David Ruffle's Blog, page 14

A mere trifle

If you are not familiar with Jasper Fforde and the Thursday Next series of novels this may not work for you....if you are..it might!!






“You see,but you do not observe. The distinction is clear. For example,you have frequently seen the steps which lead up from the hall to this room”
“Frequently.”
“How often?”
“Well,some hundreds of times.”
“Then how many are there?”
“Seventeen.”
“NO!” I shouted in a maybe unnecessarily dramatic entrance. “Doctor Watson,you should know better,you really should. Textual diversions are forbidden in the whole of the Sherlock Holmes series.”
“And you are?” Watson asked.
“Thursday Next,Jurisfiction.”
“Next what?”
“Not next anything. I work for Jurisfiction.”
“So what is happening next Thursday?”
”How do you mean what is happening next?”
“I was under the impression something was happening Thursday next.”
“My dear fellow.let the poor girl explain herself. What she is telling you that her name is Thursday Next and she is a Jurisfiction agent and one who is at the head of her profession.”
“You know of me then,Mr Holmes?” I asked,feeling all the while that this dialogue was set up for me.
“Beyond the obvious facts that you have worked with SpecOps as a Literary detective,have a husband who was once eradicated,have a daughter who you have never seen who doesn’t actually exist,have recently been threatened by a minotaur and live in Swindon,I assure you I know nothing at all about you.” Holmes stated.
“Really, Holmes you have just studied her file.”
“Shh, Watson please do not interfere with my moments of genius. Now, what brings you here Ms.Next?”
“The Book World is a little alarmed at some of the remarks made by Dr Watson lately. Trouble is brewing and I am here to snuff it out and from the above dialogue I think I have only just arrived in time.”
"What’s so wrong Ms Next with wanting appear not so dim witted from time to time. I know there are seventeen steps from the hall to this room. Why on earth am I not allowed to say so?”
“The implications are many and dangerous. Any textual anomalies left untreated or allowed to go unchallenged can spread like wildfire and create gaping holes in the narrative allowing grammasites a way in and you know what will happen then.Whole portions of the books will be lost,characters erased or re-written. The repercussions from John Dashwood becoming a highwayman plagued Sense And Sensibility for decades.”
“This is most unfair,”continued the good doctor,”I feel underused.Holmes can go away for days at an end and all I am allowed to do is compile case notes. Can I guest in other books during those times. I feel sure a good doctor would be useful in Tunes Of Glory: I saw Jock’s mental instability coming from page 68 onwards. But I think my forte would be in teaching the young ladies in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie."
There was a loud harrumph from Sherlock Holmes.”Teaching them what exactly,Watson?”
“What are you inferring,Holmes?”
“PLEASE!” I shouted,”can you stop arguing and listen to me.”
“No one ever stops to consider my feelings,” complained Holmes bitterly. “I have a lot to put up with too you know. I close my eyes for fifty minutes to consider a three pipe problem and when I open them again I find that Watson has deserted me again for yet another wife.”
“Perhaps,Holmes I should reveal the true story of your long hiatus instead of the ineffable twaddle I inflicted on my adoring public.”
“I believe your innate kindess and loyalty would stay your hand.”
“I would not be too sure of that. The world has a right to know how you moonlighted as Heathcliff in a paperback edition of Wuthering Heights for three years and would be intrigued to know why a picture of Catherine Earnshaw occupies a pride of place in your drawer not one of Irene Adler. To tell the truth,Holmes I am fed up with hearing about the saintly Cathy.”
“RIGHT, listen up guys. Here’s the lowdown. The Sherlock Holmes series is held in great esteem all over the world,it is revered and loved; you will not be allowed to spoil this state of affairs. It has ‘protected status’ in the Book World and as such is virtually immune from book jumpers. There have been two attempts to gain entrance to the world of 221b Baker Street. One individual met a grisly end in The Lost World,whilst the other met an even grislier end after ending up in Sexton Blakes’s bath. It was only my years of experience that got me in and I don’t intend to waste my time now I am here. You will both toe the line. No text variations. No sudden out of character exchanges.Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes,” they both mumbled. Watson put his hand up like a shy schoolboy.
“Doctor?”
“Can we at least have a backstory,or any kind of personal history?”
“And deprive your followers of playing ‘The Great Game’. Certainly not.”
 "I still have followers?” asked Holmes.
“You mean we of course,” rejoined Watson.
“No, I meant I !”
“STOP,” The truth is that you are as popular as ever. The trend these days is for less and less books to be read, The Read-O-Meter is dropping by an average of 838 books a day whereas the Sherlock Holmes series shows an increase in readership of approximately 200 a day. That is why things must remain exactly as they are. You are privileged,gentlemen,do not let us down. Any questions?”
Watson, as I knew he would be was the first to jump in. “Is there any chance at all that I could have a wife at some point who does not have an abundance of Aunts to visit. In general they have more of these ghastly relations than even P G Wodehouse could imagine. And….well…it can get deucedly lonely you know.”
“That is a trifle selfish of you,Watson don’t you think?”
“Cathy!!!” taunted Watson, “Cathy!!”
My mobile footnoterphone burst into life. Trouble. “I have to go. There are problems in David Copperfield, unknown to any of us the young David has formed a punk rock band and sales of the new album ‘Never Mind The Micawbers Here’s The Sex Muskets’ are threatening to blow apart the whole of the Dickensian world. Now behave,gentlemen or else”
The room faded from view and as I found myself in the world of Charles Dickens once more,I sincerely hoped the sound of distant gunfire would turn out to be Holmes decorating the wall with a patriotic VR.

