Alrighty- Time for me to get super technical about this blog's due date. I was told it was due Sunday evening, but since I go to bed later than about 80% of people, evening for me is around midnight. It is 11:44 as I submit this blog, so ah well.
Back to my book- I've stated before that things such as blackmail, scandalous relationships, and treacherous happenings amongst adults are some of the only things that keep my attention to a book. Along with death and violence.
So my surprise with seeing some violence in this novel was HUGE and it felt abrupt, and yet it was just what I had been waiting and hoping for. This novel is already becoming one of my all-time favourites. The violence occurs when "Holmes dashed into the crowd to protect the lady; but just as he reached her, he gave a cry and dropped down to the ground, with the blood running freely down his face" (Pg 38) The book goes on to say that they do not know who hurt Holmes, but he is not dead. The only reason why Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chose to keep Holmes alive was... You simply can't kill the protagonist in a novel within the first fifty pages.
And yet- What if Holmes had been killed so quickly in the book? The narrative is from Watson's prespective after all, so would that mean Watson would step in and take Holmes' place as the protagonist? Doyle is a detailed orientated person who has a reason for everything, and he probably has grand plans for Holmes later on in the story. We'll see as we continue to read.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Q2: Blog Entry #2
The first adventure in "The Adventure(s) of Sherlock Holmes" is titled, 'A Scandal in Bohemia." The chapter was given this title because Bohemia's king traveled to England in order to meet with Sir Sherlock Holmes and ask for his assistance. A woman that the king had flirted with and exchanged suspicious pictures with in his youth, is now threatening to publish the pictures when the king publicly announces his marriage to a different Bohemian woman.
Call me a corrupt person, but thoughts of black mail and shattered relationships that are the foundation for conspiracy, are genuinely interesting. I'm already entranced by Sir Conan Doyle's writing style as well, because his sentences aren't too long, nor too short. Just right.
But it's time to get back to the plot! Sherlock Holmes just so happens to live near Madame Irene Adler, the woman who has these suspicious photos of the Bohemian king. So he disguised himself as a beggar so that he could explore Adler's neighborhood and try to dig up some dirt on the woman. It turns out Adler has a love interest that she is also getting married to, the very day Holmes ventures out to her neighborhood. So why does Adler still insist on blackmailing the Bohemian king? What are her motives? We, the readers, don't know quite yet.
Another funny thing about this novel, is that it is not narrated by Sherlock Holmes even though he is the main character. It isn't written in the third person perspective either; but first person from Watson's perspective.
"He disappeared into his bedroom, and returned in a few minutes in the character of an amiable and simple-minded Nonconformist clergyman. His broad black hat, his baggy trousers, his white tie, his sympathetic smile, and general look of peering and benevolent curiosity, were such as Mr John Hare alone could have equaled. It was not merely that Holmes changed his costume. His expression, his manner, his very soul seemed to vary with every fresh part that he assumed. The stage lost a fine actor, even as science lost an acute reasoner, when he became a specialist in crime." (Pg 32.)
From this quote alone, it's easy to understand that Watson highly respects and looks up to Sherlock, even though they have a best-friend type relationship where both people are of equal skill and equal footing. However, Watson is essentially saying with this quote, 'How can you NOT look up to Mr. Holmes?' because his disguises which he uses for his work are so believable. Sherlock puts so much effort into making these disguises his life, like Sir Conan Doyle puts so much effort into trying to make his characters come to life. Already we can tell, the author Mr. Doyle highly respects and values hard work, and Sherlock Holmes might be Doyle's idealistic representation of himself.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Call me a corrupt person, but thoughts of black mail and shattered relationships that are the foundation for conspiracy, are genuinely interesting. I'm already entranced by Sir Conan Doyle's writing style as well, because his sentences aren't too long, nor too short. Just right.
