Alistair Duncan's Blog, page 71
January 15, 2013
Book Review - Doctor Joe Bell: Model for Sherlock Holmes
Last night I finished reading Ely Liebow's biography of Dr Joseph Bell who is pretty much universally accepted as the model for Sherlock Holmes.
Liebow paints a picture not only of the life of Bell but also of the evolution of medicine in 19th century Britain. He refuses to focus purely on Bell and allows himself to take the odd, but short, tangent into events of the time. Far from being distractions these help to give you a much better idea of the times in which Bell was living.
Personally I was very surprised to discover how religious Bell was. In television portrayals he often comes across as agnostic bordering on atheist - trusting science not religion. Yet it turns out he was very religious and turned to his faith for comfort when he suffered personal tragedies which included the early deaths of his wife and, later, his son.
Throughout the book we are also introduced to other significant people from the world of medicine. Bell's fellow police consultant Dr Littlejohn; Patrick Heron Watson - the famous surgeon and likely inspiration for Dr John Watson and Baron Lister - one of the pioneers of sterilization.
Bell comes across, quite rightly, as forward thinking for his time. He was of material assistance to Florence Nightingale in her efforts to improve the standards of nursing and nurses themselves and he helped in the cause of women becoming doctors although he did appear to have the occasional attitude that was all too indicative of his time.
Dr Bell (left) as portrayed by Ian Richardson in Murder Rooms
One of the most interesting sections is to be found at the very end where we learn about Adrian Conan Doyle's efforts to deny Bell's role in inspiring Sherlock Holmes. His attempts to do so, often by threatening legal action against Conan Doyle biographers, come across as positively feeble yet his persistence in trying to deny Bell his place in literary history is nothing short of amazing (if also irritating).
For anyone wanting to understand the origins of Holmes and of Conan Doyle's great mentor this is a must-read. It can be hard going in parts but if you stick with it you will come away with a much greater understanding the influence Dr Joe Bell had on Britain's greatest literary character.
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Liebow paints a picture not only of the life of Bell but also of the evolution of medicine in 19th century Britain. He refuses to focus purely on Bell and allows himself to take the odd, but short, tangent into events of the time. Far from being distractions these help to give you a much better idea of the times in which Bell was living.
Personally I was very surprised to discover how religious Bell was. In television portrayals he often comes across as agnostic bordering on atheist - trusting science not religion. Yet it turns out he was very religious and turned to his faith for comfort when he suffered personal tragedies which included the early deaths of his wife and, later, his son.
Throughout the book we are also introduced to other significant people from the world of medicine. Bell's fellow police consultant Dr Littlejohn; Patrick Heron Watson - the famous surgeon and likely inspiration for Dr John Watson and Baron Lister - one of the pioneers of sterilization.
Bell comes across, quite rightly, as forward thinking for his time. He was of material assistance to Florence Nightingale in her efforts to improve the standards of nursing and nurses themselves and he helped in the cause of women becoming doctors although he did appear to have the occasional attitude that was all too indicative of his time.
Dr Bell (left) as portrayed by Ian Richardson in Murder RoomsOne of the most interesting sections is to be found at the very end where we learn about Adrian Conan Doyle's efforts to deny Bell's role in inspiring Sherlock Holmes. His attempts to do so, often by threatening legal action against Conan Doyle biographers, come across as positively feeble yet his persistence in trying to deny Bell his place in literary history is nothing short of amazing (if also irritating).
For anyone wanting to understand the origins of Holmes and of Conan Doyle's great mentor this is a must-read. It can be hard going in parts but if you stick with it you will come away with a much greater understanding the influence Dr Joe Bell had on Britain's greatest literary character.
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
January 9, 2013
Sherlock's Irregular Help
The Baker Street Irregulars are an interesting bunch. Before you ask, I'm talking about the ones in the stories rather than the American society.
Wiggins?
I have often wondered exactly how they were organised and how many of them there were. Were they a set force or were they recruited on an ad-hoc basis? The evidence, such as it is, implies a little of both.