Pastiche Ponderings

What makes a pastiche a true pastiche? What criteria, if any, do we need to apply? I think of a true Holmes pastiche as being written/narrated by Watson in that familiar style we enjoy so much. If possible, taking it further, I prefer pastiches that have their opening scene in the sitting-room of 221b Baker Street, after all, as a location, it is the beating heart of the Canon. With one or two exceptions. all my Holmes pieces start in that fashion, it is where we see Holmes and Watson at their most relaxed and convivial. How far can we as authors take Holmes and Watson..are there places we should not go? Themes and issues we should not address? For the most part, I would say no with some reservations, particularly as to 'slash' which often has homoerotic content, it's not the Holmes and Watson that I know and love. Old age and death is another issue which has caused controversy over the years. In essence, we cannot 'play the game' of Holmes and Watson et al being real people with real adventues unless we also acknowledge their mortality. The idea of the two of them in their latter years fascinates me, what changes would have come about in their relationship? Would old age have mellowed Holmes? My new novella 'End Peace' takes this on a stage further and whilst I do not consider it a risky venture, some may have problems, not so much for character death (should there be any he says cagily!) but for other content!

The new Sherlock Holmes novels that continue to come along, I embrace fully whether I consider them to be true pastiches or not. There are some wonderful novels and collections out there begging to be read and savoured. You know, as long as I can recognise my Holmes and my Watson in them......then bring them on.

The Detective and the women.

The detective being Sherlock Holmes of course and the women in this case are the authors Amy Thomas and Kate Workman.

Kate Workman's latest offering is 'I Will Find The Answer' in which the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The case comes to the notice of Holmes through Erik, the erstwhile Phantom of the Opera who Holmes had come to an understanding with after the initial skirmishes when Holmes looked in to the matter of the presence 'haunting' the opera house. We now find Erik in London and he together with Holmes and Watson form a mighty triumvirate. The Jekyll and Hyde problem is of course very well known even to those who have never read the book, the very phrase 'Jekyll and Hyde' conjures up for everyone the battle for good and evil which subsists in us all. What Kate has done is to make this tale fresh and exciting. The dialogue between Erik and Holmes is splendid in its humour, underlying sadness and the most touching of moments surface every so often. There is a counterpoint to the scene in 'The Devil's Foot' where Holmes takes steps to discover exactly what it must feel like to be Jekyll and thereby Hyde. The consequences for Holmes of taking such a step remain unresolved at the end of the novel and this makes it more powerful. It would have been so easy to wrap up the case and tack on a happy ending, but Kate's Holmes shares a darkness with Erik which makes the characters work so well together and Holmes's dual personality is well defined and instantly we see not only Holmes differently, but we truly see how Jekyll slipped into the madness of his other self. Some moments in the book are disturbing and terrifying, but hynoptically addictive as is the whole of this novel. An absolutely stellar gem of a novel and I for one am eagerly looking forward to Kate's next Holmes excursion..it will be one hell of a ride.

