NOT THE ONLY WOMAN: THE POINT OF IRENE ADLER by Resa Haile

Irene Adler isn’t the only woman Holmes respected, and indeed, what kind of point would it be if she were? Then it just says that Holmes met one woman who was worthy of respect; the end. But turn it another way; look at it under this light: Holmes met a woman who made him realize that there was more to women.

Before this (chronologically), he had been sympathetic to women, always ready, with Watson, to take on the role of knight-errant. Mary Morstan even refers to them as such in The Sign of Four. Holmes says of Miss Morstan, now Watson’s fiancée, “I think she is one of the most charming young ladies I ever met, and might have been most useful in such work as we have been doing. She had a decided genius that way; witness the way in which she preserved that Agra plan from all the other papers of her father.”

There is little evidence in the stories of an active “dislike” of women; although Watson might have been fooled, the reader seldom is. As for a distrust, Holmes didn’t trust anyone, and I would go so far as to say there are examples that show he didn’t trust Watson completely, nor was he worthy of being so trusted himself, which he probably knew. He knew the proscribed conditions of women’s lives, and, because of this, he was not unsympathetic to them.

If meeting Irene Adler opened Holmes' eyes a little further to the fact that women could reach beyond their assigned roles, that’s a much more exciting concept than her point being that she was the one woman who equaled or approached equaling or beat him.

(In fact, there is debate about whether she was the woman mentioned in “The Five Orange Pips,” when Holmes says, “I have been beaten four times—three times by men, and once by a woman.” The case is dated earlier than “A Scandal in Bohemia,” so we are left with the possibilities of misdating or a woman who beat Holmes before Irene Adler, perhaps not such an honorable woman or one so worthy of respect.)

But say that Adler’s narrative function is to make Holmes more aware of the possibilities of women. Mary Morstan had a decided genius for detective work, but she married Watson and was happy with that kind of life. Perhaps it was so for all women. 

Then there is Adler, enjoying playing the game against him, someone with whom he is ultimately more sympathetic than his client. And in the end, she shows the king mercy when she has him in her power; this is what puts her on a “different” (higher) “level” from the king. Holmes is not in love with Adler, but he sees her more clearly in the end, understands and admires her. His education in the matter of brave, intelligent women is underway.

In “The Copper Beeches” (a case usually dated by chronologists as 1890, two years after the date given for “A Scandal in Bohemia”), Violet Hunter functions very much as the investigator on the scene (in his fascinating book, The Secret Marriage of Sherlock Holmes, and Other Eccentric Readings, Michael Atkinson writes that “Violet is as bright and observant as Holmes—and is the better detective”) and wins praise from the consulting detective: “You seem to me to have acted all through this matter like a brave and sensible girl, Miss Hunter. Do you think that you could perform one more feat? I should not ask it of you if I did not think you a quite exceptional woman.”

As late as “The Lion’s Mane,” when Holmes has retired to keep bees in Sussex, he says of Maud Bellamy that “she possessed strong character as well as great beauty” and would “always remain in [his] memory as a most complete and remarkable woman.”

The only woman Sherlock Holmes ever respected? Not by a long shot. An important part of the evolution of his character? Hell, yes.

*

A Sherlockian 

Visits the U.K.

by Elaine Yao Khan

Part One:

 "I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere"

I didn't bring umbrella.
My hat helped me
but I was wet.

Baker Street is a very busy street.
The tour guide told us that it was the same
noisy street at Sherlock Holmes' time
because of the cobblestone roads
and the wooden wheeled carts.

Cobblestone road

Baker Street Station



Baker Street Station--tube in London: 

Many small silhouettes form a big one

The Mews is like the real
Sherlock Holmes style house.

There are several spots to be considered
as Sherlock Holmes' living spaces.
This is one of them.

Sherlock Holmes Hotel
is also considered as a possible 221B.
The arch door is just the Victorian style.

It's an expensive hotel
and there is decoration
of Victorian style in the rooms.

