts about Fiction (report 2 december 1893)|Report]] (2 december 1893, [[The Greenock Telegraph]])<br />
* [[Philosophical Society (report 2 december 1893)|Philosophical Society]] (2 december 1893, [[North British Daily Mail]])<br />
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'''Leeds'''<br />
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* [[Yorkshire Echoes (report 4 december 1893)|Yorkshire Echoes]] (4 december 1893, [[The Yorkshire Post|The Yorkshire Evening Post]])<br />
* [[Facts about Fiction (report 4 december 1893)|Facts about Fiction]] (4 december 1893, [[The Leeds Mercury]])<br />
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'''Nottingham'''<br />
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* [[Facts About Fiction (report 9 december 1893)|Facts About Fiction]] (9 december 1893, [[The Nottinghamshire Guardian]])<br />
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'''Bristol'''<br />
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* [[Dr. Conan Doyle on "Fiction"]] (7 december 1893, [[The Western Daily Press]])<br />
* [[Dr. Conan Doyle in Bristol]] (7 december 1893, [[The Bristol Mercury]])<br />
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== See also ==<br />
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* [[Facts about Fiction (1894)|Facts about Fiction]] in 1894 in USA.<br />
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<references /><br />
----<br />
* [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:Complete Works#Lectures|Back to Lectures]]<br />
* [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle:Complete Works|Back to Complete Works]]<br />
* [[Sir Arthur Conan Doyle|Back to Conan Doyle]]</div>TCDE-Team