Discussion Post: The Man with the Twisted Lip

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Hi, everyone! I hope it was a good week for you all, because it certainly was a good week for reading Sherlock Holmes canon with The Man with the Twisted Lip. What did you all think of it? As always, here are some of my random thoughts and questions. Please add your own!

- Now this is what I'm looking for in Sherlock Holmes canon! This case is fantastic. We get drama, tension, humor, sinister implications, and multiple revealed identities. And the interactions between Holmes and Watson are adorable and charming too. They have fun together and we have fun reading about them. The Man with the Twisted Lip is one of my favorite stories.

- "De Quincey’s description of his dreams and sensations" is a reference to Confessions of an Opium Eater, "an autobiographical account written by Thomas De Quincey, about his laudanum (opium and alcohol) addiction and its effect on his life," as its Wikipedia entry says.

- Any theories as to why Mary refers to Watson as "James"? That's... odd, to say the least. A term of affection? A nickname? (There is the other, simpler explanation about authorship, of course, but that's not nearly as much fun.)

- Was it acceptable for Watson to send Isa Whitney, strung out on opium, alone in a cab back home to both of their wives? Does he bear extra responsibility as a doctor or their friend? He did volunteer for the task to fetch him from the den, after all. Kate may have been just happy to have her husband back, but Mary had to deal with both of them, and may not have been as forgiving. I wonder what she said when Watson finally returned. For his part, I understand Watson's actions. His choices were to either accompany a sot back to his weeping wife and deal with them for however long that takes (after an already long, tiring day) or follow Holmes on whatever exciting and bizarre adventure he was already having. I can't totally blame him for taking door number two.

- I think Holmes has a bit of an odd affinity in a way with Neville St. Clair, a man who also made his living on his wits and his acting abilities. St. Clair's scam worked beautifully, and would have kept right on working if not for a random chance encounter with his wife. I liked the point made in the story that any normal beggar would not have been so successful, being actually crippled and needy. A clever healthy man found a good and reliable, if completely unethical, vocation in begging from businessmen.

Comments

[hisietari.livejournal.com]

This is a truly outstanding story, isn't it? I loved the case, for a change, for having so many nice little turns and (for a change) a less gruesome end.

Now, Mary calling her husband James... odd indeed, and immediately pointing at the Moriarty brothers. Was this case really written by the one, the true, the only John Hamish Watson? Has he ever existed? Is this why there seem to be two James Moriartys? Or was it a slip on Mary's side? What's going on when her husband is not at home, and how much do he and Holmes (for he at least must have noticed) know about the situation? Sinister, I say! Sinister! ;P
(We need a story about this.)

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

My theory about "James" is that since Hamish is Watson's middle name, Mary anglicizes it to James.

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Now that's a good theory! I like that a lot! It really gives the incident a sweetness. That's her term of endearment for him. Awww. New headcanon!

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

James is the familiar version of John and often interchangeable in Scotland - though the use is far less common now since the advent of mass media.

No title

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

User thisprettywren referenced to your post from No title (http://holmesian-news.livejournal.com/221301.html) saying: [...] by (BBC) + Misc Discussion Post: The Man with the Twisted Lip [...]

[debriswoman]

In a sense, this is quite a gentle main story; with the shocking images of the opium den as a striking start. I, too, liked this one, takes time with the characters and has some nice interactions and scene descriptions.