Canon Discussion: The Lion's Mane
Mar. 6th, 2016 08:01 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 Lion’s Mane. I’ve typed up a few thoughts and questions to get the discussion going—please leave your own ideas in the comments!
I had given myself up entirely to that soothing life of Nature for which I had so often yearned during the long years spent amid the gloom of London. It does perhaps seem a little surprising that Holmes has become interested in nature. In CARD Watson says that “appreciation of nature found no place amongst his many gifts.” But Holmes was a relatively young man then—perhaps his feelings changed as he moved into middle-age. In BLAC, Holmes says to Watson: “Let us walk in these beautiful woods… and give a few hours to the birds and the flowers.” Holmes does spend many years dealing with the worst aspects of humanity—perhaps he eventually feels the need to distance himself from people more.
At this period of my life the good Watson had passed almost beyond my ken. An occasional week-end visit was the most that I ever saw of him. So, why have Holmes and Watson drifted apart? Is it just the geographical difference? Is Watson indeed married? Does “week-end visit” mean Watson comes to Sussex or that Holmes goes to London, or both?
At this period of my life… Like BLAN, LION was published in 1926. What was the situation between Holmes and Watson at that point?
He and I were always friendly from the day I came to the coast, and he was the one man who was on such terms with me that we could drop in on each other in the evenings without an invitation. It seems odd that Holmes and Stackhurst should have become friendly from the word go—it doesn’t seem to fit in with Holmes’ personality. Even he and Watson didn’t truly become friends immediately. Was Holmes feeling lonely and looking for a friend? Though it perhaps isn’t a close friendship—Stackhurst calls Holmes “Mr. Holmes”.
The man was dressed only in his Burberry overcoat, his trousers, and an unlaced pair of canvas shoes. Stepping out of the Game, it has to be said that ACD doesn’t play fair with us here. He successfully leads us away from the idea McPherson had been in the water but he doesn’t do it in a terribly convincing manner. Poor McPherson was in agony and sopping wet but apparently still managed to get his trousers back on. And by the time he reaches Holmes and Stackhurst he’s so dry that Holmes doesn’t realise he’s been in the water.
In ACD’s defence, last time we looked at LION![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tardisjournal suggested there may have been a short window when the fear and adrenaline allowed McPherson to act in a relatively normal manner. I still think though that getting trousers on when the skin is wet would be tricky at the best of times.
Also, there’s a theory in The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes that Holmes may have interpreted any water left on McPherson’s body as sweat.
...for there lay his towel on a rock. It was folded and dry, so that it would seem that, after all, he had never entered the water. ...he had returned without bathing, or at any rate without drying himself. Again we have ACD not playing fair with us. Casually chucking in Holmes thinking “at any rate without drying himself” doesn’t take away the fact that Holmes inclines towards the false—and misleading—reasoning that, as the towel is dry, then McPherson can’t have been in the water. Surely a highly experienced detective wouldn’t make such a basic mistake?
“But for a year or more Murdoch has been as near to McPherson as he ever could be to anyone.” Isn’t this friendship surprising? Murdoch attacked McPherson’s dog—that’s a big thing to forgive. And they were in love with the same woman.
Women have seldom been an attraction to me, for my brain has always governed my heart… “Seldom” is an intriguing word here. Have there been women Holmes was attracted to? Or is this just a discreet way of saying “I’m not attracted to women but even I could tell she was a lovely girl”?
It was my old housekeeper who heard of it first by that strange wireless by which such people collect the news of the countryside. Any thoughts on Holmes’ housekeeper? My house is lonely. I, my old housekeeper, and my bees have the estate all to ourselves. The implication is that she’s living in. (Poor woman). What does she think of Holmes?
You will know, or Watson has written in vain, that I hold a vast store of out-of-the-way knowledge, without scientific system... My mind is like a crowded boxroom with packets of all sorts stowed away therein - so many that I may well have but a vague perception of what was there. And yet here Holmes is contradicting what Watson reported in STUD: “The skilful workman… will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work… and all in the most perfect order.”