Led by Wiggins, we first hear of them in A Study in Scarlet when Wiggins and five others turn up at Baker Street to report on their efforts to locate a certain cabbie.
The next occasion we hear of them is in The Sign of Four where they are summoned by wire to hunt for the steam launch Aurora. On this occasion they have increased in number to twelve.
On both occasions they turn up en masse at Baker Street and Holmes instructs them to only send Wiggins up in future. Clearly Wiggins was not too good at following orders as he had to be told this twice.
So what do we know about them? Well, if Holmes was able to summon Wiggins via a wire he (Wiggins) must have had some kind of permanent address. Either that or there was a location where he could go to collect messages that wasn't a residential dwelling. If the latter, Holmes must have had Wiggins (at least) on some kind of retainer otherwise there would be no guarantee that he would check for messages. On balance, I'm inclined to think that Wiggins had a permanent base perhaps funded through regular payments from Holmes.
In SIGN they turn up not long after the wire is sent which implies that Wiggins has minimal trouble rounding up his comrades. This suggests that they all live relatively close together. Wiggins also clearly has some money as he buys the tickets for all twelve to travel to Baker Street. He tells Holmes:
"Got your message, sir," said he, "and brought 'em on sharp. Three bob and a tanner for tickets."
The Irregulars?
This is interesting as it means that the journey cost 3 1/2 pence per boy. This suggests that they travelled in by omnibus, train or perhaps even the new Underground railway. Baker Street tube station had been open since 1863 and was served by the Metropolitan Railway (the forerunner of today's Metropolitan Line).
Well you can see it certainly stops in the right place
The stations in 1871 (no Central Line until c1900)In both STUD and SIGN it is demonstrated that the daily rate Holmes pays is one shilling per boy. Bonus payments are offered for those that complete the mission first (a tactic employed in SIGN). However it is doubtful that Holmes regularly paid all of the irregulars. This lends weight to the idea that their numbers were fluid. None - apart from Wiggins - were regularly paid but all knew the going rate when working for Holmes.
Looked at in modern terms you could say that Wiggins was staff and the rest of the irregulars were temps/contractors.
For information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Wiggins?I have often wondered exactly how they were organised and how many of them there were. Were they a set force or were they recruited on an ad-hoc basis? The evidence, such as it is, implies a little of both.
Led by Wiggins, we first hear of them in A Study in Scarlet when Wiggins and five others turn up at Baker Street to report on their efforts to locate a certain cabbie.
The next occasion we hear of them is in The Sign of Four where they are summoned by wire to hunt for the steam launch Aurora. On this occasion they have increased in number to twelve.
On both occasions they turn up en masse at Baker Street and Holmes instructs them to only send Wiggins up in future. Clearly Wiggins was not too good at following orders as he had to be told this twice.
So what do we know about them? Well, if Holmes was able to summon Wiggins via a wire he (Wiggins) must have had some kind of permanent address. Either that or there was a location where he could go to collect messages that wasn't a residential dwelling. If the latter, Holmes must have had Wiggins (at least) on some kind of retainer otherwise there would be no guarantee that he would check for messages. On balance, I'm inclined to think that Wiggins had a permanent base perhaps funded through regular payments from Holmes.
In SIGN they turn up not long after the wire is sent which implies that Wiggins has minimal trouble rounding up his comrades. This suggests that they all live relatively close together. Wiggins also clearly has some money as he buys the tickets for all twelve to travel to Baker Street. He tells Holmes:
"Got your message, sir," said he, "and brought 'em on sharp. Three bob and a tanner for tickets."
The Irregulars?
This is interesting as it means that the journey cost 3 1/2 pence per boy. This suggests that they travelled in by omnibus, train or perhaps even the new Underground railway. Baker Street tube station had been open since 1863 and was served by the Metropolitan Railway (the forerunner of today's Metropolitan Line).