2nd floor,
another possible Sherlock Holmes
original living spot

Sherlock House

Sherlock's Bar & Grill

Sherlock Holmes pub and restaurant

The restaurant's menu

I ordered "Shepherd's pie." It was OK.
The waitress was not very friendly
and the restaurant was not very busy
 on that Saturday lunchtime.

Pub's collection

A caricature of Sherlock Holmes

Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke
as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson

Some of the collection in this restaurant
used to belong to the Conan Doyle family.

I tried twice to take Holmes' picture,
but "he" wouldn't let me have a clear one
with the light.

Holmes collectibles

The Hound!

 



The biggest fictional statue in the U.K.

     It 

        is

   outside

     the

   Baker

   Street

  Station.

This is the outside of
Sherlock Holmes Museum.
The Victorian police guard the door.

The Beatles store just next to the
Sherlock museum!

This is our tour guide.

Baker Street Irregulars Birthday Weekend 2011 by Gayle Lange Puhl, ASH

I am a Sherlockian, a fan of the Great Detective, Sherlock Holmes. I belong to several scions, including The Original Tree Worshippers of Rock County, The Criterion Bar Association, The Beacon Society, The Friends of the Great Grimpen Mire and The Adventuresses of Sherlock Holmes. The Baker Street Irregulars is a national scion that holds a formal dinner every January in New York City. Not everyone is a BSI, but the event is an opportunity for Sherlockians from around the world to gather and celebrate Mr. Holmes’ birthday. In 2011 he is 157 years old.

It was time for the 2011 Sherlock Holmes/Baker Street Irregulars Birthday Weekend in New York City. I booked a room at the Roosevelt Hotel on 45th Street through the BSI and packed my bags. I took the Van Galder bus to O’Hare Field, flew from Chicago to La Guardia Airport and landed just before lunch on Thursday January 6. A shuttle van took me to the hotel.

The first thing on my schedule was the Distinguished Speaker Lecture at the Midtown Executive Club at 40 West 45th Street that started at 6:15 pm. The speaker was Michael Sims, an author and anthologist. He had compiled The Penguin Book of Gaslight Crime and has finished the upcoming The Dead Witness: A Connoisseur’s Collection of Victorian Detective Stories.

He talked about his teenage years when he lived in a rural area of the South with no phone or electricity and how he depended upon his mailbox to bring him glimpses of the outside world. He joined a book club and related his excitement the day his copy of William Baring-Gould’s The Annotated Sherlock Holmes arrived in 1967. He became fascinated with the Victorian Era and said it led him to a career in authorship and editing with Penguin Books. I spent a very enjoyable evening listening to his talk along with other members of the audience.

On Friday, The William Gillette Memorial Luncheon started at noon at Moran’s Chelsea Seafood Restaurant at 146 Tenth Avenue at 19th Street. A private dining room at the restaurant is dedicated to the famous actor, with a painting of him on the wall near the fireplace. I sat between two Sherlockians, one of whom received his membership in the exclusive Baker Street Irregulars later that evening. The other had delivered a paper to his scion comparing Sherlock Holmes to Nero Wolfe, the portly New York detective active in the middle part of the 20th century. I told him a couple of facts about the Holmes/Wolfe connection he didn’t know, which made him very happy. We also talked about the Sherlockian dinners put on by the Culinary Institute of America (also known as the CIA) and of the William Gillette Castle, home of the “Guest of Honor” and now a state park in Connecticut. Entertainment was given by the Friends of Bogey, an acting troop who performed a skit showing Holmes and Watson adjusting Holmes’ deductive methods to modern electronic mobile technology.

The Baker Street Irregulars Dinner was held that night at the Yale Club at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue. It was invitation only for its members so many others arranged to go to The Gaslight Gala at the Manhattan Club at 201 West 52nd Street at Seventh Avenue.

I sat at a table with several members of The Bootmakers of Toronto, the nationwide scion of Canada. Several people there were decorated Bootmakers, known as Master Bootmakers. One member, Karen Campbell, M. Bt., got up and sang a funny Sherlockian song as part of the entertainment later. Music was provided by Audrey Epstein, ASH.

