Vit Babenco's Reviews > A Study in Scarlet

When I read A Study in Scarlet first time I was very young and the tale seemed to be wonderfully mysterious…

I consider that a man’s brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it. Now the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic. He will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order.

I appear to be this sort of a fool – I drag to my attic everything that is within my reach and even beyond… And this makes me quite happy…

The proper study of mankind is man.

That’s the formula of Arthur Conan Doyle’s universal success.
Of course, now I see that A Study in Scarlet is rather short in plausibility so its main power lies in the charismatic nature of its two – now legendary – heroes: Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. Thanks to them, the story managed to carry its charms all the way through the years.
Charisma is a weapon that wins over everyone.