Goldfinger is part mystery and part adventure. Like most protagonists in mystery stories, Bond owes some of his characterization to Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. Like Holmes, Bond is a student of criminality.

Whereas Holmes focused on criminality in general, Bond focuses on international espionage. Holmes was self-absorbed and shy of women; Bond is gregarious and loves the company of women. In addition, Holmes was a coldly calculating detective. Physically courageous and daring when need be, he had clear objectives in mind when he acted. Bond is exceptionally intelligent and able to figure out the complicated plots of his enemies, but his method of research is often to rush into danger and see what he can stir up.

Critics often compare the James Bond adventures to medieval myths, such as those about knights saving maidens from dragons. They suggest that Bond is a twentieth-century knight errant...