A Study in Scarlet: Spoiler Thread #1 *SPOILERS*

[Terry]

Thanks, Ian! Those are the ones.

[Lynn]

Natalie wrote: "Finished listening yesterday. It was so much fun! The narrator made those sinister Mormons even more dramatic. Lol.

Here is a fun article that talks about Doyle and the Latter-Day Saints.

I'm ex..."


Very interesting. I really like the book, but I did find portrayal of Mormons in the book sad. This article was quite good at explaining it to a point.

[Franky]

I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and read A Study in Scarlet a few years ago and was pretty indifferent to it and thought it paled in comparison to the short story collections and some of the longer works like The Hound of the Baskervilles. I thought the two stories were uneven and the second one sort of jarring and thought Holmes was a bit too pompous and arrogant rather than clever or intuitive. I did appreciate, though, how we come to find out how this duo of Holmes and Watson meet and their origins.

[Tara]

Ian wrote: "The fourteen black-and-white Basil Rathbone (Holmes) / Nigel Bruce (Watson) films appeared between 1939 and 1946, from two studios, on which see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherloc......"

One of my favorites was Terror by Night, because who doesn't love a mystery on a train?

He was also great in The Court Jester.

[Ian]

Tara wrote: "He was also great in The Court Jester. ..."

Very much agreed. It gave Rathbone a chance to play his frequent role as a villain, but to give it a comic edge (all the more so for being the straight-man in the movie as a whole).

I've sometimes wished that someone had thought of giving him a dual role, as *both* Holmes and Moriarty -- but distinguishing makeup and costumes could have been a problem, especially in the later, cheaply-made, lets-keep-it-on-schedule films, so it probably would just have been confusing for audiences.

Along the same lines, I thought that it was a pity that Christopher Lee was not tapped to play both Gandalf (for which he had Tolkien's approval) *and* Saruman (as he was actually cast) in Jackson's "Lord of the Rings." There are passages in "The Two Towers" on how hard it could be to distinguish Gandalf the White from Saruman strictly by sight........ (And, if they included a third wizard, Radagast, he might have played all three.)

[Terry]

I found the story a bit jarring when all of the sudden we were in the US with nothing but the chapter title to prepare for a change of venue. And Doyle didn’t really understand US geography, did he? It is an otherwise entertaining novella. I can’t imagine that present day Mormons would appreciate this story, though.

[[deleted user]]

Terry wrote: "I found the story a bit jarring when all of the sudden we were in the US with nothing but the chapter title to prepare for a change of venue. And Doyle didn’t really understand US geography, did he..."

I did, too! I thought my ebook was missing something when it went from Holmes saying he knew the solution, to a man and a little girl wandering in the western desert of the US.

[Natalie]

It is a pretty jarring change! Even though this was a reread, it still startled me. I agree with Franky, my favorite Holmes stories are the short stories.

[[deleted user]]

Franky wrote: "I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and read A Study in Scarlet a few years ago and was pretty indifferent to it and thought it paled in comparison to the short story collections and some of the longer w..."

I may try Hound of the Baskervilles for my next Sherlock read. I saw the Basil Rathbone movie of this one ages ago, it was good, very atmospheric.

Like you, I enjoyed learning how Holmes and Watson met in Study in Scarlet.

[Franky]

Cozy_Pug wrote: "Franky wrote: "I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and read A Study in Scarlet a few years ago and was pretty indifferent to it and thought it paled in comparison to the short story collections and some ..."

I'm always interested in film adaptations of Sherlock Holmes especially the non-modern ones. I recently watched the 70s film The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, sort of a spoof of the Holmes film genre and character. The film received pretty mixed reviews, but I thought it was funny and quite entertaining and clever. There are some nice little jokes that a Sherlock Holmes aficionado will chuckle at.

[[deleted user]]

Franky wrote: "Cozy_Pug wrote: "Franky wrote: "I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and read A Study in Scarlet a few years ago and was pretty indifferent to it and thought it paled in comparison to the short story coll..."

I don't recall that movie, I'll look for it - thank you for mentioning it!

[[deleted user]]

I'm enjoying this thread and appreciate the comments about how Mormons were portrayed in this story. My former neighbors were of Mormon faith, and they were nothing like those characters! The worst thing their mother did was put a bunch of dents in her car, when she was a nurse making house calls. They were all about goodwill, very loving and humble.

