Posted on 05/22/2009 12:26:24 PM PDT by Borges
BUMP
Elementary, my dear Borges. Thanks for this, I had no idea and it’s always nice to remember this bard.
Holmes to Watson - “It is quite a three pipe problem.” Watson to Holmes - “What ineffable twaddle.” Sublime! Let’s tip a glass to Doyle. His Holmes is immortal.
The old time radio station I listen to frequently plays Sherlock Holmes radio shows. Some have the great Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, some have other players, but they are all great fun and wonderful to listen to late at night.
Children still read? you could have fooled me judging by my stepkids!!!
-PJ
“For the me, there remains the cocaine bottle...”
Holmes was an IV cocaine user during virtually all of the time associated with the stories. Such a habit perhaps explains his vigor in pursuit of his many cases, and his lethargy in between.
Doyle, especially in his later life, was an utter sucker for the spiritualist and occultic frauds of his time. Quite interesting for the creator of the super-rationalist Holmes.
On my way to use the bathroom over the course of the evening, I took a quick peek into his bedroom and noticed the familiar book on his nightstand. It was identical to the book that at that very moment currently resided on MY nightstand -- The Complete Sherlock Holmes, "... and very well thumbed, I assure you." (anyone recognize the quote from Hound of the Baskervilles???)
I took it as an auspicious omen, and it was. We celebrate our 20th anniversary this year.
On the other hand he used the dope when he was between cases and bored out of his mind.
HOWEVER, one of the coolest things about Conan Doyle was that he gave express permission to dramatists who wanted to cast Holmes in plays, to do whatever they wanted with the character, even marry him off if they wanted. He was absolutely indifferent! So I expect I'll be able to enjoy the movie in spite of the fact that Downey Jr.'s Holmes looks to be nothing at all like the "real" Holmes!
*ahem* Intravenous user, yes, but your claim that it was "during virtually all of the time associated with the stories" is, I expect, pure imagination on your part. I can only recall at most half a dozen times in (at my count) 60 stories total, that Holmes' cocaine use was mentioned at all.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Doyle, himself had cocaine use issues since many contemporary physicians did. An early giant of surgery, William Halsted struggled with addictions first to cocaine, then to morphine in the late 19th/early 20th centuries.
Something is to be said for the intellectual, deductive detective character, which has long been popular around the world. Perhaps the earliest detective was Ja’far ibn Yahya, from a story of the Arabian Nights, who didn’t particularly much want to be a detective, but had to do so to save his head, twice.
In the 18th Century, China had several detective stories, but these were more character and philosophical studies than mysteries. From there, the scene shifted to Europe, then America, with Edgar Allen Poe creating the first modern detective plot with “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”
The most recent incarnation of the intellectual, deductive detective character was of the character Gil Grissom, in the very popular CSI: Las Vegas TV show.
However, Hollywood doesn’t like this kind of character, so even though it is a popular type, it’s rarely used outside of popular written detective fiction.
It seems to be working well with House M.D., which is an obvious reimagining/retelling of the Holmes character...JFK
That could be. I've always found it confusing, however, that he described the effect of the drug on Holmes as making him sleepy and lethargic. I would have thought that would be more in tune with the use of opium or laudenum.
A lot of TV shows have the used the Detective archetype such as Columbo, The Rockford Files and so forth.
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