Discussion Post: The Three Gables

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Happy Sunday, everyone. Let's have a chat about The Three Gables, shall we? As always, I've written up a few of my random thoughts and questions. Please add your own!

- *sigh* More Victorian racism. The Victorian attitudes toward virtually anyone who was not a white man evident in some of these stories makes the reading rather painful on occasion, at least to this modern reader. This is definitely one of those times. As I said, *sigh*

- Very curious about Mr. Langdale Pike, professional gossip monger. He sounds fascinating on his own, but mixed up with Holmes? Ah, there are good tales in there to be told. How'd they meet?

- Any guesses about Holmes' relationship to Douglas Maberley? "I have never known anyone so vitally alive. He lived intensely - every fibre of him!" Doesn't that sound like a desciption of Holmes himself? And to call him "one of the most striking men in London"... Well, it leads one to some rather unusual possible conclusions. This does not seem at all like the way he would talk about a random casual acquaintance. Holmes says, "I knew him slightly," but can we take his word on that? He was talking to Douglas' grieving mother at the time, after all.

- Why doesn't Holmes look through the suitcase himself? I know it's a bit intimate - the belongings of a lost son - but the danger was obvious. And why didn't he leave Watson with Mrs. Maberley for the night? Propriety again? Would Watson have been able to protect her?

- One more thing: Mrs. Maberley is one tough lady!

Comments

[hisietari.livejournal.com]

The suitcase probably stayed untouched to keep the mystery going...? :/ Concerning Watson staying there, I guess that Holmes relied on just any gentleman being available to take care of the lady, without the necessity of leaving his precious Watson behind.

[numberthescars.livejournal.com]

I confess, I'm also very curious about Langdale Pike! I don't remember seeing him in any other ACD story, but Watson's description of him as a "strange, languid creature" who acts as a "human book of reference upon all matters of social scandal" made me very curious...and reminded me a bit of Mycroft. What do you think? A straight-forward case of reusing certain character traits, or does Pike have a deeper connection to the Holmes brothers than first meets the eye?

[methylviolet10b]

This is one of the canon stories that doesn't hold water for me, at least not as written. There's no way Holmes would have left those suitcases uninvestigated, or left Mrs. Maberley unprotected - not as presented. I suspect this is one of those cases where Watson is leaving a lot out, if not deliberately misleading us! ;-)

As for Langdale Pike - definitely one of the most intriguing side characters ACD never did anything more with. I agree with you, there are lots of stories to be told there!

[ennui-enigma.livejournal.com]

Yes, I wish there was more about Langdale Pike. Until I reread this story, I had totally forgotten about him. An interesting creature. I can see, numberthescars',point about Pike being the underground version of Mycroft. I could see SH getting Pike out of some sticky legal accusation and thereafter having these occasional mutually beneficial exchanges.

As for Douglas Maberley, I just took it that he was a talented actor that Holmes had admired on stage. After all, SH was a great connoisseur of the arts.It is interesting that Holmes is quick to place the blame on "a love affair - a woman".

Sunday, 24 June 2012

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