'The Sign Of The Four'-Contextual Knowledge

Context - 'The Sign Of The Four'

Sherlock Holmes

In 1891, Sherlock Holmes was a character very much of his time and place, who appealed to British readers directly by confronting the changeable, unreliable world they lived in at the time. Rather than dwelling in romance or in a past that's idealistic Holmes was grounded squarely in Victorian London. Sherlock Holmes was a well respected detective as the police were not in good shape at the time, so therefore private detectives, such as Holmes, were widely appreciated and respected in society.

Victorian London

This was a time of growth and optimism for the British Empire. Resources and labour taken from colonies worlkdwide had made England prosper. Due to this, there was serious independence struggles.  Since 1844, the government had struggled with various solutions to the sewage problem. In 1858, the year before Conan Doyle was born, the 'Great Stink', caused by the unfortunate effects of a hot summer on a polluted river, drove thousands out of the city.

Rich

Many women would have a lot of children, and be able to nurture them due to their wealth. If they gave birth to a lot of children, and were poor, their children most likely wouldn't have much of a chance of living past their twelth birthday. They believed in the 'Laisse Faire' attitude that the poor should try to make their lives better, and not rely on the government and them to pay for their rent and work.

Middle Class

They drank tea in comfortable drawing rooms while epidemics of typhoid and cholera ravaged the poor residents of the East…