Several Sherlockian toasts were drunk and the festivities were well underway. The many different scions represented by the assembled guests were read out and acknowledged.

After a delicious buffet, several skits and songs were performed by various Sherlockians. After the dessert buffet, a raffle drawing and a lively auction took place. The money raised went to offset costs of the Gala. The raffle was for two hand-painted Gaslight Gala sweatshirts. Among the auction items featured were a Christmas village based on the buildings of Baker Street, a hand-painted handkerchief, a jig-saw puzzle of 221B Baker Street, a doll dressed in a deerstalker hat and Inverness cape and a one-of-a-kind Sherlock Holmes-themed house banner designed and sewn by a talented Sherlockian seamstress. A sing-along involving the entire audience finished out a successful evening.

At nine o’clock on Saturday morning the Merchants Room (Convent Garden West) was opened in the Vanderbilt Suite on the second floor of the Roosevelt Hotel. The large room was filled with tables covered with books, CDs, pictures, paperbacks, first editions, and many other Sherlockian items. I handled a first edition Hound of the Baskervilles worth $3,000. That was a little out of my budget, but I picked up some paperbacks for a dollar, including a Basil of Baker Street: The Lost Colony signed by the author Eve Titus. My big purchase was a copy of The Grand Game, an anthology of Sherlockian scholarship edited by mystery author Laurie R. King and the author of The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes and The Annotated Dracula, Leslie S. Klinger. Les is the Sherlockian expert advising on the new Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law movie Sherlock Holmes 2. Both Les Klinger and Laurie R. King were present to sign their opus and I made sure they autographed mine.

After I deposited my purchases in my room, I walked out onto the New York streets to see something of the Big Apple. I walked as far as the New York City Library and saw the stone lions in front. I strolled through Times Square and shopped for souvenirs on Fifth Avenue.

At one o’clock I joined some friends and walked to the Baker Street Irregulars’ annual reception held at the New York City Bar Association at 42 West 44th Street. Mickey Fromkin looked quite sporty in her deerstalker and Inverness cape. At the reception we joined 200 other Sherlockians in a short business meeting before refreshments were served.

The program included announcements of who had been added to the Baker Street Irregulars membership rolls the night before, a specially written song that was filled with Sherlockian news and mentions of other international happenings for the year of 2010, a raffle drawing for a hand-crafted “King of Bohemia” brooch and an auction of special items for the benefit of a BSI charity. The auctioneer was my friend Peter Blau, BSI, who, along with three others, was celebrating his 50th year in the Irregulars.

The entertainment was a song from the as yet-unproduced script of a musical based on the 2009 book Dust and Shadow by newly admitted Irregular Lyndsay Faye. Her book pitted Sherlock Holmes against Jack the Ripper. Lyndsay has hopes of getting the finished product on Broadway and everyone present wished her well.

Drinks and an elaborate spread of dainty treats were offered after the meeting and Sherlockians and other guests found plenty of opportunities to visit and make new friends. I met a pair of sisters, Joan and Mary Silaco, from Queens, New York. They were new to the Sherlockian world and we hit it off right away.

We talked for hours and ended the evening back at the Roosevelt Hotel, eating hamburgers at the bar and telling each other about our hometowns. Joan talked about her sightings of celebrities in Manhattan and I described life in Evansville. Joan and Mary couldn’t conceive of a town without public transportation and surrounded by big empty fields.

On the morning of Sunday, January 9, I got up early and after breakfast took a taxi to Rockefeller Center. I wore my deerstalker hat and carried a sign about Sherlock Holmes with “Hi, Evansville, WI” at the bottom. I stood in the crowd outside the NBC studios where “The Today Show” was broadcast and got on camera with the rest of the crowd. After she did the weather, Janice Huff autographed my sign and posed for a picture. When the show was over I visited The NBC Experience next to the studio and purchased a photo of myself and my sign taken earlier by a NBC employee. I also took the opportunity to view some of the murals in Rockefeller Center and get some souvenirs at the NBC Store.

