Who is the arch-nemesis of Sherlock Holmes? If you've even had the slightest interest in detective fiction, then I'm sure you know the answer is Professor James Moriarty. Moriarty is the brains behind the villainy in all of London ... or is he? Would it surprise you to discover that Professor Moriarty only appears in two Sherlock Holmes stories? In written order, he appears for the very first time in the final story where he and Sherlock tumble down the Reichenbach Falls to their apparent demise. Moriarty appears once more in a story which is set prior to the other, but is only being interviewed by the police. Incredible, isn't it? Sherlock does mention Moriarty in five other stories. Arguably the most famous arch-nemesis of any fictional story is barely present!
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| Professor Moriarty, illustration by Sidney Paget, which accompanied the original publication of "The Final Problem" |
I believe the reason is because once the audience learns about Moriarty, we seek and find his presence in a lot of Sherlock Holmes adventures. His characterization is laser sharp, absolutely believable, and it's obvious he's a match for the great detective. As an audience, we want to be as smart as Sherlock, so we look for patterns and try to jump ahead of the narrative. The very fact that we do this demonstrates how powerful the character of Moriarty is to us. It's like what Alfred Hitchcock said, "There is no terror in the bang, only the anticipation of it.” Moriarty is the anticipation of trouble.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle absolutely knew what he was doing when he set Moriarty inside only a handful of stories. He knew the audience would immediately look for connections, and by doing so increase the power of the villain. It's an incredible trick to pull off. Whenever an author can get the audience to the heavy lifting, then the story will be all the better for it. It's well worth a study, and even more the stories are fantastic adventures!
- M
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