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sherlock60This week we’re looking at the first six chapters of The Sign of Four. As usual, I’ve typed up a few thoughts to get the discussion started.
Chapter 1
It has to be said that the passage of time between STUD and SIGN is rather strange. On the one hand, it appears that the case in STUD has only recently happened: Holmes refers to it as though it’s the only case Watson has been involved in, and they talk about Watson’s “small brochure” as though it’s only recently been published. And Watson says: "My constitution has not got over the Afghan campaign yet. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it."
But we know Watson was wounded in the Battle of Maiwand which was in 1880, so he must have met Holmes at the latest in 1881. And in SIGN, Miss Morstan lets us know that we are in 1888. Indeed, Watson explicitly states: More than once during the years that I had lived with him in Baker Street… Very rum.
Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance… But Watson says later that they’ve been living together for some years. And he suspects Holmes of taking narcotics in STUD but he doesn’t witness him taking them, and in fact immediately abandons his suspicion. So when and why does Holmes start taking the drugs in front of Watson?
I made no remark however, but sat nursing my wounded leg. I had had a Jezail bullet through it some time before… And of course, in STUD Watson says he was struck on the shoulder. Any ideas?
I handed him over the watch with some slight feeling of amusement in my heart… I have to say that Watson seems rather dispassionate about his recent bereavement—happy to use the watch and his late brother for a test of Holmes’ skills. Any thoughts on Watson’s family? In STUD he says that has no family in England, but his brother must have been living in England at least for a while before his death. Holmes talks about the marks that “pawnbrokers in England” leave inside watch cases. I also presume H. Watson must have been living a fair distance away from London as the watch had to be sent to Watson. And who was the person who got it cleaned before sending it on?
“I never even knew that you had a brother until you handed me the watch." Watson and Holmes do seem to be keeping their cards close to their chest with regards to their backgrounds. But in GREE we are introduced to Mycroft Holmes—GREE being a story that takes place before Watson’s marriage to Miss Morstan. So although Holmes eventually reveals to Watson he has a brother after a friendship of some years, at that point Watson still keeps his own brother to himself. Is he embarrassed about his brother’s drinking? And why keep his bereavement to himself but then hand over the watch to Holmes to analyse?
Chapter 2
“…you once enabled my employer, Mrs. Cecil Forrester, to unravel a little domestic complication.” Enter Miss Mary Morstan. Any thoughts on the “domestic complication”?
“About six years ago…” “I had at that time just entered the family of Mrs. Cecil Forrester in the capacity of governess.” Any thoughts on Miss Morstan’s life for those four years between her father’s disappearance and her starting work in the Forrester household? Did she have to start work immediately, do you think? Did the family of a school friend maybe take her in?
"What a very attractive woman!" I exclaimed, turning to my companion. "Is she?" he said languidly; "I did not observe." Is Holmes perhaps treating Miss Morstan more fairly than Watson? He knows that he has to wait to find out what she is truly like but Watson is romanticising her a little. Holmes doesn’t simply go by first appearances.
Chapter 5
“I have seen something of the sort on the side of a hill near Ballarat, where the prospectors had been at work." It was the New Annotated Sherlock Holmes that drew my attention to this. Watson talks about Australia as though he’s been there. That statement doesn’t really suggest he’s merely referring to a picture. So when was he there? The New Annotated introduced me to the theory that Watson spent part of his childhood in Australia. It might explain where most of his family are.
Chapter 6
“I'll never forget how you lectured us all on causes and inferences and effects in the Bishopgate jewel case.” Any ideas about this case?
Next Sunday, 6th July, we’ll be finishing off The Sign of Four by looking at chapters 7 – 12. Hope to see you then.
Chapter 1
It has to be said that the passage of time between STUD and SIGN is rather strange. On the one hand, it appears that the case in STUD has only recently happened: Holmes refers to it as though it’s the only case Watson has been involved in, and they talk about Watson’s “small brochure” as though it’s only recently been published. And Watson says: "My constitution has not got over the Afghan campaign yet. I cannot afford to throw any extra strain upon it."
But we know Watson was wounded in the Battle of Maiwand which was in 1880, so he must have met Holmes at the latest in 1881. And in SIGN, Miss Morstan lets us know that we are in 1888. Indeed, Watson explicitly states: More than once during the years that I had lived with him in Baker Street… Very rum.
Three times a day for many months I had witnessed this performance… But Watson says later that they’ve been living together for some years. And he suspects Holmes of taking narcotics in STUD but he doesn’t witness him taking them, and in fact immediately abandons his suspicion. So when and why does Holmes start taking the drugs in front of Watson?
I made no remark however, but sat nursing my wounded leg. I had had a Jezail bullet through it some time before… And of course, in STUD Watson says he was struck on the shoulder. Any ideas?
I handed him over the watch with some slight feeling of amusement in my heart… I have to say that Watson seems rather dispassionate about his recent bereavement—happy to use the watch and his late brother for a test of Holmes’ skills. Any thoughts on Watson’s family? In STUD he says that has no family in England, but his brother must have been living in England at least for a while before his death. Holmes talks about the marks that “pawnbrokers in England” leave inside watch cases. I also presume H. Watson must have been living a fair distance away from London as the watch had to be sent to Watson. And who was the person who got it cleaned before sending it on?
“I never even knew that you had a brother until you handed me the watch." Watson and Holmes do seem to be keeping their cards close to their chest with regards to their backgrounds. But in GREE we are introduced to Mycroft Holmes—GREE being a story that takes place before Watson’s marriage to Miss Morstan. So although Holmes eventually reveals to Watson he has a brother after a friendship of some years, at that point Watson still keeps his own brother to himself. Is he embarrassed about his brother’s drinking? And why keep his bereavement to himself but then hand over the watch to Holmes to analyse?
Chapter 2
“…you once enabled my employer, Mrs. Cecil Forrester, to unravel a little domestic complication.” Enter Miss Mary Morstan. Any thoughts on the “domestic complication”?
“About six years ago…” “I had at that time just entered the family of Mrs. Cecil Forrester in the capacity of governess.” Any thoughts on Miss Morstan’s life for those four years between her father’s disappearance and her starting work in the Forrester household? Did she have to start work immediately, do you think? Did the family of a school friend maybe take her in?
"What a very attractive woman!" I exclaimed, turning to my companion. "Is she?" he said languidly; "I did not observe." Is Holmes perhaps treating Miss Morstan more fairly than Watson? He knows that he has to wait to find out what she is truly like but Watson is romanticising her a little. Holmes doesn’t simply go by first appearances.
Chapter 5
“I have seen something of the sort on the side of a hill near Ballarat, where the prospectors had been at work." It was the New Annotated Sherlock Holmes that drew my attention to this. Watson talks about Australia as though he’s been there. That statement doesn’t really suggest he’s merely referring to a picture. So when was he there? The New Annotated introduced me to the theory that Watson spent part of his childhood in Australia. It might explain where most of his family are.
Chapter 6
“I'll never forget how you lectured us all on causes and inferences and effects in the Bishopgate jewel case.” Any ideas about this case?
Next Sunday, 6th July, we’ll be finishing off The Sign of Four by looking at chapters 7 – 12. Hope to see you then.
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