I took a taxi back to the Roosevelt Hotel, packed my bags and caught my shuttle van back to La Guardia and flew to Chicago. I made all my travel connections and was home in Evansville by Sunday night. I enjoyed my adventure in New York City and hope to go again someday.

Sherlock is in the House by Victor Rufer

It has been over one hundred years since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brought Sherlock Holmes to life in A Study In Scarlet. He had no idea what he had created. Sherlock Holmes has gone on to be the most imitated character in the history of literature. I will be looking at one of today’s most popular TV shows, House M.D.

House M.D. debuted in 2004. The creators have said that the character of Dr. House is based on Holmes. We will start with a side-by-side comparison of the two characters. First, their names and the names of their friends are similar; we have Holmes and House, Watson and Wilson. Each can deduce a great deal by just looking at a person. Holmes was based on a doctor and House is a doctor. Holmes fights deadly criminals, whereas House fights deadly germs and diseases. Both use drugs: House uses Vicodin for leg pain and boredom; Holmes used cocaine to escape boredom. Both tend to call close associates by their last names. Holmes and House are both arrogant. In the times between cases House watches soaps and plays video games, Holmes reads the agony columns in the paper. Both tend to be lazy between cases; it seems to be an all or nothing kind of life. Each has one friend and roommate; to others they are aloof. Both live at 221B; we don't have a street for House but the connection is there. Music is another thing that these two have in common. Holmes plays the violin. House plays several instruments including the piano. House's staff could be compared to Holmes' Baker Street Irregulars; both groups seem to the grunt work. Lastly each use a cane, House because of his leg pain; Holmes' cane is part fashion, part self-defence.

Next we will see how the show’s creators have left the watcher clues that reinforce the Holmes/House link. In the first show, the patient being treated was Rebecca Adler. At the end of season two, House is shot by a deranged patient named Jack Moriarty. In season four, as part of a prank, House receives a book by Joseph Bell, the man who inspired Doyle, sent by Irene Adler. We later find out that Wilson really sent it. In another episode House receives a second edition Conan Doyle book. House's leg pain is similar to Watson's leg wound. House also makes reference to Wilson having been in Afghanistan at some time. This would link to Watson's service in Afghanistan.

What follows are quotes from Holmes himself that could apply to both men. From A Study in Scarlet: “I have a lot of special knowledge which I apply to the problem, and which facilitates matters wonderfully.” Holmes has his knowledge of crime and House has knowledge of medicine. From The Sign of Four, Holmes remarks “. . . three qualities necessary for the ideal detective . . . the power of observation and that of deduction . . . [and] knowledge.” Three factors that are well used in solving crimes or curing disease.

As much as the two are alike, there are some great differences. While both men are aloof, Holmes ignores those he feels are unimportant to the case at hand, he silently goes about his duties while tolerating others. House, on the other hand, seems to delight in tormenting his staff and, at times, his patients. House goes by the rule, after you eliminate all possibles, what's left is the truth. A fine idea, but, in the meantime, he tries cure after cure until the bulb comes on and the patient is snatched back from the brink and sent home cured. Holmes doesn't guess; he gets the facts and then gives his conclusions. Neither has time for romance. Holmes' distrust of women, plus his under estimation of Irene Adler, has led to his lack of interest in women. House is interested in women, but seems to try to drive them away.

There is no doubt that Greg House is forever linked to Sherlock Holmes. In upcoming shows, we will be looking for those clues that Holmes is alive and well in 2010.

House M.D. is not the only show that uses Holmes’ methods to solve crime, it is just the most obvious.

Holmes Underestimated Adler by Victor Rufer

THE WOMAN outsmarted Holmes because he underestimated her, the same way most men of that time did.  She was not the villain, poor choices, yes; she did what she had to to protect herself. England had a queen that the people trusted to run a country, yet barely trusted the average woman to run a household. One can but wonder where we would be if women were seen as equals from the start. 

Why Can Irene Adler Beat Sherlock Holmes? by Elaine Yao Khan

*Sherlock Holmes probably underestimated his adversary; he never takes Irene seriously as his adversary.

Let us look at his attitude towards the case.

