Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies
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5ConclusionWhen Doyle created his consulting detective in 1887, no one could predict the popularity of the character and the fascination with it in the years to come. Sherlock Holmes has become a synonym for detective and many consider the character to be a hero similar to Superman, Batman and others. However, Doyle never controlled the actions of his detective, the outcome of Holmes’ death in Reichenbach Falls serving as a proof. “The public, not his creator, had come to own Holmes” (Graham and Garlen, 24). The fans ensured the consulting detective kept astonishing the world with his deductions many years after Doyle’s passing. Both screen and stage renditions, as well as plenty of literary works inspired by Doyle’s stories, helped to develop the character as one knows it today. Many readers and viewers would not become fans of the detective if it was not for the adaptations. Throughout the years, they introduced the character to a wider audience and, thus, securing the position of Holmes as one of the most popular fictional characters. Recently, the popularity of Sherlock Holmes has increased greatly. Sherlock, Elementary and Sherlock Holmes franchise have significantly added to the creation of a modern phenomenon. Even though the public’s fondness of the character has put an enormous pressure on them to maintain the legacy, they managed to make the stories relatable and approachable to the contemporary viewer. At first, the Sherlock Holmes movies may seem as the most faithful to the original. However, given the limited time, they adopt mostly just the canonical idea of the detective making him a Hollywood action hero and, thus, satisfying both new viewers and old Sherlockians. Sherlock might be set in modern-day, yet the elaboration of the plot and the characters makes it the closest to the original. Elementary is, without a doubt, only loosely based on the canon. Nonetheless, the innovate approach to the characters emphasizes the qualities that they were given by Doyle himself. Despite being set in different periods and stressing different features of the original canon, the main focus of the renditions are the relationships of Sherlock Holmes, especially his friendship with Watson. Audiences long for the inseparable duo that can conquer the world. They often see a friendship that has evolved into a romantic relationship and they thrive on the subtext in every scene. The notion of Holmes in love, whoever with, is a common theme found in all the three adaptations and it opens the human side of the detective, his emotions and his feelings to the audience. The emancipation of female characters is also evident in the recent renditions. The number of recurring women who influence the plot and the characters has widened since the 19th century. Although they rarely depict them as equals to Holmes, their significance in attracting more viewers cannot be denied. Ultimately, the key to popularity of the consulting detective in the 21st century does not reside in setting the story in modern times and cities around the world. It is not about letting him use the most advanced technologies available and seeing him fight current terrors. It is not about the physical attractiveness of the actors and how famous they are. It is not about the homoerotic subtext and the sexual tension. It is not even about the emancipation of women and their ability to allure the detective. Although these aspects certainly help enormously, the reason behind Sherlock Holmes becoming a phenomenon of the 21st century is simply making him more human. As Watson expresses in Sherlock: “You [are] the best man and the most human human-being that I have ever known.” (“The Reichenbach Fall”, 01:26:10). This is what the renditions strive for. They depict the character as a loving, caring individual who would do the impossible to save the people he loves. Essentially, this makes him the greatest detective to ever exist. 6Works Cited and Consulted6.1Primary SourcesDoherty, Robert, creator. Elementary. Columbia Broadcasting System, 2016. Doyle, Arthur Conan. Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Illustrated Short Stories. Bounty Books, 2013. ---. A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of the Four. Wordsworth Editions Limited, 2004. ---. The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Valley of Fear. Wordsworth Editions Limited, 1999. Moffat, Steven and Mark Gattis, creators. Sherlock. British Broadcasting Corporation. BBC, 2016.
"The Baker Street Irregulars™." The Baker Street Irregulars (BSI): Sherlock Holmes Literary Society. Accessed 23 Oct. 2016. www.bakerstreetirregulars.com Bochman, Svetlana. “Investigating Victorian Propriety in Money Matters.” Sherlock Holmes For The 21St Century: Essays on New Adaptations, edited by Lynnette R. Porter, McFarland & Company, c2012. pp. 155-63. “bromance.” Oxford English Dictionary. 2016. OED online. Accessed 06 Nov. 2016. Cheshire, Gerard. Life and Times. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. by Arthur Conan Doyle, Harper, 2010. pp. V-X. Davies, David Stuart. Introduction. The Hound of the Baskervilles and the Valley of Fear. by Arthur Conan Doyle, Wordsworth Classics, 1999. pp. VII-XI ---. The Sherlock Holmes Book. Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2015. The Deadline Team. "Full 2013-2014 TV Season Series Rankings." Deadline. 22 May 2014. Accessed 05 Nov. 2016.
