The Inner Room: Editorial (ACD Journal vol. 4)
The Inner Room: Editorial [Vol. 4] is an article written by Christopher Roden published in the A.C.D. - The Journal of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society (Vol. 4, 1993).
This editorial reflects on the Arthur Conan Doyle Society's successes in 1993 while arguing that Conan Doyle must be recognized as a major author in his own right, not reduced to Sherlock Holmes's "literary agent." It also introduces the journal's contents and urges both Doyleans and Sherlockians to value the wider range of Conan Doyle's writings beyond the Holmes stories.
Editorial
1993 has been an interesting and successful year from the viewpoint of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society. In March, we held our first Convention in Edinburgh, and that was a great success. September saw the publication of The Oxford Sherlock Holmes, all four editors of which had connections with the Society. And in October we were heavily involved in the Sherlock Holmes postage stamps issue, offering two special first day covers with our own postal franking. In addition, the response from members during the year has only fired our enthusiasm and served to confirm our belief that the Society is on the right track.
There is always a temptation to look back to see what was happening in ACD's life one hundred years ago. For him, 1893 was a year of mixed fortunes. He had three books published: The Refugees, the combined book edition of The Great Shadow and Beyond the City and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes. 'The Green Flag' appeared in Pall Mall Magazine in June, 'The Slapping Sal' in The Vagabond's Annual in August, and 'The Case of Lady Sannox' in Idler in November. Jane Annie, the musical-comedy co-written with J. M. Barrie, failed in October. October also saw the death of ACD's father Charles Altamont Doyle. And the December issue of The Strand Magazine saw ACD killing off Sherlock Holmes.
Sherlock Holmes, of course, has a tendency to overshadow everything else that ACD wrote or did during his lifetime. Partly this is because Holmes is such an enduring character; but it is also because, through the various Sherlockian societies, such a large following has developed, and so much has been written about Sherlock Holmes, that there is a tendency to overlook the fact that Holmes is a fictional character created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Mischievously, but damagingly, it was once suggested that ACD merely acted as the Literary Agent for Dr John H. Watson, who actually wrote the stories. From that small acorn has a huge oak tree grown: a tree of learned papers and detailed chronologies. It is those chronologies which help to highlight the chief difference between Sherlockians (or Holmesians as the followers of Sherlock Holmes in Britain prefer to be known) and Doyleans. 1893 was the year in which Sherlock Holmes 'disappeared', although ACD set the events of his fictitious disappearance in 1891. 1994 will see Sherlockians celebrating Holmes's return from his 'great hiatus', an event which, in reality, was not reported until The Adventure of the Empty House' appeared in The Strand Magazine in October 1903. Does it really matter? No, it does not really matter. Sherlockians will gain much enjoyment looking at things in their own way. Similarly, Doyleans will gain similar enjoyment from the knowledge that ACD wrote a superlative collection of stories when he created the Holmes canon. Doyleans will also realise, however, that he wrote much more besides, much of it of an equal standard to the Holmes stories. What really matters is that ACD is given the credit for Holmes: that his creative genius is recognised, and that he is no longer done the dis-service of being fobbed off as the mere 'Literary Agent'.
Such an ambition was behind The Oxford Sherlock Holmes, a series which has, I believe, succeeded in establishing the Holmes canon as a fine body of English Literature, and Conan Doyle as the fine author that he was. So it is that our two groups become as one: Doyleans have much to give to Sherlockians, just as Sherlockians have much to contribute to our own studies. If there is a feeling that the two groups are opposed, it is misplaced. Doyleans certainly share the interest of Sherlockians; it is to be hoped that, in time, Sherlockians will come to recognise the wider world of ACD: many of them already do so.
Some of the events of 1893 will receive attention from speakers at the Toronto Convention in April 1994, but stories like 'The Green Flag' and 'The Case of Lady Sannox', about which little has been written, emphasise the vast treasure of literature which awaits the attentions of our membership. They also highlight the potential for future contributions. The Toronto Convention will be a fitting fifth birthday celebration for the Society, as also will be the unveiling of the plaque at Devonshire Place, which the Society is sponsoring. That plaque will make reference to 'Arthur Conan Doyle - Author'. Any reference to Sherlock Holmes has been deliberately avoided, as it is my belief that now is the time for the world to recognise that Sherlock Holmes is not the be-all and end-all of Conan Doyle's work. I sincerely hope that members will agree that the wording has been chosen correctly.
And so, to the contents of this Journal. In this issue we reprint a poem and a historical article by ACD, both of which have only previously appeared in newspapers. We have articles looking at ACD's ski-ing exploits, spiritualistic activities, visits to America and his associations with other great men of his time. There are also a couple of important Sherlockian items which prove, once again, how far ahead of the field Conan Doyle's thinking really was. Most important of all, perhaps, this is the first time that we have been able to take a close look at the unpublished play Angels of Darkness. Michael Homer, in his winning entry in The David Kirby Memorial Essay Competition, and Cameron Hollyer take the opportunity to consider the play from widely differing viewpoints.
The future looks good. We are certainly encouraged by the growing interest in the Society and by awareness of ACD himself.
Christopher Roden
- Article courtesy Christopher Roden, founder of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society (1989-2003).