At first, he laughed “it is quite a pretty little problem” and was pretty sure he could handle it without any difficulty. What he wanted is “Then, as to money?” and then “And for present expenses?” He is kind of looking down upon the King, as well as the case. He simply thought he could easily earn a large sum of money.

Later, he said he had hope and then promised the King: “I trust that we shall soon have some good news for you.”

In the end, when Holmes heard that Irene and her husband had left before Holmes, Watson, and the King arrived, he got shocked. “ ‘What!’ Sherlock Holmes staggered back, white with chagrin and surprise. ‘Do you mean that she has left England?’ ”

Sherlock Holmes was overconfident. Of course he has been overconfident in any case he had. However, Even Homer sometimes nods.

*How did Sherlock Holmes lose in this case?

1. He ignored the King’s warning.

Here are the King’s comments on her:

“You do not know her, but she has a soul of steel . . . and the mind of the most resolute of men.” And “there are no lengths to which she would not go—none.”

When they found out they had no way to get Irene and the picture, the King said to Holmes, “Did I not tell you how quick and resolute she was?" I think because he did not think the King was smart, so he did not take the king’s warning seriously.

In his mind, he thinks the King’s scared from his being less intelligent, and Sherlock himself has no problem of intelligence.

2. He ignored his situation and women’s ability and wisdom, especially Irene’s occupation.

He himself is very good at disguising and gets information; he probably never thought a woman could do the same thing to him!

He forgot his occupation and fame have been exposed in public. Once somebody is in those circumstances, I mean, becomes famous to all, it is easy for other people to recognize and take measures ahead to prevent him.

The possibilities for Irene to beat Holmes

Firstly, of course, she is smart. From the reason she keeps the picture and the way she hid the picture, which so many robbers and burglars failed to find, we can easily infer she is a smart woman.

Secondly, she had enough preparation for the burglars, those who waylaid her, etc., and, knew the King would do more right before his marriage. Let us not forget the fact: it is she, Irene who threatens the King by using the picture as a weapon! If she’s not confident about her ability to beat the King, she would have given up long time ago. After all, who would like to be disturbed by burglars and robbers as often as it could be?

Thirdly, she wrote very clearly in her letter to all that she had been warned against Holmes months ago. “I had been told that if the King employed an agent it would certainly be you. And your address had been given me.” I’m sure she did the research about the style of Sherlock Holmes in handling cases. There is a saying in ancient Chinese: Knowing the enemy and yourself, you can fight a hundred battles and win them all. That is why when she and her husband found out that the most formidable Sherlock Holmes had been involved, they chose to leave. Facing powerful nemeses, the best thing to do now is to quit. That is another Chinese strategy. They did not take any risk of staying there waiting for Sherlock Holmes to beat them.

Fourthly, her new husband, the lawyer Norton, had pushed her into leaving England as soon as possible. Even though the story does not tell us directly about this, we can infer from the scene that Sherlock Holmes viewed through the window, and their rush to the church, as well as Sherlock Holmes becoming the witness of their marriage accidentally. Sherlock Holmes just simply takes this event as an interesting experience and enjoys it, but he forgets to ask why. Why do they need to marry in such a hurry??? He was aware that “it looked like the pair might take an immediate departure.” But how soon? From the hurry of their marriage, I can see they were going to leave that night or early the next morning. Time is success! He and the King just missed by several hours.

Fifthly, Sherlock Holmes was careless and he disguised himself two times in front of Irene closely. That is a danger to be recognized. One time he dressed like an unemployed hostler, and, the second time as a clergyman. He is so good at the disguising to Dr. Watson, who thinks that “[t]he stage lost a fine actor.” However, he forgot that Irene herself is an actress and knows all the tricks. The most wonderful part in this story is when Irene said goodnight to Sherlock Holmes under disguised costume, casual and elegant.

At the end of the story, Sherlock Holmes asked for Irene’s photo as a reward; I think he is doing self-examination. The photo is a reminder. Irene changed his attitude towards women. Dr. Watson writes, “He used to make merry over the cleverness of women, but I have not heard him do it of late.”