“fan fiction.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2016. Accessed 08 Nov. 2016. Gordon, Meghan R. “Women: Worldly, Wordy, or Un-written An Analysis of the Women of Sherlock Holmes and the Victorian English Era.” Rollins Undergraduate Research Journal, 2011. pp. 1-6. Graham, Anissa M. and Jennifer C. Garlen. “Sex and the Single Sleuth.” Sherlock Holmes For The 21St Century: Essays on New Adaptations, edited by Lynnette R. Porter, McFarland & Company, c2012. pp. 24-34. Guinness World Records. "Sherlock Holmes Awarded Title for Most Portrayed Literary Human Character in Film & TV." Guinness World Records. 14 May 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2016.
"Guy Ritchie." Movie Box Office Results. Accessed 05 Nov. 2016. www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=guyritchie.htm “heartthrob.” Merriam-Webster.com. 2016. Accessed 06 Nov. 2016. Hewett, Richard. "Canon Doyle?: Getting Holmes Right (And Getting the Rights) For Television." Adaptation 8.2, 2015. pp. 192-206. Jones, Paul. "Sherlock Is Most Watched BBC Drama Series for over a Decade." RadioTimes. 22 Jan. 2014. Accessed 25 Oct. 2016. www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-01-22/sherlock-is-most-watched-bbc-drama-series-for-over-a-decade Lantagne, Stacey M. "Sherlock Holmes And the Case of The Lucrative Fandom: Recognizing the Economic Power of Fanworks And Reimagining Fair Use in Copyright." Michigan Telecommunications & Technology Law Review, 2015. pp. 263-315 La Paz, Anna E. “The Modern Adaptation and Recreation of the Scientist Detective Hero.” Sherlock Holmes For The 21St Century: Essays on New Adaptations, edited by Lynnette R. Porter, McFarland & Company, c2012. pp. 81-92. Lavigne, Carlen. “The Noble Bachelor and the Crooked Man.” Sherlock Holmes For The 21St Century: Essays on New Adaptations, edited by Lynnette R. Porter, McFarland & Company, c2012. pp. 13-23. Leitch, Thomas M. Film Adaptation and Its Discontents: From Gone with the Wind to The Passion of the Christ. Johns Hopkins UP, 2007. Google Books. Moraes, Lisa De. "Full 2015-16 TV Season Series Rankings: ‘Blindspot’, ‘Life in Pieces’ & ‘Quantico’ Lead Newcomers." Deadline. 26 May 2016. Accessed 05 Nov. 2016. www.deadline.com/2016/05/tv-season-2015-2016-series-rankings-shows-full-list-1201763189 O'Neill, Phelim. "Elementary – Box Set Review." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 17 Jan. 2014. Accessed 05 Nov. 2016. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/jan/17/elementary-box-set-review Pearson, Hesketh. Conan Doyle: His Life and Art. Methuen, 1943. Poole, Cassandra. “’The Woman’ and the Women of Sherlock Holmes.” James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal 1.1, 2014. pp. 16-23. Poore, Benjamin. "Sherlock Holmes And the Leap of Faith: The Forces of Fandom and Convergence in Adaptations of The Holmes And Watson Stories." Adaptation 6.2, 2013. pp. 158-171. Porter, Lynnette. “True to Their Victorian Roots.” Sherlock Holmes For The 21St Century: Essays on New Adaptations, edited by Lynnette R. Porter, McFarland & Company, c2012. pp. 181-91. Porter, Lynnette R., editor. Sherlock Holmes For The 21St Century: Essays on New Adaptations. McFarland & Company, c2012. Redmond, Chris. A Sherlock Holmes Handbook. Dundurn, 2009. Google Books. Riley, Dick and Pam McAllister. The Bedside Companion to Sherlock Holmes: a Unique Guide to the World's Most Famous Detective. Barnes & Noble, 2005. “Robert Downey Jr.” Golden Globes, Accessed 05 Nov. 2016.
Scott, A. O. “The Brawling Supersleuth of 221B Baker Street Socks It to ’Em.” The New York Times, 24 Dec. 2009. Accessed 05 Nov. 2016. www.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/movies/25sherlock.html Stein, Louisa Ellen, and Kristina Busse. Sherlock And Transmedia Fandom: Essays on The BBC Series. McFarland & Company, c2012. Taylor, Rhonda Harris. “A Singular Case of Identity.” Sherlock Holmes For The 21St Century: Essays on New Adaptations, edited by Lynnette R. Porter, McFarland & Company, c2012. pp. 93-112.
