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Discoveries
Discovered that when trying to free up space in perpetually 'not enough space' phone, 'empty cache' is good for all apps. 'Delete data' is fine for everything but browser. Since no manufacturer these days will tell you anything about phones, tablets, laptops or desktops (instruction manuals, oh yes, I remembers them) one must learn by trial and error; and occasionally that involves deleting all your browser's bookmarks.
Evening with the Young Ladies last night. We watched a Percy Jackson film. Discover that Percy Jackson works infinitely better as a movie than as a book.
I don't say that all recent Holmes pastiche is ridden with vocabulary near misses, but certainly Paul D. Gilbert's stuff is. Not the true howlers, but a string of niggly Wrong Words that eventually begin to grate. "Holmes' long, sinewy fingers reached out greedily for the wire and he began to read it with urgent intent." "...I believe that our client is sincere in her interpretation of the events she has witnessed. As to whether my investigations validate that construer is, of course, an altogether different matter." "...Daxer's hold over Douglas had its roots in Dundas' handling of the Prussian Crisis, the event that precipitated his meteoric rise to political imminence." And on and on.
Evening with the Young Ladies last night. We watched a Percy Jackson film. Discover that Percy Jackson works infinitely better as a movie than as a book.
I don't say that all recent Holmes pastiche is ridden with vocabulary near misses, but certainly Paul D. Gilbert's stuff is. Not the true howlers, but a string of niggly Wrong Words that eventually begin to grate. "Holmes' long, sinewy fingers reached out greedily for the wire and he began to read it with urgent intent." "...I believe that our client is sincere in her interpretation of the events she has witnessed. As to whether my investigations validate that construer is, of course, an altogether different matter." "...Daxer's hold over Douglas had its roots in Dundas' handling of the Prussian Crisis, the event that precipitated his meteoric rise to political imminence." And on and on.
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One of the few Holmes pastich-ers I can bear to read is Lyndsay Faye, who of course wrote ONE Holmes novel and one collection of stories before a bunch of other stuff I really don't care about (how rude of her!). People typically get way too fussy about vocabulary, like in the excerpts you typed here -- as someone pointed out in a new intro to one of the collections (I was just rereading it but can't find my Kindle) the original ACD stories are stripped down. Not a lot of description, either of people or landscapes or houses, not a lot of adjectives, and occasionally the Watson-voice will describe a charming young lady or nice view out a train window or den of iniquity, but it's not at all what people think of as "Victorian." Which is one reason, they went on, why the stories have aged so well, as opposed to the work Doyle actually wanted to be remembered by, heh, which is now read mainly by people writing dissertations. And when people try to write Holmesian nowadays, a lot of the time they wind up trying to write imitations of imitation Victorian, which is when you get stuffy incomprehensible word salad dialogue and overstuffed descriptions.
-- Altho I will also read the Mary Russell novels as comfort braincandy, mostly just the first couple of books. The rest of them are so bad. But they don't even have Jam Watson! They have like Brain-Damaged Jam Watson. I imprinted on Watson EARLY, he is such a great example of a likeable narrator bringing us close to a remote or even cold enigmatic character (like Nick and Gatsby).
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Though I think both she and the Mary Russell books (agreed, comfort, and agreed, *horrible* treatment of Watson) are providing revisionist solutions to The Woman Problem. Holmes' lack of interest/ disdain has become a defect, so Faye frequently makes him come to the aid of women in distress and King goes one worse and makes him marry. IIRC Holmes is polite to his female clients and occasionally chivalrous, so I don't know why this quirk bugs me as much as it does.
That's a very good observation about the style. It's indeed where Gilbert falls down: the man loves him some adjectives and adverbs. Are there no editors any more? (And his Watson is always lighting a cigarette, even in the presence of a lady. Shouldn't he ask first?)
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Holmes' lack of interest/ disdain has become a defect, so Faye frequently makes him come to the aid of women in distress and King goes one worse and makes him marry. IIRC Holmes is polite to his female clients and occasionally chivalrous, so I don't know why this quirk bugs me as much as it does.
It's VERY weird. I think people imprint on Scandal in Bohemia and think Holmes isn't interested in women or that they're beneath him or whatever, but he's never condescending, always helpful and often says good things about their courage or intelligence. (I just finished rereading Copper Beeches.) He just treats women like people. He's far more rude to most men. If anything WATSON is the one who tends to be distracted by the women and maybe....not underestimate them, but he's kind of always responding to them as a man. Holmes doesn't do that.
(And his Watson is always lighting a cigarette, even in the presence of a lady. Shouldn't he ask first?)
Oh dear. Yeah, I think Watson would -- but Holmes wouldn't! Or he might, he's quite often polite. The stereotype of him just being crushingly rude to absolutely everyone is also wrong. That's why I really dislike a lot of modern interpretations, he's not just an asshole. (He is most definitely not a sociopath.) (has Feelings on this matter)
Oh yeah, this is old and from another blog but you might find it amusing http://redredshoes.blogspot.com/2012/12/www-wednesday-12-12-12.html
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the one who tends to be distracted by the women and maybe....not underestimate them, but he's kind of always responding to them as a man. Holmes doesn't do that.
Exactly. It's why I've always seen Holmes as asexual. He doesn't respond to women on any kind of sexual plane.
That's a lovely lovely blog. I want to go and read all the back entries. But it stops at the end of 2016? Trump-induced weltschmerz, was it? (I agree with all opinions expressed, and wasn't immensely impressed by The Italian Secretary FWIW.
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The ones I've seen have just been Holmes & Ripper, altho I think there's a whole series that goes Holmes and the Mummy, Holmes and the Wolfman, &c &c. Not sure why.
I've come across a handful of Holmes&Ripper stories and found them rather badly done. (The movie Murder by Decree was just fine, though the solution was ridiculous.) But I trust Faye more than (cough) certain other writers and will give her a try.
They are mostly terrible (altho I DID just uncover this poster for Study in Terror: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a1/Study_in_terror43.jpg). Faye's quite a good writer, though -- if you read it I'd be interested to know what you think of it!
Exactly. It's why I've always seen Holmes as asexual. He doesn't respond to women on any kind of sexual plane.
He sure doesn't. He's the brain, Watson's the heart. Altho he can be v emotional too! But it's like that early joke, altho I think ACD walked it back, about how he wouldn't care if the earth orbits the sun or otherwise, it's not in his focus.
That's a lovely lovely blog. I want to go and read all the back entries. But it stops at the end of 2016? Trump-induced weltschmerz, was it? (I agree with all opinions expressed, and wasn't immensely impressed by The Italian Secretary FWIW.
Aww thanks! I miss it....yeah, I was just flattened. I just couldn't believe it. Some not-so-small part of me still can't believe it. *hands*
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Shall put Faye in the queue and write up my impressions if and when.
I share your dismay at the election result and I don't even live in your country. 'How can this be happening?' It suddenly made everything seem pointless: I even abandoned my reading challenge for 2016 because really, why bother when the world is coming to an end.
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... and ugh I saw a Holmes pastiche in either the bookstore(Kino) or the library and am kicking myself that I can not remember either title or author. I was pretty distracted enough with stuff on the mind and went in (again it shows how not entirely 'there' I was if I cannot even remember whether I was in the library or the bookshop) for a little (ha!) distraction. But it turns out that my brain was too far gone to even take in the books.
Hopefully I get a chance to go in later and try and see if the book exists even.
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Possibly it's a good thing you missed that book. There are vast quantities of inferior Holmesiana around, and few people get the voices right.
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