"On 30 August 1889 at a dinner party in the Langham Hotel given by Joseph M. Stoddart (1845-1921), managing editor of Lippincott's Magazine (Philadelphia), Arthur Conan Doyle met Oscar Wilde. At this legendary meeting, both men came away, promising to submit stories to the publication. There is really no record of what was discussed. Wilde went on to pen a salacious, and controversial tale in the Faustian tradition of a man who trades his soul for immortality, and Doyle of course, wrote The Sign of Four.
On the surface, the narrative of SIGN is pretty straight-forward. A young woman comes to Holmes for help, about the disappearance of her father and the appearance of mysterious jewels. Watson steps up, as usual, to assist Holmes with the case, facing off in the story with thieves and murderers. Pretty standard Doyle. But beneath the surface, lies romance, desperation, revenge and intense heartbreak. Woven into the narrative of The Sign of Four is also a Faustian tale. There is a very rich thread of Subtext and References mixed throughout that speaks not just to the epic play, but also the writer, Johann Von Goethe, and his experiences. There are direct quotes, parallels of the narration, direct tie-ins through other pieces of Literature. Even the clouds are in on it.
It is my theory that Arthur Conan Doyle made use of the epic in SIGN, as a homage to Goethe, a possible signal to Wilde (maybe an in-joke or Literary nod? Perhaps a challenge) plus other writers that he admired, also, perhaps to really imprint upon those who wish to see, the underlying story between Watson & Holmes. To help with context, I have included excerpts from Nekomuse, who does excellent work at stripping away the overlaying narrative, and bring better focus to the dialogue between Holmes & Watson. Hennessey's book focuses on some of Arthur Conan Doyle's supposed philosophical and literary influences. I attempt to take a closer look at what he has found and see how well it fit's with my own research. I hope the reader will find much to enjoy in this work."
An excerpt from Aurora's Feather: The Queer Decoding of The Sign Of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
