Sherlock and "toxic masculinity" ??

[Barbara]

I saw an article that was published a couple days ago in Salon Magazine about "Sherlock Holmes and the Case of Toxic Masculinity" trying to define Holmes appeal. The article tries to make a case for Holmes being the toxic male but the majority of the article doesn't talk about the Sacred Writings, it's mostly about the TV shows "Sherlock" and "Elementary" - interesting if you want to talk about Holmes in the media, but not the best sources for analysis of his character, IMHO

https://www.salon.com/2021/01/03/sher...

[J]

I can't comment on any screen-adaptation (I make it a point not to watch them), but canon Holmes strikes me as about the least toxic example of masculinity imaginable.

[Tara]

One would have to believe in the concept of toxic masculinity in the first place.

[J]

Tara wrote: "One would have to believe in the concept of toxic masculinity in the first place."

Oh it's a legitimate concept. Exaggerated, perhaps, as most things are these days, but quite real.

[Barbara]

I remembered an essay about Holmes, so I looked it up - it was written by Edgar W. Smith decades ago, called "What Is It We Love in Sherlock Holmes" - it is a great essay and does express why we gravitate toward the character. At one point he says that Holmes Is a combination of Galahad and Socrates.

[J.]

I think the article is an example of twisting facts to suit theories; something that Holmes warned against in "A Scandal in Bohemia."

[Timothy]

It does seem a rather lazy approach. Holmes is certainly known for his antipathy toward women, but for his gentleness with them as well. I suspect he was separated from his mother early on. As for Holmes's appeal, I might direct you to my own thoughts on that subject:
https://crimereads.com/the-mystery-is...

[J.]

Timothy wrote: "It does seem a rather lazy approach. Holmes is certainly known for his antipathy toward women, but for his gentleness with them as well. I suspect he was separated from his mother early on. As for ..."

A very sound analysis. There is a brief interview with Jeremy Brett - he talks about creating/interpreting the character but at the end, makes a few remarks about the appeal that were interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHFex...

[Trey]

I see nothing close to toxic masculinity in Holmes. He definitely is a bit wary of them and, as another stated, does show antipathy towards them as well. There are examples of him being very gentle and understanding with females in the stories. Basing this idea on only two shows, especially when Holmes is the most portrayed and written about fictional character of all time, seems incredibly lazy to me. Not even looking at the original ACD stories is utterly inexcusable. Sometimes people just like to spout ridiculous bs to seem smart and/or relevant.

[Barbara]

I agree that she shouldn't start off using the two TV modern adaptations. Go down a couple paragraphs in the article and it says, "Not knowing the books...."
Pretty much says it all.