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Thanks all. I guess I have to do what I call switching the frame and the painting. I think I was expecting these to be great compelling mysteries (the painting), inside the "frame" of presenting the character, Sherlock Holmes. Now I see that I might enjoy them more if I look at the stories as an examination of Sherlock Holmes (the painting) inside the "frame" of the mysteries. (I think I posted somewhere here years ago that this is how I decided to like the movie Titanic--instead of a lame annoying love story within the frame of a great historical tragedy, I look at it as a way of honoring the memory of the people who died in that great historical tragedy, within a "frame" of a cheesy love story.)
I'm sure I'll finish all the stories at some point. But I don't think I really love the character all that much either. He's kind of a rude, superior dude with very little in the way of people skills. Sure he has these great observational skills (but in 2018, that didn't feel "new" or "interesting" to me, as it might have been in 1918). But today we have lots of movies, TV shows and books with characters who are kind of Aspergerish geniuses with no social skills, that it's not interesting me much.
I think I like Watson, the narrator, better. But I can't figure out how he ever actually does any work in his medical practice, and why he has such a man-crush on Holmes.
I recently read Sherlock Holmes and The Treasure Train by Frank Thomas, and really enjoyed it. I've either never read or don't recall reading the originals by Doyle, so I ordered the complete works, a single volume that includes 4 novels and 50+ short stories. I haven't started reading yet, but look forward to doing so.
Thanks all. I guess I have to do what I call switching the frame and the painting. I think I was expecting these to be great compelling mysteries (the painting), inside the "frame" of presenting the character, Sherlock Holmes. Now I see that I might enjoy them more if I look at the stories as an examination of Sherlock Holmes (the painting) inside the "frame" of the mysteries. (I think I posted somewhere here years ago that this is how I decided to like the movie Titanic--instead of a lame annoying love story within the frame of a great historical tragedy, I look at it as a way of honoring the memory of the people who died in that great historical tragedy, within a "frame" of a cheesy love story.)
I'm sure I'll finish all the stories at some point. But I don't think I really love the character all that much either. He's kind of a rude, superior dude with very little in the way of people skills. Sure he has these great observational skills (but in 2018, that didn't feel "new" or "interesting" to me, as it might have been in 1918). But today we have lots of movies, TV shows and books with characters who are kind of Aspergerish geniuses with no social skills, that it's not interesting me much. I think I like Watson, the narrator, better. But I can't figure out how he ever actually does any work in his medical practice, and why he has such a man-crush on Holmes.
Exactly! Any idiot can be a courteous conventional guy. But he's smarter, he knows it, and he doesn't feel he has to pander to people. The slight rudeness can be the fun part. In the Boscombe Valley mystery, Lestrade pooh-poohs Homes' theorizing with "I find it hard enough to tackle facts, Holmes, without flying away after theories and fancies." And Holmes quips, "You are right; you do find it very hard to tackle the facts."
About Watson, I think he either has a military pension or family money, so he doesn't work much.
By the way, apropos of what you said about the Titanic, you might like "A Night To Remember."
I have never really warmed up to the Sherlock Holmes stories, but I love Doyle's novel The Lost World. I must have read it some 10-12 times since I was a kid. You probably know the story from several movies, but the book is a character study of the mad genius Professor Challenger, with humor and drama all mixed together. I highly recommended it, if you want to get a different impression of Doyle as a writer. I see the Holmes books as somewhat pompous, but The Lost World is quite different. Hmmm. I think I'll read it again!
I always felt guilty for not liking Sherlock Holmes since he was such a legend and I'm such a reader. But I could never really get into it and there are far better surly but brilliant characters (Frost, Backstrom, Cracker). However, when I saw the series with Jeremy Brett as Holmes, I couldn't get enough of it. I know each movie and series has its own feel, and not all of them are faithful to the original, but at least I got to know some of the stories and get the idea of the mythos. That will always be my Sherlock.
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