Презентация "Биография Конан Дойла"

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Hello, everyone! Today we will talk about the famous British writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Famous the world over as the creator of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh in 1859 to an Irish family.

Unfortunately, Arthur's father was an alcoholic and mentally unbalanced. Father’s behavior caused the family much unhappiness. But Arthur’s mother, on the contrary, became a source of inspiration to him. Arthur probably got the ability to tell stories from her.

Thanks to the generosity of his wealthy uncles, Doyle was sent to England at the age of nine to study. He then went to Stonyhurst College until 1875. While Arthur was not unhappy there, he didn’t have many pleasant memories because of medieval principles and punishments. But at the same time, he discovered the narrator’s talent at college. He was able to gather peers who listened to his fictional stories.

From 1876 to 1881, Doyle studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh Medical School. There he also started writing stories, which were published in some journals. He was a bright student, but adventurous, and it led him to accept a contract as a ship's doctor in 1880. Later he wrote that the voyage contributed to his maturity. Returning home, he completed his medical studies in 1881.

Telling stories had always been a part of his life, but the creation of a fictional detective called Sherlock Holmes turned Conan Doyle into a popular writer. It is believed that he based Holmes' character on one of his university tutors, Dr Joseph Bell, whom he regarded with respect and admiration for his logic and power of deduction.

His first work featuring Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson ‘A study in Scarlet’ was written in three weeks when Arthur was 27. The story was so well received that Doyle was encouraged to write more. The popularity of stories about Sherlock Holmes was growing which made Doyle one of the best-paid authors of his time.

However, Doyle's attitude towards his most famous creation was ambivalent. And in 1893 he killed off his hero in order to concentrate on writing what he saw as more serious work. Public outcry, however, led to bring the character back in 1901 in the novel ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’.

Along with stories about Sherlock Holmes, Doyle wrote some historical novels, which he and many critics regarded as his best work.

cause – причинять                                                contribute – способствовать

source – источник                                                 maturity – зрелость

inspiration – вдохновение                                  regard – считать, рассматривать

generosity – щедрость                                        featuring – с участием

medieval – средневековый                                encourage – поощрять

narrator – рассказчик                                          attitude – отношение

peer – сверстник                                                   ambivalent – противоречивый

adventurous – смелый, авантюрный              outcry – протест

Questions:

1)    Where did Arthur discover the narrator’s talent? (Possible answer: He discovered the narrator’s talent at college.)

2)    What was Arthur’s job during the voyage in 1880? (Possible answer: He was a ship’s doctor.)

3)    What work turned Conan Doyle into a popular writer? (Possible answer: A fictional detective called Sherlock Holmes turned him into a popular writer.)

4)    Why Doyle’s attitude towards Sherlock Holmes was ambivalent? (Possible answer: Because the author wanted to concentrate on writing of more serious work.)

5)    What works did Arthur and many critics regard his best creations? (Possible answers: They are Arthur’s historical novels.)

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