I figure different things resonate about the Sherlock Holmes archetype to different people; he has been around long enough and in enough different incarnations (from Conan Doyle's original vision down to Hugh Laurie's Dr. House and further) that I think he qualifies as a cultural archetype more like Batman than a character with a singular, solid canon personality with exact details. It's amazing how much of a phenomenon Sherlock Holmes is and how much he means as a character to a lot of people.
All too true and head-on here. The various beliefs and myths surrounding Sherlock Holmes goes well beyond any one author's canon and concept. This point hit home to me when I wandered into the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London by chance. It was hidden away and charming as hell and, on the next-to-topmost floor (the top floor was the gift shop which I found to be a wonderfully no-pressure sales ploy), there was a "museum" of case artifacts and paperwork and family trees and various bits and bobs. One of the things on a large pedestal was a massive album filled with letters to Mr. Holmes. They ranged from the clearly tongue-in-cheek (I'm pretty damn certain that the Prince of Wales knows SH is a fictional character) to the amusing to the heart-breaking. The line between the character and the belief is a crazy thing. A little girl had written in big Crayon letters that she needed Mr. Holmes to help her find her lost dog. The PoW cordially invites Mr. Holmes to tea... Then there was the long, careful letter from a pre-teen/young teen who was frustrated with local law enforcement and wanted help from Mr. Holmes. A neighbor was being accused of a crime and the rest of the neighborhood were in support of him, turning up evidence that the police refused to look at. Barring the validity of such things or any unbiased reporting... That is a damn powerful character that resonates way beyond the page, however you slice it.
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sforzinda
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Date: 2011-07-25 02:06 am (UTC)All too true and head-on here. The various beliefs and myths surrounding Sherlock Holmes goes well beyond any one author's canon and concept. This point hit home to me when I wandered into the Sherlock Holmes Museum in London by chance. It was hidden away and charming as hell and, on the next-to-topmost floor (the top floor was the gift shop which I found to be a wonderfully no-pressure sales ploy), there was a "museum" of case artifacts and paperwork and family trees and various bits and bobs. One of the things on a large pedestal was a massive album filled with letters to Mr. Holmes. They ranged from the clearly tongue-in-cheek (I'm pretty damn certain that the Prince of Wales knows SH is a fictional character) to the amusing to the heart-breaking. The line between the character and the belief is a crazy thing. A little girl had written in big Crayon letters that she needed Mr. Holmes to help her find her lost dog. The PoW cordially invites Mr. Holmes to tea... Then there was the long, careful letter from a pre-teen/young teen who was frustrated with local law enforcement and wanted help from Mr. Holmes. A neighbor was being accused of a crime and the rest of the neighborhood were in support of him, turning up evidence that the police refused to look at. Barring the validity of such things or any unbiased reporting... That is a damn powerful character that resonates way beyond the page, however you slice it.