Canon Discussion Post: The Creeping Man

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Welcome back, everyone! Let's have some canon Sherlock Holmes discussion, shall we? What did you all think of The Creeping Man? As always, I've written up a few of my own random thoughts and questions, which are behind the jump. Please add your own in the comments!

Discussion about the Granada TV adaptation of this story is available in this week's Granada discussion post.


- It's the end of the line for Holmes' career and similarly, we're nearing the end of our second run through the canon. We have two stories left, The Lion's Mane, set firmly in retirement, and His Last Bow, Holmes and Watson's last hurrah. When we wrap those up, we'll be wrapping up sherlock60 too. After more than a hundred and twenty weeks of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes canon stories and the multitudes of minature 60 word fics inspired by them, this comm will be coming to a close. All the great work will stay up, however, as one of the most amazing collections of Holmesian fic available anywhere. I'll be posting a separate closing post soon with more details, but for now, I just want to thank you all for coming along with us on this crazy little adventure, and for keeping Sherlock Holmes canon readership and fic writing alive!

- So it's finally time for retirement. We don't get many details of how and why Holmes stops with the detective game, but we can take some guesses. For instance, he's frequently and increasingly chastised himself for being slow to put the clues together on cases, and we get some of that here. Although, how he was supposed to have figured out earlier that the real problem was monkey serum is beyond me.

- This case may be but one of Holmes' last, but I don't think Watson had another with him until retirement after this one. It's a rough one for our good doctor. He is shamefully mistreated. At this point in their partnership, Watson feels he is considered more a tool, an object, a habit to Holmes rather than a partner or even a friend. After an extended absence from Baker Street to be with his wife and his busy practice, he is called back even "if inconvenient" to his old rooms and his old chair to find Holmes as neglectful and thoughtless as ever, if not more so. Watson is ignored for the most part, and when he does get to offer any opinions, he is either ridiculed for them or condescended to about them. After Presbury gets mauled and is saved through the doctor's quick work and battlefield skills, Watson's surgical recommendations are summarily overruled too. He doesn't seem to know why he's there with Holmes anymore. He's not getting much if anything out of it, and Holmes isn't really taking anything out of it either, not on a working level at least. And so, with a whimper, one of the greatest professional partnerships in literature comes to a close. I found their ending to be very sad. Watson deserves better than Holmes in many ways.

- This is as close to science fiction as canon Sherlock Holmes stories ever get. What do you think of Holmes investigating the borders of the fantastic or supernatural? He is a realist, as are many of his readers, I suspect. Speaking personally, I find love a realist forced to expand his idea of what reality is. But at the same time, there's something just as undeniably grand that comes about when Holmes gets to disprove the paranormal as well. Skirting these lines in either direction really appeals to me, even if this particular case does not.

Comment away, and join us starting next Sunday for The Lion's Mane!

Comments

[trillsabells.livejournal.com]

He was turning into a monkey?!

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I'm sad to hear that the community will be closing (though I did half-suspect it was coming). Thank you so much for allowing me to join in, and for making me feel so welcome. I will be continuing on my own (on dA) - I'm determined to finish the full 60 ^^ I can only admire the hard work you've put in - sherlock60 is a wonderful achievement. The very best of luck for all your future projects! ^^

Watson's description of their relationship is rather depressing. But I like to think Watson is simply being over-modest. There is an affectionate humour to the phrasing of Holmes' message I think: Come if convenient, if it's inconvenient, come anyway. He could just have written: Come at once - I don't care how inconvenient it is. And there's the fact Holmes is telling him to come at all - Holmes still seems to find Watson necessary for his work.

I think Holmes does genuinely get something out of discussing this case with (at? ^^) Watson. Watson is continuing to be his "conductor of light" even in these last stages of his career.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

I missed out on all the stories that alphabetically come before CREE first time round, and I'd quite like to have a full set, so if you want some company for those you haven't done, let me know.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

So we'd have our own mutual mini-schedule and post to our own individual journals..? Sounds like a good idea ^^ I'd like that.

I was just looking at tweedisgood's list of stories on AO3 because I wasn't sure if you'd gone alphabetically by actual title or by abbreviation ^^" Anyway, I make it 10 before CREE - 5 out of those I haven't written yet. (I started going in the order in which the stories appear in my battered "Complete Adventures" paperback, before I switched to the Baring-Gould order ^^") I've written 30 in total (almost 31 - started on the Valley of Fear this morning ^^) Perhaps if you make a list of the ones you definitely haven't done, I can then write the same one with you some weeks, and the other weeks I can either post the story I've already done or have a crack at one I haven't done yet but you have. (There must be a clearer way of putting it... ^^")

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

You're quite right, there are 10 I'm missing - if you work through the canon:storyname tags above you can see which ones I've not done.