Amy Thomas's 'The Detective and the Woman' takes us into the world of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler. Yes' it's been done many times before, but not quite like this. The novel opens with the death of Godfrey Norton, Irene's husband, his death is unlamented and at once we see a strong-willed independant woman be re-born after a constraining and unhappy marriage. She takes control of her own life once more, but in so doing becomes the focus of both a villain who is hell bent on her destruction and fortune and the rather more benign focus of Sherlock Holmes. The dialogue between Holmes and Irene fairly cracles with authenticity and is a major delight of this winning and charming novel. Posing as man and wife as they do in large sections of the novel gives plenty of room for by-play and intellectual sparring. Pleasingly, Holmes does not always get his own way with this most formidable of women, Irene beeing a good match for him in all departments. The account of the case is told alternately by both main characters and we get to read their innermost thoughts and weaknesses, Irene displays a softer side, a weaker side which is handled very well by Amy. The book just flows so well, the Florida/Fort Myers descriptive passages are lovingly conveyed. The other characters are delineated excellently from Barnett the solicitor to Thomas Edison and his household. It's hard to believe that this is Amy's first foray into Holmes literature, the quality throughout is of the highest. I loved it. And Holmes and Irene? How does it end? Well.......you know how to find out don't you!!

Both titles published by MX Publishing. http://www.mxpublishing.co.uk/

The Great Sherlock Holmes Debate 2

I was fortunate enough to be invited to attend the Great Sherlock Holmes Debate2, although technically I invited myself. The event was organised by Steve Emecz of MX Publishing and he did a sterling job. It was a pleasure to meet so many authors and Holmes commentators in one place, although technically it was two places as the debate carried on in a lighter vein at the Sherlock Holmes pub.

On the previous evening I had shared a pint with Phil Growick, a Holmes author from New York, although technically we did not actually share a pint..that would have involved a straw, strange looks form the clientele of the Argyll Arms and intimacy of an altogther too forward a nature for two strangers.

Nick Briggs ( the 'voice' of the Daleks) put forward the point of view of Team 3, the Traditionalists, with humour and insight, but maybe not quite as forthrightly as Roger Johnson of the SHSL who pulled no punches although technically no actual punches were thrown unless I missed out on the acttion whilst purloining a Jaffa cake. Myself and the aforementioned Phil Growick were closeted in a room with two of the Baker Street Babes and Vida Starcevic althought technically Vida is a babe, although not a Baker Street one, although technically.........

The debate ran through all aspects of Holmesian adaptations and there was even a mention of Lord Lucan (you had to be there!). All views were expressed lovingly, concisely and with much thought.....even mine, yes I did have something to say althought technically it was not much as it was hard to get a word in with my fellow room members although technically they were not all fellows as you might have noticed from the use of the word 'babe'. I believe I am correct in saying that neither Phil or myself have even been described as babes, but then I know so little about Phil's murky past!

For the train ride home I was fortunate enough to have in my possession Tim Symond's foray into the world of Sherlock Holmes literature. Also, I picked up a copy of Amy Thomas's take on Holmes and the woman although technically I stole it!

To finish off the evening I shared a coffee (although technically......you get the idea) with the Baker Street Babes down by the Thames although technically Timothy was not a babe either although quite cool.

So to the train. So to bed.

Save Undershaw folks!!!!

http://www.saveundershaw.com/

I hear of Sherlock everywhere............

