Canon Discussion: The Noble Bachelor
Aug. 24th, 2014 08:48 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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sherlock60This week we’re having a look at The Noble Bachelor. As usual, I’ve typed up a few thoughts to get the discussion started.
It was a few weeks before my own marriage… Holmes states that Lord St. Simon is 41 and was born in 1846—which makes this story set in 1887. As we know, Watson says in SIGN that he meets Miss Morstan in 1888…
"Oh, you mean the little problem of the Grosvenor Square furniture van.” Any thoughts?
"…Miss Flora Millar... It appears that she was formerly a danseuse at the Allegro, and that she has known the bridegroom for some years.” What do you think about the relationship between Miss Millar and Lord St. Simon? By the way he treats her, it doesn’t seem likely that he loves her now but do you think he might have loved her at first? Whatever the specifics of their relationship, it was a long-term one, and he had shown no interest in marriage for many years. Perhaps they both accepted they couldn’t marry because of the expectations of society, but St. Simon didn’t want anyone else. Or was it just a case of a selfish man not wanting the burdens of having a wife but happy to have the convenience of keeping a mistress?
I don’t think at any point St. Simon explicitly talks about ending the relationship with Miss Millar. (Flora Millar appears to be angry specifically because he’s getting married.) Did he perhaps hope to keep seeing her after his marriage? If he did formally end the relationship, I’m guessing it was simply because he was afraid of any scandal putting an end to his engagement (and his chances of getting his hands on the dowry). I doubt he would be worried about being faithful to his wife.
"Yes, her father brought her over for this last London season. I met her several times, became engaged to her, and have now married her." “She is swift in making up her mind and fearless in carrying out her resolutions.” “I believe that she is capable of heroic self-sacrifice and that anything dishonourable would be repugnant to her." I wonder about Miss Doran’s thoughts about her engagement—why she agreed to marry Lord St. Simon. From what we know about her, I can’t see her as the kind of person to want to marry for position. She obviously hasn’t been forced into the marriage (she tells us she didn’t love St. Simon but would have been a dutiful wife, and St. Simon does say that before the wedding, she was happy and looking forward to their life together). And I can’t see her agreeing to a marriage purely because her father was keen on it. I mean, when he stopped her seeing Moulton, she carried on seeing her fiancé behind her father’s back and even married him.
"Ah, Watson," said Holmes, smiling, "perhaps you would not be very gracious either, if, after all the trouble of wooing and wedding, you found yourself deprived in an instant of wife and of fortune. I think that we may judge Lord St. Simon very mercifully and thank our stars that we are never likely to find ourselves in the same position.” There’s an awful lot of foreshadowing going on for the unfortunate Watson in this story. There’s Holmes’ reference to losing a wife, and of course we have poor Hatty Doran believing herself bereaved for a year or so.
Next Sunday, 31st August, we’ll be taking a look at Silver Blaze. Hope you can join us then.
It was a few weeks before my own marriage… Holmes states that Lord St. Simon is 41 and was born in 1846—which makes this story set in 1887. As we know, Watson says in SIGN that he meets Miss Morstan in 1888…
"Oh, you mean the little problem of the Grosvenor Square furniture van.” Any thoughts?
"…Miss Flora Millar... It appears that she was formerly a danseuse at the Allegro, and that she has known the bridegroom for some years.” What do you think about the relationship between Miss Millar and Lord St. Simon? By the way he treats her, it doesn’t seem likely that he loves her now but do you think he might have loved her at first? Whatever the specifics of their relationship, it was a long-term one, and he had shown no interest in marriage for many years. Perhaps they both accepted they couldn’t marry because of the expectations of society, but St. Simon didn’t want anyone else. Or was it just a case of a selfish man not wanting the burdens of having a wife but happy to have the convenience of keeping a mistress?
I don’t think at any point St. Simon explicitly talks about ending the relationship with Miss Millar. (Flora Millar appears to be angry specifically because he’s getting married.) Did he perhaps hope to keep seeing her after his marriage? If he did formally end the relationship, I’m guessing it was simply because he was afraid of any scandal putting an end to his engagement (and his chances of getting his hands on the dowry). I doubt he would be worried about being faithful to his wife.
"Yes, her father brought her over for this last London season. I met her several times, became engaged to her, and have now married her." “She is swift in making up her mind and fearless in carrying out her resolutions.” “I believe that she is capable of heroic self-sacrifice and that anything dishonourable would be repugnant to her." I wonder about Miss Doran’s thoughts about her engagement—why she agreed to marry Lord St. Simon. From what we know about her, I can’t see her as the kind of person to want to marry for position. She obviously hasn’t been forced into the marriage (she tells us she didn’t love St. Simon but would have been a dutiful wife, and St. Simon does say that before the wedding, she was happy and looking forward to their life together). And I can’t see her agreeing to a marriage purely because her father was keen on it. I mean, when he stopped her seeing Moulton, she carried on seeing her fiancé behind her father’s back and even married him.
"Ah, Watson," said Holmes, smiling, "perhaps you would not be very gracious either, if, after all the trouble of wooing and wedding, you found yourself deprived in an instant of wife and of fortune. I think that we may judge Lord St. Simon very mercifully and thank our stars that we are never likely to find ourselves in the same position.” There’s an awful lot of foreshadowing going on for the unfortunate Watson in this story. There’s Holmes’ reference to losing a wife, and of course we have poor Hatty Doran believing herself bereaved for a year or so.
Next Sunday, 31st August, we’ll be taking a look at Silver Blaze. Hope you can join us then.
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Date: 2014-08-24 10:12 pm (UTC)I think you're right, by the way, that Hatty always feels a little pressurised by her father's opinion - she doesn't just tell him when she still wants to marry Frank.
I like your idea about the furniture van robbery. That's very neat ^_^
I don't think I'd agree with you that Watson hints St. Simon goes back to Miss Millar. St. Simon does say that she's "a dear little thing" but, I think, in a patronising and disparaging way. I wouldn't describe the way he talks about her as "warm". And we simply don't know if he pretended to be in love with her or not. He gives the impression to Holmes that he didn't pretend - but we never meet Miss Millar to find out one way or the other.