[tweedisgood.livejournal.com]

Mine are all from the first time round, when we went alphabetically by full title, rather than chronologically(insofar as that can be pinpointed) as this time, and are a full set (as I backtracked after starting a few weeks in so I could do all of them).

I'd look forward to seeing you and thesmallhobbit 'collect' them all too :-)

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for making it absolutely clear ^^ (I'd been a bit confused as to where the "three" ones came: at the beginning under "3" or towards the end under "three" ^^")

I'm determined to finish the full 60 now ^^ It's a shame the community is closing but I'm so pleased to have been a part of it, however briefly. I'd been hesitating, and putting off joining - I would have kicked myself if I'd missed out on taking part altogether ^_^

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

It has been a delight to have you along! And sherlock60 isn't over, if you don't want it to be. Keep going and we'll all keep reading. You could do discussions too, if you want. Prompts or such. Maybe thesmallhobbit would be interested also?

No matter what happens, I can't wait to read the rest of your 60s.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I can't speak for thesmallhobbit but I would love for the community to continue on an informal basis; it would be marvellous to still be able to post my ficlets here. I have already arranged a mini-schedule with thesmallhobbit: after LAST we will spend the next 10 Sundays going from ABBE to COPP. That covers the 10 stories my colleague is missing - after that I will be flying solo ^^ The remaining stories won't be in any particular order - it'll just be a case of me filling in whatever I'm missing. (And perhaps I can also post the stories I wrote before I joined. I'll stagger them, naturally ^^")

I wouldn't mind having a crack at the occasional discussion post too - I don't know as much about Holmes as you and some of your members, but it would be the perfect opportunity for me to do a bit more digging, and you do know how I like my long comments ^_^

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

I'm quite happy to continue posting here. And if anyone else wanted to do some catching up too ...

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

It would be nice if other people joined in too ^^ It'll be fine with the two of us, but I think I might eventually become a little self-conscious if it was just me carrying on.

(Btw, hope you didn't get multiple "pings". The system kept declaring my comment had been marked as spam ^^")

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

I imagine I could probably be persuaded to continue to contribute on occasions if you twisted my arm. I'd hate to think you were too self-conscious to post.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I may have perhaps made myself seem more of a delicate flower than I really am ^^ But I would love to have (occasional) company as I finish my collection - after all, the point of joining the community was to have contact with other writers ^_^

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

This is awesome, you guys! I am thrilled that you're going to keep going with these! That is utterly fantastic. I can't wait to read them all.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

On behalf of the ocelot and myself I would like to thank you for running what has proved to be a very interesting and stimulating comm.

I joined last time for this very story (much earlier in the series, since you were proceeding alphabetically) and I discovered when I checked yesterday that right at the beginning I was writing from the animal's viewpoint, so for me things have come full circle.

[tweedisgood.livejournal.com]

On behalf of my late goat I would like to say the same...

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid the ocelot just burped and looked smug.

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

I'm so happy you've been all this way with us here. It's a fantastic writing feat you've achieved, and I have loved to read your wonderfully creative animal stories! Thank you for joining up on our game, and I can't wait to see the rest you've got in store. :)

[chiapetzukamori.livejournal.com]

- You're third point...so sad :-(

- And congratulations on another successful round! I've never been a contributor, but I've absolutely loved reading everyone's takes on the stories and the discussion posts ever since I found the comm towards the end of your 1st round. I'm sad to see the comm go but I guess there's only so many times this can be done! Best of luck to everyone here and I'll keep my eye out for similar projects! ...Especially canon discussions and fic. I enjoy the BBC series but I feel absolutely starved for canon fic, so thanks again to everyone!

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

I can't thank you enough for being a loyal reader! Comms are built on writers, but they need readers too, and your comments were always so welcome. I think you may still see some action on the comm, so keep your eyes out!

[debriswoman]

Just adding a big thank you for the work involved in setting up and keeping this community going. Even when real life has well and truly distracted, and other inspiration has dried up, I have gained a great deal of satisfaction from working through the canon tales and responding and reading. Just one missed this time round, which I will add in. So glad I was nudged in this direction by ennui enigma.

And I look forward to following the postings of those who are continuing.

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Thank *you* for all your incredible work here. I have adored your poems every week. You have a rich talent for words and rhythm, and that's rare indeed. Thanks for joining in on this crazy little adventure. :)

[debriswoman]

My pleasure, I enjoyed the challenge. And thank you for your kind words:-)

[hisietari.livejournal.com]

No more 60s? (O_O) I have to admit that after almost two years, that'd be quite a challenge. I have indeed already started to think about what could be done for a third round, and have a ridiculous thing or two in mind, maybe for crossover work with other fandoms... if that isn't too crass. However, there may always be space to add new full rounds to, as I've recently found this community's AO3 group, and there's deviantArt in either case.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay here, and that's not something I can say about most websites/communities I've been to in these years. Thank you so much for having made and still making it the wonderful place it is!