[Janice]

Cozy_Pug wrote: "Franky wrote: "I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and read A Study in Scarlet a few years ago and was pretty indifferent to it and thought it paled in comparison to the short story collections and some ..."

I had avoided reading The Hound of the Baskervilles because I thought it would be too scary for me, but I actually loved it. Hope you do too. :) Also, it was my first Sherlock Holmes book. And, I too, enjoyed reading how Holmes and Watson met.

[Janice]

I read this book in the graphic novel style and really enjoyed it. It's only my second Sherlock Holmes story. The first being the novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles which I loved!!! I enjoyed seeing how Holmes and Watson became a team and also in the graphic novel I didn't find it bothered me when it goes from Holmes knowing who the murderer was to then reading the section of the story taking place in the United States. Maybe read this version and see what you think. :)

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Regarding the characterization of Mormons, apparently ACD wrote the story never having met any Mormons, only knowing about them from some writings which did not portray them in a good light. Later in life Doyle felt remorseful about their portrayal in this book.

There is a small section about this on the Wikipedia page for the book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Study...

[[deleted user]]

Janice wrote: "Cozy_Pug wrote: "Franky wrote: "I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and read A Study in Scarlet a few years ago and was pretty indifferent to it and thought it paled in comparison to the short story coll..."

Glad you enjoyed Baskervilles - I'm looking forward to that one!

I've never read a graphic novel - is it an abridged version of the book with pictures?

[Janice]

Cozy_Pug wrote: "Janice wrote: "Cozy_Pug wrote: "Franky wrote: "I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and read A Study in Scarlet a few years ago and was pretty indifferent to it and thought it paled in comparison to the s..."

I'm not sure if it's an abridged version as I feel it has all the important parts etc. of the book and yes, it does have pictures.

Hound of the Baskervilles is an excellent book and I'm glad it was my first Sherlock Holmes read. :)

[Kathleen]

I enjoyed Part 1, but think I've been almost completely derailed by the shift into part two. As some of you have said, it's very jarring! And I can't bring myself to care yet about this other (back) story.

I am not a mystery fan, but I did really enjoy The Hound of the Baskervilles, so recommend that to anyone who hasn't read it.

This is so short, I'm going to try to finish it. I appreciate everyone's comments!

[Ian]

The issue of the nature of Watson's "bull pup" was raised, and not settled, in the 2014 portion of this thread, although it was probably excluded from being the dog that was poisoned.

Apparently there is not complete agreement on the matter, but there is good reason to believe that Watson was informally referring to owning a "bulldog" revolver, a relatively large-caliber but very short-barrelled weapon, with a profile somewhat resembling the dog's short snout: possibly the version produced by Webley, which Watson might have acquired as a service weapon while in the army. Apparently the stubby design was to make it easy to carry in a pocket.

I'm not certain, but I believe that Watson's "bull pup" is mentioned in a much later story, it which it is clearly a weapon of some sort, but I don't remember the title or circumstances.

[Natalie]

Kathleen- I totally get it! Even though I’ve read this a couple times it still throws me!

I just finished Sign of the Four again and I like that one more. Now it’s on to the short stories which are my favorite. 🤩

[[deleted user]]

Ian wrote: "The issue of the nature of Watson's "bull pup" was raised, and not settled, in the 2014 portion of this thread, although it was probably excluded from being the dog that was poisoned.

Apparently t..."

That's really interesting. I didn't understand why it would be a fault for Watson to keep a bull pup. If it's a gun and not a dog, that makes more sense. Holmes says the dog from downstairs is a terrier, which isn't the same as bulldog. I thought it was two different dogs, but couldn't figure out why Watson wasn't upset about putting the terrier to sleep, since he liked dogs. I thought lol.

[[deleted user]]

Janice wrote: "Cozy_Pug wrote: "Janice wrote: "Cozy_Pug wrote: "Franky wrote: "I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan and read A Study in Scarlet a few years ago and was pretty indifferent to it and thought it paled in co..."

I've never looked at a graphic novel so I wasn't sure. I'm very behind the times :D

Glad to hear another recommendation for Baskervilles!

[Kathleen]

Natalie wrote: "Now it’s on to the short stories which are my favorite. 🤩"

Good to know! I will have to try the stories--thank you Natalie.