Well you can see it certainly stops in the right place.svg.png)
The stations in 1871 (no Central Line until c1900)In both STUD and SIGN it is demonstrated that the daily rate Holmes pays is one shilling per boy. Bonus payments are offered for those that complete the mission first (a tactic employed in SIGN). However it is doubtful that Holmes regularly paid all of the irregulars. This lends weight to the idea that their numbers were fluid. None - apart from Wiggins - were regularly paid but all knew the going rate when working for Holmes.Looked at in modern terms you could say that Wiggins was staff and the rest of the irregulars were temps/contractors.
For information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
January 8, 2013
Moriarty - The Diamond Geezer of Crime
Digital Spy notes here that Vinnie Jones - the ex-footballer turned screen presence - has possibly been cast as Moriarty in CBS's Elementary.
For those who dislike Elementary this is apparently excellent news and is seen as, optimistically, the last nail (or perhaps stake) in the coffin for the show. However that would seem unlikely. I have read several predictions that the show will not survive beyond its current series but, personally, I think it likely that this show will reach at least series three. That's a finger in the air estimate with no science behind it but I feel on safe ground when I say there will be a series two. The sheer notoriety created by the show's presence will ensure that.
Top row - original Moriarty, Lyn Harding, Eric Porter
Bottom row - Jared Harris, Andrew Scott, Vinnie Jones(!!?)Whether you like the show or not the idea of linking Jones and Moriarty seems absurd. If Jones had not carved out a career on screen playing hard men/thugs with no significant mental prowess he might have got away with it but those are precisely the parts that he has generally been cast in and thus people simply struggle with the idea that he could play a character who is Sherlock's intellectual equal.
Let us not forget that the original Moriarty (you know - the one from the books) was not a match for Holmes physically. What you need in a Moriarty is a man (or perhaps woman given CBS's interest in gender swapping roles) who is pretty much 90% brain. The actor playing the role, in my opinion, also needs to be older than Sherlock. This age gap should be at least five years maybe closer to ten.
Personally I would like to see Anthony Andrews given another crack of the whip.
Update - This could, of course, all be nonsense. Perhaps Jones is in line for some other part. He could perhaps be the modern Colonel Moran. That I could see working.
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
For those who dislike Elementary this is apparently excellent news and is seen as, optimistically, the last nail (or perhaps stake) in the coffin for the show. However that would seem unlikely. I have read several predictions that the show will not survive beyond its current series but, personally, I think it likely that this show will reach at least series three. That's a finger in the air estimate with no science behind it but I feel on safe ground when I say there will be a series two. The sheer notoriety created by the show's presence will ensure that.
Top row - original Moriarty, Lyn Harding, Eric PorterBottom row - Jared Harris, Andrew Scott, Vinnie Jones(!!?)Whether you like the show or not the idea of linking Jones and Moriarty seems absurd. If Jones had not carved out a career on screen playing hard men/thugs with no significant mental prowess he might have got away with it but those are precisely the parts that he has generally been cast in and thus people simply struggle with the idea that he could play a character who is Sherlock's intellectual equal.
Let us not forget that the original Moriarty (you know - the one from the books) was not a match for Holmes physically. What you need in a Moriarty is a man (or perhaps woman given CBS's interest in gender swapping roles) who is pretty much 90% brain. The actor playing the role, in my opinion, also needs to be older than Sherlock. This age gap should be at least five years maybe closer to ten.
Personally I would like to see Anthony Andrews given another crack of the whip.
Update - This could, of course, all be nonsense. Perhaps Jones is in line for some other part. He could perhaps be the modern Colonel Moran. That I could see working.
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
January 4, 2013
Sherlock - up in flames
The Baldwin Hotel is (or was) a significant part of Sherlockian history. As covered in my book, An Entirely New Country, Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a Sherlock Holmes play at the end of 1897. The aim of the play was to generate funds to offset some of the costs incurred building his new Surrey home Undershaw.
William Gillette
The script found its way to theatre impresario Charles Frohman who, in turn, showed it to his leading actor/playwright William Gillette.
