RivrDotr
riverdaughter
City of Anywhere
Planet Earth
TABLE TALK
“Welcome, fellow Holmesian!
—tdawg, 950 days ago
“I've just started here. Looking around getting my bearings.
—RivrDotr, 950 days ago
PUBLIC NOTES
Nightingale: The nightingale was a symbol of the "holy joy of the righteous" to early Christians. M. St. Aubert is really wallowing in sentimentality and self-righteous contentment. I wonder how much more of this saccharin stuff is in this book, or is this just the usual first-chapter set-up for the tone of the whole story.
The Mysteries of Udolpho
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Refuge: M. St. Aubert takes refuge in the joys of family and nature under a plane tree. A plane tree is symbolic of Christian love, character, hospitality, and shelter, manifested in the height and spreading branches of the tree. In his mature adulthood, M. St. Aubert takes refuge in his Christian values and morals after an apparently rakish youth.
The Mysteries of Udolpho
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Holmes and Watson contrasted: Note the tone in which Dr. Watson speaks. He expresses a great admiration and confidence in Holmes in a tone that indicates a humble awareness of his own lack in observational and reasoning abilities. He seems comfortable in his own clothes, i.e. he doesn't mind playing an ordinary Joe to Holmes' superior genius.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
High form.: Holmes has exhibited his disdain for the inferior reasoning ability of others by yawning and by peremptorily dismissing the King's attempt at anonymity. His behavior during this interview is over-confident and dismissive almost to rudeness. At the end of the evening, he coldly dismisses Dr. Watson, his friend whom he was so happy to see at the beginning of the evening that he almost showed some warmth, and then asks him to return the next day to discuss the matter. This is typical narcissistic behavior--coldness to cover a sense of superiority and insecurity, and a touch of at least politeness to insure that he is not left alone despite the fact that his outward behavior indicates a sublime independence.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Holmes' vulnerability: Boswell was an 18th century lawyer, diarist, and author, born in Scotland. His writings included descriptions of his travels as well as of people he met and/or knew--much like Dr. Watson's writings. Boswell was also reputed to be a good conversationalist. However, Holmes indicates a need for such an admiring and flattering companion, which fills both is narcissistic as well as his human need for companionship. His narcissism requires constant flattery, which counters his basic personal insecurity; and Dr. Watson's warmth and conversation fill his human need for social contact. It's interesting that a man famous for his independence should have such a common vulnerability, but it is this very thing that makes Holmes more human.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Author's attitude toward the public?: I wonder if Sir Conan Doyle felt a tiny bit incredulous about the apathy, dullness, and inattentiveness of the people around him? Or is this just "fleshing out" Holmes' character? Odd that his famous character should be so loved by so many and be so anti-emotional, and downright rude at times in the "cause" of honesty.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Balancing act: Here the author balances the extreme anti-emotion theme of the previous paragraph with his own "complete happiness" and "home-centered interests." I'm wondering if the author is playing these two extremes off each other in all his books about Sherlock Holmes. It may be that he found these two extremes to be a perpetual conflict in his own, personal life.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's idea of perfection: It seems that the author values cold reasoning and analysis above emotion--even love. Perhaps his profession as a physician required this in order to make a good diagnosis. Perhaps he was an emotional man, and found that his emotions often got in his way of the proper performance of his profession.
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
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