The first Sherlock Holmes story, " A study in scarlet" came out in the 1880's. To this day the character remains undying. Jeremy Brett's potrayal of the Detective is peerless. Indeed Brett's other sterling work in theatre, television and cinema are largely ignored. The interesting bit about Holmes is that it consumed both his creator and his potrayer. Both were spectacularly successful when it came to their intersection with the character. Both were desperate to escape the clutches of this very success.
Holmes' aloofness, addiction to cocaine, and misogynity was a stroke of genius by Doyle.
Would Holmes have been as seductive if he was a married man, or spoke nineteen-to-the-dozen, or (god forbid!) Gay. (Yes, yes. I know he was chummy with Watson but....). Or what if he was a vegan and cared about his chakras. A politically correct Holmes.
The unattainable, the mysterious, the square peg seems to be of universal interest. That is quite surprising given that society, in general, is quite unforgiving to those living on the fringes. Racism, casteism, homophobia etc. demonstrate our desire to form groups, fit in and shun outsiders. A romantic explanation asserting the inherently unexplainable human nature is usually tossed here. "Yas. Y'see Gawd almighty works in mysterious ways. Ours not to reason why".
But a biological explanation has its merits. Sure, retain the romantic notions. But retain the possibility that man is an animal. Temper thy deeds with this amalgamation.
Perhaps Tennyson said it best:
Who trusted God was love indeed
And love Creation's final law --
Tho' Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shrieked against his creed
Holmes' aloofness, addiction to cocaine, and misogynity was a stroke of genius by Doyle.
Would Holmes have been as seductive if he was a married man, or spoke nineteen-to-the-dozen, or (god forbid!) Gay. (Yes, yes. I know he was chummy with Watson but....). Or what if he was a vegan and cared about his chakras. A politically correct Holmes.
The unattainable, the mysterious, the square peg seems to be of universal interest. That is quite surprising given that society, in general, is quite unforgiving to those living on the fringes. Racism, casteism, homophobia etc. demonstrate our desire to form groups, fit in and shun outsiders. A romantic explanation asserting the inherently unexplainable human nature is usually tossed here. "Yas. Y'see Gawd almighty works in mysterious ways. Ours not to reason why".
But a biological explanation has its merits. Sure, retain the romantic notions. But retain the possibility that man is an animal. Temper thy deeds with this amalgamation.
Perhaps Tennyson said it best:
Who trusted God was love indeed
And love Creation's final law --
Tho' Nature, red in tooth and claw
With ravine, shrieked against his creed
1 comment:
The phrase was an attempt at narrow mindedness!
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