Both men considered the play to be in need of work and permission was secured from Conan Doyle to redraft it. The redrafted play, along with Conan Doyle's original were then confided to the keeping of Gillette's secretary. On the night of November 23rd 1898 the secretary and the scripts were residing at the Baldwin Hotel in San Francisco.
The Baldwin Hotel
The hotel was typical of the grander hotels of the era and contained the facilities that were to be expected.
Dining area (left) and billiard room (right)That night, the hotel caught fire and Gillette's secretary managed to escape. He was lucky, a number of people lost their lives and a significant amount of theatre props and costumes were destroyed.
The hotel ablaze
The fire being brought under control
Among the losses were Conan Doyle's play and Gillette's redraft. Gillette, who was at a different hotel, rewrote the latter from memory and the play went on to great success. It is, however, a sad fact that we will never know how Conan Doyle's original vision differed from Gillette's rewrite. We can be confident that the love interest that featured in the play was a Gillette addition but, as the two men did not really discuss the original play after it was rewritten, we can only speculate as to the other changes.
Sherlock Holmes had first died at the hand of his creator in a study in South Norwood. The ashes of another incarnation could be said to rest in San Francisco.
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
William GilletteThe script found its way to theatre impresario Charles Frohman who, in turn, showed it to his leading actor/playwright William Gillette.
Both men considered the play to be in need of work and permission was secured from Conan Doyle to redraft it. The redrafted play, along with Conan Doyle's original were then confided to the keeping of Gillette's secretary. On the night of November 23rd 1898 the secretary and the scripts were residing at the Baldwin Hotel in San Francisco.
The Baldwin HotelThe hotel was typical of the grander hotels of the era and contained the facilities that were to be expected.
Dining area (left) and billiard room (right)That night, the hotel caught fire and Gillette's secretary managed to escape. He was lucky, a number of people lost their lives and a significant amount of theatre props and costumes were destroyed.
The hotel ablaze
The fire being brought under controlAmong the losses were Conan Doyle's play and Gillette's redraft. Gillette, who was at a different hotel, rewrote the latter from memory and the play went on to great success. It is, however, a sad fact that we will never know how Conan Doyle's original vision differed from Gillette's rewrite. We can be confident that the love interest that featured in the play was a Gillette addition but, as the two men did not really discuss the original play after it was rewritten, we can only speculate as to the other changes.
Sherlock Holmes had first died at the hand of his creator in a study in South Norwood. The ashes of another incarnation could be said to rest in San Francisco.
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
December 30, 2012
Sydney Passengers - Latest Log
An Entirely New Country has been reviewed in The Passengers' Log. I've been a 'passenger' since 2009 and I have always been impressed by the society journal. No I'm not just saying that because they've reviewed my book. If you're not a member you really should be as the fee is very reasonable. In fact, do it now, join now here.
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
December 22, 2012
Undershaw
Apparently it's for sale again.
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
December 21, 2012
Look what I just received
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
December 19, 2012
The Copper Beeches - autobiographical or not?
The Adventure of The Copper Beeches has always been of interest to me as it should have been the end of Holmes. Conan Doyle had originally intended to bring Holmes to an end at the conclusion of the first set of short-stories and had written as much to his mother. Mary Doyle convinced her son not to kill Holmes off and, according to him, suggested a plot involving the discovery of some cut hair.
Conan Doyle gave way and wrote The Copper Beeches instead. The story appears to me to contain some auto-biographical references or parallels. Were these conscious on the part of Conan Doyle or am I just reading too much into a coincidence?Let’s see….
Violet Hunter is offered a large wage by Rucastle that is well above the going rate for a governess in order to tempt her to accept. Is this a parallel with the above-average money that Conan Doyle was being paid by The Strand to produce Holmes adventures. Was Rucastle, in some senses at least, a character representing The Strand Magazine and its management?
The idea that Violet Hunter must sacrifice her hair, which she holds dear, in order to secure the high salary, has a parallel with Conan Doyle. He was also making a sacrifice for money. In his case the sacrifice was the chance to escape Holmes and concentrate on the historical novels that he felt was his true calling.
