Topic 15: Sherlock Holmes
February 10th, 2023
Justice
Holmes is a “good guy” that solves crimes and helps people (consulting detective)
● Becomes the arbiter of right and wrong … indirect cause of Grimsby-Roylott’s death bt it
doesn’t matter that much to him.
● Malleable character: he becomes judge, jury, and executioner when he sees fit. Doyle
plays with our ideas of retribution.
Watson and Holmes
Chronicler also adds as an audience: we are consistently aligned with Watson (continually awed
by what Holmes can accomplish as a detective).
● Inspired fanfiction: first ones written by Holmesians in 1890s in response to the Final
Problem – Doyle as a sci-fi, historical, genre writer.
The Structural Operation of Stories
How does Dr. Watson help to situate us in these stories?
● Sherlock Holmes is being described from the outside (we see him in the way that Dr.
Watson sees us – his reaction to Holmes also provides a structure for our reactions)
● Watson is always amazed because Holmes is always doing amazing things.
Detective stories often encourage us to pay attention to the wrong things (red herring).
February 13th, 2023
Narrative Pattern: often replicated over and over again.
● Able to determine facts from trivial sources of information: client visits, client leaves,
there’s an escalation, an investigation happens, and then there’s a resolution.
○ All of this happens in a relatively short textual frame.
○ Time frame is very tight!
Holmes’ Deductive Reasoning
Interview with Helen Stoner, or perhaps when Holmes talks about where the objects are?
● Holmes will say things that are vaguely infuriating.
● Makes a big distinction between different forms of perception (to observe something is
not only to view it but to interpret it)
○ Theatrical element to the way that Holmes behaves in front of other people – he
has a flare for the dramatic in his approach to resolving these mysteries.
● The client comes to Holmes, and then Holmes unnerves them but puts them at ease as
they know that they have come to the right place.
February 10th, 2023
Justice
Holmes is a “good guy” that solves crimes and helps people (consulting detective)
● Becomes the arbiter of right and wrong … indirect cause of Grimsby-Roylott’s death bt it
doesn’t matter that much to him.
● Malleable character: he becomes judge, jury, and executioner when he sees fit. Doyle
plays with our ideas of retribution.
Watson and Holmes
Chronicler also adds as an audience: we are consistently aligned with Watson (continually awed
by what Holmes can accomplish as a detective).
● Inspired fanfiction: first ones written by Holmesians in 1890s in response to the Final
Problem – Doyle as a sci-fi, historical, genre writer.
The Structural Operation of Stories
How does Dr. Watson help to situate us in these stories?
● Sherlock Holmes is being described from the outside (we see him in the way that Dr.
Watson sees us – his reaction to Holmes also provides a structure for our reactions)
● Watson is always amazed because Holmes is always doing amazing things.
Detective stories often encourage us to pay attention to the wrong things (red herring).
February 13th, 2023
Narrative Pattern: often replicated over and over again.
● Able to determine facts from trivial sources of information: client visits, client leaves,
there’s an escalation, an investigation happens, and then there’s a resolution.
○ All of this happens in a relatively short textual frame.
○ Time frame is very tight!
Holmes’ Deductive Reasoning
Interview with Helen Stoner, or perhaps when Holmes talks about where the objects are?
● Holmes will say things that are vaguely infuriating.
● Makes a big distinction between different forms of perception (to observe something is
not only to view it but to interpret it)
○ Theatrical element to the way that Holmes behaves in front of other people – he
has a flare for the dramatic in his approach to resolving these mysteries.
● The client comes to Holmes, and then Holmes unnerves them but puts them at ease as
they know that they have come to the right place.
