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sherlock60This week we’re having a look at The Man with the Twisted Lip. As always, I’ve typed up a few thoughts to get the discussion started.
…a lady, clad in some dark-coloured stuff… …clad in some sort of light mousseline de soie, with a touch of fluffy pink chiffon at her neck and wrists. To be flippant for a moment: Watson on several occasions appears to notice what women are wearing and to be able to confidently describe their outfits. Is the good doctor a frustrated dress designer? Did he go into medicine purely because it seemed a steadier career?
“Or should you rather that I sent James off to bed?” Ah, the infamous ‘James’ incident. Any thoughts as to why Mrs. Watson should make this slip? And why Watson should choose to immortalise it in his published story? I did wonder (in a previous 60) if calling Watson ‘James’ had something to do with Mrs. Whitney’s presence. That perhaps she had got it into her head that Dr. Watson was called James, and neither of the Watsons wanted to embarrass this ‘young and timid woman’ with an indirect correction. Unlikely I know.
This article runs through the most common explanations for ‘James’ and this one suggests ‘James’ was the surname of a female servant. I suppose the most famous explanation is Dorothy L. Sayers’ theory that the ‘H.’ in Watson’s name stands for ‘Hamish’, and so ‘James’ is a reference to that. (Hamish being an Anglicisation of the vocative form of Seumas, which is the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of James.)
“I was wondering what I should say to this dear little woman to-night when she meets me at the door.” This strikes me as evidence against Holmes disliking women. In DYIN Watson states clearly: [Holmes] disliked and distrusted the [female] sex, but he was always a chivalrous opponent. And Holmes is always polite to women face to face. But here he’s alone with a good friend. Surely there’s no need for any pretence or politeness. Yet he refers to Mrs. St. Clair as a ‘dear little woman’. Tiny bit patronising perhaps, but it demonstrates sympathy and warmth I think.
“But I understand that all the other clothes were found in the room. Would the body be dressed in a coat alone?” I do wonder about the fact that Holmes doesn’t find it odd that the body appears to have been stripped. I mean, what would have been the order of events? St. Clair is partially dressed when his wife sees him in the window (Holmes asks her to confirm later: “Your husband, as far as you could see, had his ordinary clothes on?” She answers: “But without his collar or tie.”), then he’s murdered as his wife tries to get up to him. Holmes says: “[Boone] has little time, for he has heard the scuffle downstairs when the wife tried to force her way up, and perhaps he has already heard from his Lascar confederate that the police are hurrying up the street.” So surely Boone wouldn’t have started stripping the body immediately after death—he would have just have got rid of the body as it was.
“I have seen too much not to know that the impression of a woman may be more valuable than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner.” Holmes may have been impressed by Irene Adler’s intelligence but apparently he still doesn’t believe a woman and an analytical reasoner can sometimes be the same person…
“Well, you can imagine how hard it was to settle down to arduous work at 2 pounds a week when I knew that I could earn as much in a day by smearing my face with a little paint, laying my cap on the ground, and sitting still.” My dear wife knew that I had business in the City. She little knew what. I do wonder about the future of St. Clair’s marriage. His wife patently loves him, but his income is about to drop dramatically…
Next Sunday, 10th August, we’ll be taking a look at The Speckled Band. Hope you can join us then.
…a lady, clad in some dark-coloured stuff… …clad in some sort of light mousseline de soie, with a touch of fluffy pink chiffon at her neck and wrists. To be flippant for a moment: Watson on several occasions appears to notice what women are wearing and to be able to confidently describe their outfits. Is the good doctor a frustrated dress designer? Did he go into medicine purely because it seemed a steadier career?
“Or should you rather that I sent James off to bed?” Ah, the infamous ‘James’ incident. Any thoughts as to why Mrs. Watson should make this slip? And why Watson should choose to immortalise it in his published story? I did wonder (in a previous 60) if calling Watson ‘James’ had something to do with Mrs. Whitney’s presence. That perhaps she had got it into her head that Dr. Watson was called James, and neither of the Watsons wanted to embarrass this ‘young and timid woman’ with an indirect correction. Unlikely I know.
This article runs through the most common explanations for ‘James’ and this one suggests ‘James’ was the surname of a female servant. I suppose the most famous explanation is Dorothy L. Sayers’ theory that the ‘H.’ in Watson’s name stands for ‘Hamish’, and so ‘James’ is a reference to that. (Hamish being an Anglicisation of the vocative form of Seumas, which is the Scottish Gaelic equivalent of James.)
“I was wondering what I should say to this dear little woman to-night when she meets me at the door.” This strikes me as evidence against Holmes disliking women. In DYIN Watson states clearly: [Holmes] disliked and distrusted the [female] sex, but he was always a chivalrous opponent. And Holmes is always polite to women face to face. But here he’s alone with a good friend. Surely there’s no need for any pretence or politeness. Yet he refers to Mrs. St. Clair as a ‘dear little woman’. Tiny bit patronising perhaps, but it demonstrates sympathy and warmth I think.
“But I understand that all the other clothes were found in the room. Would the body be dressed in a coat alone?” I do wonder about the fact that Holmes doesn’t find it odd that the body appears to have been stripped. I mean, what would have been the order of events? St. Clair is partially dressed when his wife sees him in the window (Holmes asks her to confirm later: “Your husband, as far as you could see, had his ordinary clothes on?” She answers: “But without his collar or tie.”), then he’s murdered as his wife tries to get up to him. Holmes says: “[Boone] has little time, for he has heard the scuffle downstairs when the wife tried to force her way up, and perhaps he has already heard from his Lascar confederate that the police are hurrying up the street.” So surely Boone wouldn’t have started stripping the body immediately after death—he would have just have got rid of the body as it was.
“I have seen too much not to know that the impression of a woman may be more valuable than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner.” Holmes may have been impressed by Irene Adler’s intelligence but apparently he still doesn’t believe a woman and an analytical reasoner can sometimes be the same person…
“Well, you can imagine how hard it was to settle down to arduous work at 2 pounds a week when I knew that I could earn as much in a day by smearing my face with a little paint, laying my cap on the ground, and sitting still.” My dear wife knew that I had business in the City. She little knew what. I do wonder about the future of St. Clair’s marriage. His wife patently loves him, but his income is about to drop dramatically…
Next Sunday, 10th August, we’ll be taking a look at The Speckled Band. Hope you can join us then.
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