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At the end of the story Violet Hunter is removed or ‘saved’ from the Copper Beeches and goes on to considerable success as the head of a girls’ school. Was this Conan Doyle suggesting that he would go onto considerable success when he eventually freed himself of Holmes? I accept that this is quite tenuous.
Towards the end of the story when Holmes feels that his involvement in matters has come to an end he says to Watson:
“…it seems to me that our locus standi now is rather a questionable one.”
Now locus standi refers to the right in law to appear and be heard. Holmes was clearly using it to refer to their continued presence at the Copper Beeches. However, it could also be seen as Holmes referring to his position in the eyes of his creator. Conan Doyle’s interest in Holmes being seen or heard was clearly running out.
So is all the above a sign of conscious intent on the part of Conan Doyle or mere coincidence?
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
December 14, 2012
Dame Jean Conan Doyle: Her Father in Her Own Words
The website of the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. has published, in two extracts, some words of his youngest daughter - Dame Jean Conan Doyle. They are very interesting and I urge you to read them.
Her comments on the various biographies of her father, especially the ones she disliked, are fascinating and leaves one wondering what she would have thought of ones own efforts.
Page 1 - Page 2
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
December 13, 2012
How does Arthur Conan Doyle live on?
I've just posted a link to an article from the Telegraph that was posted in May of this year. It can be seen on my scoop.it page. It concerns the future of Undershaw which, as my regular readers know, is something I go on about rather a lot.
In keeping with modern custom, there were a large number of reader comments appended to the bottom of said article. As per usual, a lot more chaff than wheat was to be found but one comment stood out for me.
The poster, who was clearly against the idea of saving the house, remarked that we don’t need a house to remember Conan Doyle as he lives on through his works.
A nice sentiment but does he really? The name lives on yes but is that the same as the author living on?
One of the reasons Conan Doyle sought to kill off Holmes was that he found Holmes to be an obstacle to his career perhaps even to his life (i.e. the living of it). Holmes had become so real to the readers of The Strand Magazine that their demand for more stories prevented his creator moving on to other things.
[image error] The upshot was that Conan Doyle the man was eclipsed by his own creation who was deemed more important by the general public.
This state of affairs is as true now as it was then. There are people out there who know every last thing about Sherlock Holmes but know next to nothing about his creator. If this is the definition of an author living on through his work then I question its accuracy. In reality this is the character living on, not the author.
Over time authors start to become almost mythical, their works increasingly (and inevitably) read by people born long after they themselves died. Their names are known or at least dimly recognized but beyond that people know little, if anything, about them. A good way to keep these authors, to a certain extent, rooted on earth is to preserve something of the physical world they lived in. People might argue that Conan Doyle has been the subject of many biographies (I know, I've written two) and that therefore his life is well documented but a biography is, ultimately, just a factual story and, as time passes and the world moves on, it becomes as impossible to prove it to be true as the latest Harry Potter (perhaps the only modern creation to come close to eclipsing his creator).
This is where physical evidence comes in. Charles Dickens’ birthplace in Portsmouth and his London house are both dedicated museums where his personal effects can be seen and his world, to a certain extent, can be experienced. What does Conan Doyle have? There is a grave – yes but this is evidence of his death not his life.
Undershaw represents a place where, over ten years, he created much that we still enjoy today. The house he designed and in which he walked, ate, slept and wrote will, when combined with documentary and photographic evidence, allow him to truly live on. People will then be able to see him as a human being and not just as the man who gave us Sherlock Holmes.
For more information on Arthur Conan Doyle and his time at Undershaw please refer to my book, An Entirely New Country which is available through all good bookstores including Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Classic Specialities, and in all electronic formats including iTunes, Kobo, Nook and Kindle .
The Norwood Author is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Waterstones UK, Amazon UK, Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, iBooks for the iPad/iPhone, Kobo Books, Nook.
Close to Holmes is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
Eliminate the Impossible is available from all good bookstores, in many formats worldwide including Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK, Waterstones UK, Amazon Kindle, Kobo, Nook and iBooks for the iPad/iPhone.
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