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Specialty: Romanian- EnglishDunarea de Jos University, Faculty of Letters

Sherlock Holmes

Professor Examinator:Merila Isabela

Student:Lungu Angela

12.05.2012Galati

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Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes, who first appeared in publication in 1887, was featured in four novelsand 56 short stories. All but four stories are narrated by Holmes's friend and biographer, Dr.John H. Watson; two are narrated by Holmes himself ("The Blanched Soldier" and "TheLion's Mane") and two others are written in the third person ("The Mazarin Stone" and "His

Last Bow"). In two stories ("The Musgrave Ritual" and "The Gloria Scott"), Holmes tellsWatson the main story from his memories, while Watson becomes the narrator of the framestory. Doyle said that the character of Sherlock Holmes was inspired by Dr. Joseph Bell, for whom Doyle had worked as a clerk at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.Holmes is portrayed as a patriot acting on behalf of the government in matters of nationalsecurity in a number of stories. He has an ego that at times borders on arrogant, albeit with

justification; he draws pleasure from baffling police inspectors with his superior deductions.He does not seek fame, however, and is usually content to allow the police to take publiccredit for his work. It is often only when Watson publishes his stories that Holmes's role in thecase becomes apparent. Holmes is a loner and does not strive to make friends, although hevalues those that he has, and none higher than Watson. He attributes his solitary ways to his

particular interests and his mopey disposition. (Wikipedia, 2012)

Holmes's emotional state and mental health have been a topic of analysis for decades. In thenext paragrah I wil make a short anlayse of the way this hero acts in the story A scandal inBohemia."A Scandal in Bohemia" was the first of Arthur Conan Doyle's 56 Sherlock Holmes shortstories to be published in The Strand Magazine and the first Sherlock Holmes story illustrated

by Sidney Paget. ( Wikipedia, 2012)The story line is simple: the king of Boehimia wants to obtain a photo of him with IreneAdler, his ex mistress so he hires the best detective to find that photo. The king is about tomarry with Clotilde Lothman von Saxe-Meiningen, a young Scandinavian princess but Irenethreatens him into exposing their past relationship. Despite Holmes's best efforts, she escapeswith the photograph, but promises never to reveal it; a promise that is accepted by the king.The only woman who impressed Sherlock was Irene Adler. According to Watson she isalways referred to by Holmes with the deepest respect as 'the woman': To Sherlock Holmesshe is always the woman. I have seldom heard him mention her under any other name. In hiseyes she eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex. ( Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; 1891:1 ).When the case is closed, the king asks the dedective how he wants to be paid. Holmes wantsonly the photograph of Adler. He keeps it as a souvenir of the cleverness of Irene Adler, andhow he was beaten by a woman's wit. He admires her and he doesnt want to admit that hemay have fell in love with her. One of the core issues developed here is the fear of intimacy.

This is a fear of emotional involement with another human being and can also function as adefense. And from here appears the fear of betrayal, the fear that friends and the loved onescant be trusted. ( Tyson L; 2006:16) He keeps not only women at distance but also the other

people. He is not a sociable person and Sherlocks only friend is Watson. With Watson thereis a confortable distance: two victorian gentleman, sharing the truest of friendship- the depthand nature of wich would not be understood in todays fast-paced and transient society-aswell as lodgings and adventures, but never their innermost secrets. ( Henry Zecher, 2006) :He never spoke of the softer passions, save with a gibe and a sneer. They were admirablethings for the observer -- excellent for drawing the veil from men's motives and actions. Butfor the trained teasoner to admit such intrusions into his own delicate and finely adjustedtemperament was to introduce a distracting factor which might throw a doubt upon all his

mental results. ( Sir Arthur Conan Doyle; 1891:1 ).Watson believes that Holmes does nothave a relationship because this would affect his capacity of resolving the cases. The

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List of References

Wikipedia (2012) Sherlock Holmes [online] available fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes#Use_of_drugs [23.05.2012]

Wikipedia (2012) A scandal in Bohemia [online] available fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Scandal_in_Bohemia [23.05.2012]

Doyle, A.C. A scandal in Bohemia [online] available from

http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/ScanBohe.shtml#14[23.05.2012]

Tyson, L Critical Theory today A User friendly-guide, second edition (2006)

Zecher, H. (2006) Sherlock Holmes and the 21st Century [online] available fromhttp://www.henryzecher.com/sherlock_holmes.htm [23.05.2012]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes#Use_of_drugshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Scandal_in_Bohemiahttp://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/ScanBohe.shtml#14http://www.henryzecher.com/sherlock_holmes.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes#Use_of_drugshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Scandal_in_Bohemiahttp://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/ScanBohe.shtml#14http://www.henryzecher.com/sherlock_holmes.htm

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