Mycroft was right. Correction: Mycroft is right. It is impossible not to read the name Sherlock Holmes in news print, in books, on TV or in the street come to that. Sherlock Holmes is indeed everywhere. What is the lasting appeal of this man? To what can we attribute this popularity which has gone on unabated for 125 years? The last three novels I have read were set in three different continents (shades of Watson's experience of the fair sex) but all mentioned Sherlock Holmes in one context or another. Is Holmes that likeable? Are there other forces at work here?
    He was arrogant, surly and treated Watson shabbily on numerous occasions. Jeremy Brett said Holmes was someone he would not cross the street to meet, yet he survives into the 21st century as the very embodiment of the Victorian hero. The Holmes/Watson friendship was very seriously undermined by Holmes's less than fair treatment of Watson. He was scathing about Watson's assistance, his intelligence and his efforts as a chronicler. Notwithstanding that, Holmes needed Watson as much as he needed anyone and although he may not have seen that himself, commentators on the Canon do and recognise the importance of one to the other. Emotionally they clung to each other. So is that the secret to the character's popularity and longevity? Or is it the atmosphere? The hansom cabs rattling through another thick, yellow London fog (quite rare in the Canon actually)?
   To me all these are components in making the canon the success it was and is, but more than that, it is the rhythm of Conan Doyle's writing thats tells most of us all. The Victorian era was awash with detective stories, densely and cleverly plotted with ingenius solutions, but read them and you quickly see what sets the Holmes stories.....that rhythm and pacing which belonged exclusively to Conan Doyle. The dialogue is pushed forward in a logical and naturalistic way whilst retaining that 'correctness' of speech. The most importanmt part of any Holmes piece I write is my desire to replicate this rhythm of story and rhythm of dialogue.....without it, you have no true pastiche. It compels me to add in a small way to the literature of Sherlock Holmes, being a delight and a pleasure to put words into the mouth of these two creations of Conan Doyle and my word for all his lackadaisical approch to the writing of Holmes stories, they worked like no others have done before or since. For instance, Agatha Christie was a great plotter, she gave us Hercule Poirot/Captain Hastings and Miss Marple. I have read everything in which these characters appear, but have I ever felt like writing Christie pastiches? No, never. The Poirot cases extend over a scarcely credible fifty years so if you had thoughts of writing a Poirot pastiche, where would you start? The 20's, 30's 40's etc etc? Othere than the character of  Poirot there is no consistent style to hany your writing hat on. Although the Holmes stories cover thirty-three years apart from the odd intrusion of the telephone or motor-car, they could all take place in 1895. To some of us...they do.
    Sherlock Holmes for the 21st century? Yes and for as long as people read. So be it.

The Great Sherlock Holmes Debate

Ahead of the Great Sherlock Holmes Debate some views on screen portrayals......

Before I go further I have to say I have not seen the Guy Ritchie movies nor at this stage have I any intention of so doing....I just know I would hate them, yes, no logic involved in that statement, but what the hell.
I grew up watching the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce series of films. I thought Rathbone to be the perfect embodiment of Holmes in looks and in manner, cool and detached just how I see Holmes. The flip side to that was Nigel Bruce's Watson which quickly became more of a comic foil than 'trusty comrade', that is not to say that he does not have a certain appeal for he does, but he is most assuredly no Conan Doyle's Watson.
Peter Cushing came along in the late fifties and sixties. Again, in looks nigh well perfect. His Holmes was a diffident, fussy one who never seemed to be taken it seriously, yet Cushing was solid and consistent and to give him credit he endeavoured to keep the producers and directors in a Canonlike frame of mind.
Then Granada......and Jeremy Brett. I remember sitting down with some trepidation to watch the first episode and after twenty minutes I thought, 'He's nailed it'. Here was a Holmes who was arrogant, cool and just as how I always imagined him to be. Rathbone's and Cushing's portrayals were both consistent and when you sit down to watch them at work you know exactly what you are getting. With Jeremy Brett there was an edge, an unpredictability, surely like Holmes himself. Although JB was just as consistent as Rathbone and Cushing, where he scored over them was his flashes of brilliance that are so fondly remembered; the leap for joy at the end of 'The Second Stain', his emotional response to Lestrade's praise in 'The Six Napoleons', his 'explosion' at the end of 'The Blue Carbuncle' and many more breathtaking moments. David Burke and Edward Hardwicke as a composite Watson could never be surpassed. David Burke, a joy to watch as a man in awe of his companion and Edward Hardwicke more of a weary, but solid, questioning post-Hiatus Watson.
And now......Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. Once more settling in for the first episode with some trepidation, but being blown over very quickly. How clever of the writers to be able to appeal to Holmes purists and the modern Dr Who generation. The humour underpinning the relationship between Holmes and Watson is never allowed to break out and swamp proceedings, the canon references are sometimes fleeting, but always you think added with great affection by the writers. BC's Holmes never strays to far from the original blueprint and Freeman perfectly captures what it must be like to be friends with such a man. What I would really love to see is a 'Christmas special', maybe 'The Blue Carbuncle' filmed with these two actors, but in period. I really believe they could pull it off.

As a footnote, when I am am writing this is who I have in mind; Holmes-Jeremy Brett, Watson-Edward Hardwicke, Lestrade-Colin Jeavons.  Granada wins the day for me.