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| Statue of Sherlock Holmes in Switzerland |
A young reader recently sent me some questions for a school project. I was delighted to answer, as follows:
2.
Do you
think the older or newer adaptations are more accurate? The newer
adaptations don’t seem to be going for accuracy. Many Sherlockians enjoy the
Robert Downy Jr. movies, for example, but nobody would say they are accurate.
In those movies the characters of Holmes and Watson have been altered greatly
to fit the action hero model. The TV series “Sherlock” is much more faithful to
the characters, even thought the time is moved up to present day and the plots
are only loosely drawn from the original stories.
3.
Will the
character of Holmes forever stay such an important part of (literature)
culture? I’m convinced of it!
4.
Do you
think, in the near future (next fifty years), that the books will remain
popular? Why? Yes, indeed! Part of the appeal is the characters, part is
the time period, part is the good stories, part is the great writing – there
are just so many magic elements that never lose their appeal in any age.
5.
How much
of an impact has Sherlock Holmes character had on culture in general? The
impact has been immense. Sherlock Holmes has become an icon of the Great
Detective. Any artist who wants to symbolize a detective will draw the hat,
pipe, and magnifying glass associated with Sherlock Holmes (even though they
weren’t described that way by Arthur Conan Doyle).
6.
How has Sherlock
Holmes’s character impacted literature? Edgar Allan Poe invented the
eccentric detective, but Conan Doyle popularized it. Mystery fiction would not
have been the same if he had never existed.
7.
Do you believe
that Doyle’s books sparked the mystery writing genre? I don’t have space to
list all of the ways that the Holmes canon influenced the development of
mystery fiction, but there were many. I wrote a whole speech about it. Perhaps
the most obvious is the creation of Dr. Watson as the trusty sidekick who tells
the story. That style isn’t used so much any more, but for a long time after
Conan Doyle it very common.
8.
Since the
release of the Robert Downey Jr. movies have you seen an increased of interest
in the books? Yes. Even though the Holmes and Watson of those movies aren’t
exactly like the ones in the books, the films have caused many readers to turn
to the original stories for the first time. The same thing has happened in
response to the BBC “Sherlock” TV series.
9.
Do you
think that the Sherlock Holmes books have had a real life effect on how
investigations are done? Do you think they influenced police to base
investigations more on scientific fact? History shows that this is true. At
one time, the Russian police were required to read the Sherlock Holmes stories
to learn how to be good detectives!
10. Do you think that Sherlock Holmes is viewed
differently in England when compared with the U.S.A.? Yes. Dedicated
American fans – traditionally called Sherlockians – usually take him far more
seriously than their counterparts across the ocean!
11. While Sherlock Holmes books are popular in
English speaking countries – England, U.S., and Canada –are they popular in non
English speaking countries? (Basically)
Do the themes of the book translate well to other cultures? Oh, yes, very
much so! There are Sherlock Holmes clubs all around the world. The Japanese are
especially fond of him. I personally am in communication with Holmes devotees
in France, Germany, Portugal, and Scandinavia.
12. Do you think the image of the detective from
the books, very intelligent but socially awkward, has influenced how society
views people with higher intelligence? I don’t think it created the
stereotype, but it may help reinforce it.
13. When did you become interested in Sherlock
Holmes? What triggered the interest? I wrote about that in my book, Baker
Street Beat. I was about nine years old and a neighbor kid introduced me to the
characters – at first in acting out the roles in our play. Soon after, I read
the stories. I’ve been reading them now for more than 50 years!
I should say that the Sherlock series made changes to the character of Holmes not in Doyle stories: He hates the deerstalker, Mycroft and Holmes are rivals, when in the Doyle stories, Holmes had no problem admitting Mycroft was smarter than he. The Holmes of Sherlock can be cruel and when Doyles Holmes had a sense of justice and cared about poor people of London.
ReplyDeleteThe deerstalker doesn't really appear in the Conan Doyle stories, although Holmes does wear a cap with flaps in Paget illustrations. Your other points are very well taken!
ReplyDelete