Next Sunday, 13th March, we’ll be having a look at The Retired Colourman. Hope you can join us then.
I had given myself up entirely to that soothing life of Nature for which I had so often yearned during the long years spent amid the gloom of London. It does perhaps seem a little surprising that Holmes has become interested in nature. In CARD Watson says that “appreciation of nature found no place amongst his many gifts.” But Holmes was a relatively young man then—perhaps his feelings changed as he moved into middle-age. In BLAC, Holmes says to Watson: “Let us walk in these beautiful woods… and give a few hours to the birds and the flowers.” Holmes does spend many years dealing with the worst aspects of humanity—perhaps he eventually feels the need to distance himself from people more.
At this period of my life the good Watson had passed almost beyond my ken. An occasional week-end visit was the most that I ever saw of him. So, why have Holmes and Watson drifted apart? Is it just the geographical difference? Is Watson indeed married? Does “week-end visit” mean Watson comes to Sussex or that Holmes goes to London, or both?
At this period of my life… Like BLAN, LION was published in 1926. What was the situation between Holmes and Watson at that point?
He and I were always friendly from the day I came to the coast, and he was the one man who was on such terms with me that we could drop in on each other in the evenings without an invitation. It seems odd that Holmes and Stackhurst should have become friendly from the word go—it doesn’t seem to fit in with Holmes’ personality. Even he and Watson didn’t truly become friends immediately. Was Holmes feeling lonely and looking for a friend? Though it perhaps isn’t a close friendship—Stackhurst calls Holmes “Mr. Holmes”.
The man was dressed only in his Burberry overcoat, his trousers, and an unlaced pair of canvas shoes. Stepping out of the Game, it has to be said that ACD doesn’t play fair with us here. He successfully leads us away from the idea McPherson had been in the water but he doesn’t do it in a terribly convincing manner. Poor McPherson was in agony and sopping wet but apparently still managed to get his trousers back on. And by the time he reaches Holmes and Stackhurst he’s so dry that Holmes doesn’t realise he’s been in the water.
In ACD’s defence, last time we looked at LION
tardisjournal suggested there may have been a short window when the fear and adrenaline allowed McPherson to act in a relatively normal manner. I still think though that getting trousers on when the skin is wet would be tricky at the best of times.Also, there’s a theory in The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes that Holmes may have interpreted any water left on McPherson’s body as sweat.
...for there lay his towel on a rock. It was folded and dry, so that it would seem that, after all, he had never entered the water. ...he had returned without bathing, or at any rate without drying himself. Again we have ACD not playing fair with us. Casually chucking in Holmes thinking “at any rate without drying himself” doesn’t take away the fact that Holmes inclines towards the false—and misleading—reasoning that, as the towel is dry, then McPherson can’t have been in the water. Surely a highly experienced detective wouldn’t make such a basic mistake?
“But for a year or more Murdoch has been as near to McPherson as he ever could be to anyone.” Isn’t this friendship surprising? Murdoch attacked McPherson’s dog—that’s a big thing to forgive. And they were in love with the same woman.
Women have seldom been an attraction to me, for my brain has always governed my heart… “Seldom” is an intriguing word here. Have there been women Holmes was attracted to? Or is this just a discreet way of saying “I’m not attracted to women but even I could tell she was a lovely girl”?
It was my old housekeeper who heard of it first by that strange wireless by which such people collect the news of the countryside. Any thoughts on Holmes’ housekeeper? My house is lonely. I, my old housekeeper, and my bees have the estate all to ourselves. The implication is that she’s living in. (Poor woman). What does she think of Holmes?
You will know, or Watson has written in vain, that I hold a vast store of out-of-the-way knowledge, without scientific system... My mind is like a crowded boxroom with packets of all sorts stowed away therein - so many that I may well have but a vague perception of what was there. And yet here Holmes is contradicting what Watson reported in STUD: “The skilful workman… will have nothing but the tools which may help him in doing his work… and all in the most perfect order.”
Next Sunday, 13th March, we’ll be having a look at The Retired Colourman. Hope you can join us then.
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