I enjoyed reading the stories much more than I thought I would, especially A Scandal in Bohemia. I found the stories reminiscent of TV police procedurals, much like the show Lie to Me. In Lie to Me the main character was a man who was trained to figure out if someone was lying, just by looking at a person’s facial movements, just like Holmes.
At first, I was not sure if I liked Holmes. In Lie to Me, the main character, while often knowing much more than the other characters, is a dad which I think makes his character more likable. Holmes is by himself for the most part, which is why at the beginning he came across not so much as a know it all, but very matter of fact and cold. Towards the end of A Scandal in Bohemia, I began to like him more as a character, after getting to know him a bit better.
Of the many interesting conversations Watson and Holmes have, I have to say that the most interesting to me, was when Watson learns that Holmes did not know that the earth revolved around the sun and not the other way around. His explanation that the info was not important to him really exemplifies his character, in that he takes in the information that is only pertinent to his work. It made me begin to think about just how much information we take in and how much of it we actually end up using. Although, l do think it is a bit ridiculous for Holmes to suggest that the brain has a finite amount of space in it.
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| Watson trying to process what Holmes says |
In a Scandal in Bohemia, I really enjoyed the character of Irene. At first, I thought that she was just going to be another person that Holmes could outsmart. The best part of the story came at the end when Holmes was so sure that he had outsmarted her, but instead received her letter and realized he had not. I find it interesting that Holmes was not super angry that he had been wrong. I think part of it was that he kind of found it attractive that she was essentially on his level, that she beat him at his own game. Maybe Holmes had just been getting tired of always being smarter and found the situation to be refreshing.
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| What Irene basically wrote in her letter |
I also enjoyed that Irene turned out to be as clever as Holmes himself. During their initial encounters in the story, she gave no obvious indication that she was such an intelligent person, seeming at first to just be a rather ordinary woman, which to me, just makes her seem all the more intelligent- whereas Holmes has a great tendency to flaunt his smarts like he's the greatest, Irene doesn't seem to do that- or at least, until she's confident that she's already won, as indicated by the note she left for Sherlock and crew. I loved that.
ReplyDeleteKayla,
ReplyDeleteI have to tell you 95% of the reason I chose your post to respond to was because of your great use of memes. They are funny, especially the futurama one. Some times thats how I felt when reading our last text, Romeo and Juliet.
I have never seen the show Lie to Me; is it a good show? I will surely check it out if it is similar to these stories.
I also really enjoyed the conversation between Watson and Holmes regarding the earth's rotation. It is part of what makes the stories quirky. I have never read any of the Sherlock Holmes stories before this, but was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed them. I think I did because they do have a quirkiness to them, and I like how Holmes was out-smarted. I also liked how they are short stories rather than novels, it keeps the speed in the plot going. I have never read any mystery type literature before, and because of these two stories I think I will read more.
Great Post Kayla!
A lot of the super-smart and (more than slightly) awkward characters in detective shows are based off of Sherlock Holmes. I used to be very into Bones, and Dr. Temperance Brennan and her partner Agent Seeley Booth were ABSOLUTELY written in conversation with Holmes and Watson. It's always fun to see where our favorite shows draw their inspiration.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most disappointing things about so many adaptations of Holmes stories is that writers often play down Irene's intelligence (especially in the BBC's Sherlock version, "A Scandal In Belgravia"). It's sad when the Victorian author of the source material can write more complex women that contemporary writers.
I like the idea that Sherlock is happy to have finally found someone smarter than him, but I wonder if there is more to it. Moriarty is supposed to be just as smart, if not smarter than Sherlock, but he doesn't get the same admiration (yes, I know he's evil, blah blah). Irene wasn't exactly on the side of justice either though. I don't want to make this a gender issue, or to assume Sherlock is heterosexual, but I think Sherlock's admiration for Irene is not only intellectual but sexual. Maybe it's just me.
ReplyDeleteDiscuss.
So, not going to lie, I actually love cocky Sherlock. It's rare to find someone who has such an inflated ego, but actually has a reason for it. It's possible that I also feel this way because Benedict Cumberbatch portrayed an amazing Sherlock, in my opinion and now I'm biased. Although it wouldn't make too much sense since I also loved how Martin Freeman played Watson, but I actually dislike this Watson (too much a yes-man).
ReplyDeleteIrene is spectacular, isn't she? Just absolutely amazing. Completely played Sherlock, and then subtly gloated about it. She sends him a letter spelling out what she did and what she knew, but didn't stick around to see his reaction. I think that in of itself speaks volumes about her. She needs to let this incredibly cocky man know he ain't got shit on her, but doesn't need confirmation. I think that in of itself possibly humiliated Sherlock even more, as Sherlock is someone who needs other people to know that he's amazing and needs to see their face when they admit it.