But it's time to get back to the plot! Sherlock Holmes just so happens to live near Madame Irene Adler, the woman who has these suspicious photos of the Bohemian king. So he disguised himself as a beggar so that he could explore Adler's neighborhood and try to dig up some dirt on the woman. It turns out Adler has a love interest that she is also getting married to, the very day Holmes ventures out to her neighborhood. So why does Adler still insist on blackmailing the Bohemian king? What are her motives? We, the readers, don't know quite yet.
Another funny thing about this novel, is that it is not narrated by Sherlock Holmes even though he is the main character. It isn't written in the third person perspective either; but first person from Watson's perspective.
"He disappeared into his bedroom, and returned in a few minutes in the character of an amiable and simple-minded Nonconformist clergyman. His broad black hat, his baggy trousers, his white tie, his sympathetic smile, and general look of peering and benevolent curiosity, were such as Mr John Hare alone could have equaled. It was not merely that Holmes changed his costume. His expression, his manner, his very soul seemed to vary with every fresh part that he assumed. The stage lost a fine actor, even as science lost an acute reasoner, when he became a specialist in crime." (Pg 32.)
From this quote alone, it's easy to understand that Watson highly respects and looks up to Sherlock, even though they have a best-friend type relationship where both people are of equal skill and equal footing. However, Watson is essentially saying with this quote, 'How can you NOT look up to Mr. Holmes?' because his disguises which he uses for his work are so believable. Sherlock puts so much effort into making these disguises his life, like Sir Conan Doyle puts so much effort into trying to make his characters come to life. Already we can tell, the author Mr. Doyle highly respects and values hard work, and Sherlock Holmes might be Doyle's idealistic representation of himself.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Q2: Blog Entry #1
For our outside reading project, I will be reading the novel "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The thought process that went through my head as I was selecting this book to read for the project was very simplistic, but made sense to me nonetheless.
'Hm, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Didn't they used to make you read that in school? ...Why haven't I read it yet? It's probably important if someone's been forced to read it. Okay, I'll read it.'
Agatha Christie has been cited before as looking to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for inspiration in her novels, and Agatha Christie is one of the few mystery / suspense authors that I truly enjoy. Her stories such as "Murder on The Orient Express" and "Curtain" leave you hooked and waiting for more, with each and every single word she has written. That simply must mean Mr. Doyle has written a good piece of literature!
From the introduction alone, written by a man by the name of Eric Ambler, we can tell Doyle is very attached to his profession of writing. "In that one year he abandoned medicine to become a full-time professional writer and suffered a bout of influenza that nearly killed him." (Pg 11.) By the sounds of what Ambler said, Doyle had his career path set and destined. Yet Doyle took the time and effort to completely destroy his plans for the future and go into writing. That, is true dedication. Reading something written by a man who is that immersed in his job, will be a true treat- Something I rarely say when reading books. After all, it's easy to tell when someone has put effort into their writing and enjoys it, versus someone who does not.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
'Hm, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Didn't they used to make you read that in school? ...Why haven't I read it yet? It's probably important if someone's been forced to read it. Okay, I'll read it.'
Agatha Christie has been cited before as looking to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for inspiration in her novels, and Agatha Christie is one of the few mystery / suspense authors that I truly enjoy. Her stories such as "Murder on The Orient Express" and "Curtain" leave you hooked and waiting for more, with each and every single word she has written. That simply must mean Mr. Doyle has written a good piece of literature!
From the introduction alone, written by a man by the name of Eric Ambler, we can tell Doyle is very attached to his profession of writing. "In that one year he abandoned medicine to become a full-time professional writer and suffered a bout of influenza that nearly killed him." (Pg 11.) By the sounds of what Ambler said, Doyle had his career path set and destined. Yet Doyle took the time and effort to completely destroy his plans for the future and go into writing. That, is true dedication. Reading something written by a man who is that immersed in his job, will be a true treat- Something I rarely say when reading books. After all, it's easy to tell when someone has put effort into their writing and enjoys it, versus someone who does not.
Doyle, Sir Aurthur Conan. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1996.
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