Arthur Conon Doyle's Scandal In Bohemia

City in most urban gothics tend to be a labyrinth of mystery, a source of corruption and evil. The role that the city plays in creating evil is not limited to the labyrinthic nature of the city which protects the crimes of antagonists and villains. The creation of evil and is association with the city is also influenced by the early Victorian perception of the city and the crimes that occurred in the city. Irene Adler the primary antagonist and villain, in the Arthur Conon Doyle’s “Scandal in Bohemia” (1891), outwits Sherlock Holmes – One of the greatest detectives and brilliant minds in literature to date. The nature in which if she operates, is helped by the nature of the city which encourages, promotes and even hide the criminality and violence.
Scandal in Bohemia is mostly set within the backdrop of London much similar to many urban gothic Fictions.
But the question rises why London has been the centre for mystery in many of these gothic fictions. The answer lies in the mindset of an era clouded by construction, smoke and novelty – the Victorian era. London is even to date, a world within its own and during the Victorian era, London was a source of major construction and a source continuous development of certain areas and industries. New development and affluent buildings went hand in hand with the overcrowded slums of London where the worst living conditions possible manifested within themselves. The Golden age of steam and coal mining also spelled the beginning of pollution which in turn led to a number of social costs. Dehumanisation of work, child labour even at tender ages of 3 and four, to extreme pollution and disease were all costs of the industrial revolution that took over London in the late 19th century. Though the conditions worsened for some, and the middle class grew, the well-off including some in middle class society was ignorant of the suffering in the slums. Thus the London population was not of distinct class and these societal differences brought fourth fear of those of other classes. Another possible explanation for the fear of cities in the Victorian mind especially of London would be the dramatic increase in crime that took over the cities. The pollution in London created thick fogs that
made crime possible even during the daylight hours, and the unlit corridors and streets were notorious for its crimes. Jack the ripper was thought to have murdered women, prostitutes in dark alleys and to have gone unnoticed, by part due to the fog covering London, and by part due to the bad lighting. The sense fear created by theses violent crimes and by the different societal interactions made cities strange and a threat, a hunting ground for crime in the Victorian society. Thus lead to the belief that the cities were inherent sources evil.