#vall acd

[astudyincanon]

Frank Wiles’ illustration of Holmes in The Valley of Fear, 1914

image via the Toronto Public Library’s Special Collection

[hudders-and-hiddles]

series five of bbc sherlock: sherlock switches from twitter to tumblr

five minutes later:

[travelingwithoutthedoctor]

Holmes and Watson know each other really well. Really really well. As this story needs to tell us several times.

[gralto]

[materialofonebeing]

Holmes and Watson bickering

“I am inclined to think—” said I. “I should do so,” Sherlock Holmes remarked impatiently.  [...] “Really, Holmes,” said I severely, “you are a little trying at times.”

The Valley of Fear opens charmingly with Holmes and Watson getting on one another’s nerves.  I was thinking, not about the painful disagreements, but about what else they bickered:

- Holmes’s papers, Watson’s “great crux.”

- Criminal relics “in the butter-dish or in even less desirable places.”

- Indoor shooting.  “I felt strongly that neither the atmosphere nor the appearance of our room was improved by it."

- Taste in art (X).

- Holmes’s “scraping upon his violin”

- Holmes’s objections to Watson’s writing.  At first a sore spot, then a long-running joke (X).

- “the other little weaknesses on which you have favoured me with your medical views”

- Holmes’s not commiserating with Watson about ladies’ attractiveness.  “You really are an automaton”

- “the fact that I do not waste words or disclose my thoughts while a case is actually under consideration”

- Holmes’s egotism.  Again, irritating at first, but Holmes later played it up to make Watson smile:  “If the greengrocer had such a thing as a laurel wreath, I should send Billy round for it.”

What else?

[hudders-and-hiddles]

i rose and, leaning over him, stared down at the curious inscription

do you think he ruffled holmes’ hair while he was at it? placed a soothing hand on the back of his neck? bent down and gave him a peck on the cheek? whispered some private joke to make him laugh?

whether there’s more than what he wrote or not, leaning over someone like that is terribly intimate. waston could have asked holmes to pass him the inscription. he could have leaned across the table to look at it. but no, instead he chose to get up, cross over to holmes’ side, and placed himself deliberately into holmes’ space instead, bending over him in a way that would certainly leave their bodies brushing.

as i said, that seems awfully intimate for two men who are supposedly just friends and flatmates

[hudders-and-hiddles]

When any of that party talk about ‘He’ you know whom they mean. There is one predominant ‘He’ for all of them.

has porlock been scoping out moriarty or voldemort?

[astudyincanon]

We’re Back!

For the next few weeks we’ll be reading:

The Valley of Fear (#VALL ACD)

ACD broke the story into two parts, but because of word count, we are going to split it into three.  Here is the schedule...

As always, feel free to read at your own pace.  Don’t worry if you get ahead or behind, we will be tracking the tags for the story, so we’ll post what we find as the month goes along!

We are so happy to be back.  Signal boosts are very much appreciated.  Help us spread the word!