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blamebramptonI know I am not the only person on my flist who is re-reading Holmes now. Conan Doyle was a great favourite of my youth, but I seem to have forgotten a great deal of detail. Probably because my youth was some time ago. This time I am reading the books in order of writing, which is definitely to be recommended! You notice more things that way ...
* There are MANY more jokes than I had recalled, including slapstick. And the character surprises, such as McMurdo revealing Holmes's boxing prowess, are handled more deftly than I had recalled.
* Watson is by far the gayer of the two. In A Study in Scarlet, he is rescued in Afghanistan through 'the courage and devotion shown by Murray, my orderly, who threw me across a packhorse and succeeded in bringing me safely to the British lines.' while in The Man With the Twisted Lip, he can identify a gown of mousseline-de-soie. Let us not speak of his obsession with Holmes.
* Conan Doyle is a cheerful rebooter. Not only does Watson's Afghanistan wound migrate from his shoulder to his leg, but, in A Study in Scarlet, he describes Holmes as completely ignorant of literature and feeble at politics, and says: 'On these occasions I have noticed such a dreamy, vacant expression in his eyes that I might have suspected him of being addicted to the use of some narcotic, had not the temperance and cleanliness of his whole life forbidden such a notion.' The very next story, The Sign of Four, opens with Holmes injecting cocaine, and it is implied morphine is also used when he feels like it. A few pages later, the great detective quotes Goethe (not for the only time), and in The Red-Headed League, he quotes Flaubert writing to George Sand. He is also able to recognise the King of Bohemia on first sight, and can tell you how sundry political intrigues inter-relate, though he won't, in A Scandal in Bohemia.
* Conan Doyle loves the narrative possibilities presented by the Colonies, or, just as likely, is keenly aware of the publishing markets available in each. They receive intriguing representation, though. The Subcontinent is a place of Deep Mysteries, from whence come both deeply honourable men and scoundrels of the darkest nature. Sikhs can be trusted to abide by their word, but the white man can go very bad in the hot climates. America is far, far worse, though. While the good men and women of the United States are thoroughly decent, they are surrounded by the blackest of criminal conspiracies, all motivated by money, be they religious in nature (the Mormons in A Study in Scarlet), or from a secret society (the KKK in The Five Orange Pips -- and I recall at least one other where there is a criminal gang arrayed against A Noble Hero, but have not re-read it yet). Australians are either plucky and resourceful, or else dreadful casual criminals, and New Zealanders have invariably made their fortune. I wonder at his peer group, and would love to know if he had types for some of these.
* Both Conan Doyle and Holmes are less sexist than I recall. Women are written as being more reliable, less emotional and more sensible than men on the whole. While Holmes makes a few patronising decisions, such as not revealing to a woman that her missing 'fiance' is in fact her devious stepfather, he is far more patronising to members of the police force, and for less kind reasons. On the whole, women -- and not just Irene Adler (BTW, those of you who have read A Scandal in Bohemia, do you think 'the late' means no longer Adler, or that she has died by the time the story is written?) -- come out well in the Holmes stories so far.
I am now wishing I had made notes as I read through, because more things occurred to me at the time, only to be forgotten. Still, I am less than a sixth of my way through all the stories, so I am sure I shall blather on more at a later point. If you've not had the joy, I thoroughly recommend him.
* There are MANY more jokes than I had recalled, including slapstick. And the character surprises, such as McMurdo revealing Holmes's boxing prowess, are handled more deftly than I had recalled.
* Watson is by far the gayer of the two. In A Study in Scarlet, he is rescued in Afghanistan through 'the courage and devotion shown by Murray, my orderly, who threw me across a packhorse and succeeded in bringing me safely to the British lines.' while in The Man With the Twisted Lip, he can identify a gown of mousseline-de-soie. Let us not speak of his obsession with Holmes.
* Conan Doyle is a cheerful rebooter. Not only does Watson's Afghanistan wound migrate from his shoulder to his leg, but, in A Study in Scarlet, he describes Holmes as completely ignorant of literature and feeble at politics, and says: 'On these occasions I have noticed such a dreamy, vacant expression in his eyes that I might have suspected him of being addicted to the use of some narcotic, had not the temperance and cleanliness of his whole life forbidden such a notion.' The very next story, The Sign of Four, opens with Holmes injecting cocaine, and it is implied morphine is also used when he feels like it. A few pages later, the great detective quotes Goethe (not for the only time), and in The Red-Headed League, he quotes Flaubert writing to George Sand. He is also able to recognise the King of Bohemia on first sight, and can tell you how sundry political intrigues inter-relate, though he won't, in A Scandal in Bohemia.
* Conan Doyle loves the narrative possibilities presented by the Colonies, or, just as likely, is keenly aware of the publishing markets available in each. They receive intriguing representation, though. The Subcontinent is a place of Deep Mysteries, from whence come both deeply honourable men and scoundrels of the darkest nature. Sikhs can be trusted to abide by their word, but the white man can go very bad in the hot climates. America is far, far worse, though. While the good men and women of the United States are thoroughly decent, they are surrounded by the blackest of criminal conspiracies, all motivated by money, be they religious in nature (the Mormons in A Study in Scarlet), or from a secret society (the KKK in The Five Orange Pips -- and I recall at least one other where there is a criminal gang arrayed against A Noble Hero, but have not re-read it yet). Australians are either plucky and resourceful, or else dreadful casual criminals, and New Zealanders have invariably made their fortune. I wonder at his peer group, and would love to know if he had types for some of these.
* Both Conan Doyle and Holmes are less sexist than I recall. Women are written as being more reliable, less emotional and more sensible than men on the whole. While Holmes makes a few patronising decisions, such as not revealing to a woman that her missing 'fiance' is in fact her devious stepfather, he is far more patronising to members of the police force, and for less kind reasons. On the whole, women -- and not just Irene Adler (BTW, those of you who have read A Scandal in Bohemia, do you think 'the late' means no longer Adler, or that she has died by the time the story is written?) -- come out well in the Holmes stories so far.
I am now wishing I had made notes as I read through, because more things occurred to me at the time, only to be forgotten. Still, I am less than a sixth of my way through all the stories, so I am sure I shall blather on more at a later point. If you've not had the joy, I thoroughly recommend him.
