I like the way you describe Holmes in the context of the late 19th early 20th century. Bear in mind that it was the time of scientific and technological revolution (Maxwell, Planck, Einstein, etc...), of the death of god (Nietzsche) and not least Freud and the exploration of the subconscious and its impulses and instincts. Not surprising that, as you cite, all passions were abhorent to him. Necessarily so, because at the time people thought that the perfect observer was external to the observed, and that such a thing was possible. The perfect reasoning machine indeed, but only possible in the context of the early 1900s. That changed, later detectives became as much the subject of investigation themselves as the crime they investigated (Philip Marlow, Colombo, ...).
Thanks, Pete! and that's is a really good point about the fictional detective. And isn't it precisely those late nineteenth century scientific revolutions (Freud, Pavlov, Quantum theory) that eventually reach popular fiction and change how detectives work? Also, Freud is going to make an appearance in this series in September when we cover 'The Seven Per Cent Solution' in which he's a character.
Good article. I’m surprised you didn’t include Doyle’s reply to Gillette: “you can marry him or murder him or anything you like.” Also in your note on Watson’s first name, Dorothy Sayers came up with the Hamish idea. Doyle himself couldn’t care less.
Ah! I didn't know that was Sayers - it's a typically clever idea. And as that quote from Doyle shows (which I did have in at one point but cut) he wasn't all that concerned with consistency and canon and saw Holmes as pulp (which he was essentially right about, he just underestimated how powerful pulp can be)
I like the way you describe Holmes in the context of the late 19th early 20th century. Bear in mind that it was the time of scientific and technological revolution (Maxwell, Planck, Einstein, etc...), of the death of god (Nietzsche) and not least Freud and the exploration of the subconscious and its impulses and instincts. Not surprising that, as you cite, all passions were abhorent to him. Necessarily so, because at the time people thought that the perfect observer was external to the observed, and that such a thing was possible. The perfect reasoning machine indeed, but only possible in the context of the early 1900s. That changed, later detectives became as much the subject of investigation themselves as the crime they investigated (Philip Marlow, Colombo, ...).
Thanks, Pete! and that's is a really good point about the fictional detective. And isn't it precisely those late nineteenth century scientific revolutions (Freud, Pavlov, Quantum theory) that eventually reach popular fiction and change how detectives work? Also, Freud is going to make an appearance in this series in September when we cover 'The Seven Per Cent Solution' in which he's a character.
Good article. I’m surprised you didn’t include Doyle’s reply to Gillette: “you can marry him or murder him or anything you like.” Also in your note on Watson’s first name, Dorothy Sayers came up with the Hamish idea. Doyle himself couldn’t care less.
Ah! I didn't know that was Sayers - it's a typically clever idea. And as that quote from Doyle shows (which I did have in at one point but cut) he wasn't all that concerned with consistency and canon and saw Holmes as pulp (which he was essentially right about, he just underestimated how powerful pulp can be)