Thomas, Kayley. “Bromance is so passé.” Sherlock Holmes For The 21St Century: Essays on New Adaptations, edited by Lynnette R. Porter, McFarland & Company, c2012. pp. 35-47. Zinsser, William. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. 30th anniversary ed., 7th ed., rev. and updated. HarperCollins, c2006.
1 Guinness World Records. "Sherlock Holmes Awarded Title for Most Portrayed Literary Human Character in Film & TV." Guinness World Records. 14 May 2012. Web. 23 Oct. 2016. www.guinnessworldrecords.com/news/2012/5/sherlock-holmes-awarded-title-for-most-portrayed-literary-human-character-in-film-tv-41743 2 The Victorian era was a period of rule of the Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. 3 There are fourteen movies in the series, Nazis theme appears in Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942), Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1943) and Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943) 5 The animated television series aired from 1999 to 2001 and was produced by Fox Kids Network and STV, a Scottish network. 6 Rex Stout was an American author of detective fiction, well-known for creating a fictional detective Nero Wolfe and his assistant Archie Goodwin. 7 “The literary society dedicated to the study of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and the Victorian world.” ("The Baker Street Irregulars™") 8 British Broadcasting Corporation is a British television network 9 Fox Broadcasting Company is an American television network 10 Global Television Network is a Canadian English-language television network. 11 an American police drama broadcast on CBS from 2000 to 2015 12 an American police drama broadcast on NBC (National Broadcasting Company) from 1990 to 2010 13 an American detective comedy-drama broadcast on USA Network from 2006 to 2014 14 an American crime drama broadcast on FOX from 2005 to 2016 15 an American detective comedy-drama broadcast on USA Network from 2002 to 2009 16 an American medical drama broadcast on FOX from 2004 to 2012 17 Public Broadcasting Service is an American network 18 Watson’s blog is www.johnwatsonblog.co.uk, Holmes ‘s blog is www.thescienceofdeduction.co.uk 19 Jones, Paul. "Sherlock Is Most Watched BBC Drama Series for over a Decade." RadioTimes. 22 Jan. 2014. Accessed 25 Oct. 2016. www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-01-22/sherlock-is-most-watched-bbc-drama-series-for-over-a-decade. 20 The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards 21 BAFTA. Accessed 25 Oct. 2016. www.awards.bafta.org. 22 Television Academy. Accessed 25 Oct. 2016. www.emmys.com/awards. 23 The Deadline Team. "Full 2013-2014 TV Season Series Rankings." Deadline. 22 May 2014. Accessed 05 Nov. 2016. www.deadline.com/2014/05/tv-season-series-rankings-2013-full-list-2-733762 24 Moraes, Lisa De. "Full 2015-16 TV Season Series Rankings: ‘Blindspot’, ‘Life in Pieces’ & ‘Quantico’ Lead Newcomers." Deadline. 26 May 2016. Accessed 05 Nov. 2016. www.deadline.com/2016/05/tv-season-2015-2016-series-rankings-shows-full-list-1201763189. 25 O'Neill, Phelim. "Elementary – Box Set Review." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 17 Jan. 2014. Accessed 05 Nov. 2016. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2014/jan/17/elementary-box-set-review. 26 "Guy Ritchie." Movie Box Office Results. Accessed 05 Nov. 2016. www.boxofficemojo.com/people/chart/?view=Director&id=guyritchie.htm. 27 Scott, A. O. “The Brawling Supersleuth of 221B Baker Street Socks It to ’Em.” The New York Times, 24 Dec. 2009. Accessed 05 Nov. 2016. www.nytimes.com/2009/12/25/movies/25sherlock.html. 28 “The 82nd Academy Awards | 2010.” Oscars.org, Accessed 05 Nov. 2016. www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2010. 29 “Robert Downey Jr.” Golden Globes, Accessed 05 Nov. 2016. www.goldenglobes.com/person/robert-downey-jr. 30 Merriam-Webster dictionary defines heartthrob as “an attractive and usually famous man “. 31 “A Scandal in Belgravia“ is the first episode in the second season of Sherlock 32 The name of the episode is “The Great Game” 33 American buddy cop series from CBS, FOX and ABC (American Broadcasting Company) production, respectively. 34 Merriam-Webster dictionary defines fan fiction as “stories involving popular fictional characters that are written by fans and often posted on the Internet”. 35 Magnussen appears in the third episode of season three called “His Last Vow”. 36 The term ‘New Woman’ was popularized by an American author Henry James “to describe the increase in independent, career-minded women toward the end of the nineteenth century” (Poole 18). Download 165.71 Kb. Share with your friends:
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