My own complete happiness, and the home-centred interests which rise up around the man who first finds himself master of his own establishment, were sufficient to absorb all my attention, while Holmes, who loathed every form of society with his whole Bohemian soul, remained in our lodgings in Baker Street, buried among his old books, and alternating from week to week between cocaine and ambition, the drowsiness of the drug, and the fierce energy of his own keen nature.That is, of course, from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, which I just started rereading this week. The ascription of "drowsiness" to cocaine jarred me. I've never touched the stuff but my understanding is that its effects are quite the opposite. Did Doyle not know what the drug did? He had medical training, I'm pretty sure, so that shouldn't be the case. According to possibly reliable sources a drowsy effect might result if the coke is cut with something. So it might have been with Holmes, although what I don't know. Anyway, Doyle would drop that aspect of the character soon enough, and maybe the sniggering of actual druggies was another reason.
The stories are highly enjoyable, of course. Holmes and Watson are a natural pair even though they're no longer roomies. These shorter cases have a low-key charm, an ambling quality, that doesn't generally make the jump to the Sherlock TV series. Oh well, you enjoy what you can, and Benedict Cumberbatch does have the ideal voice for the character.
2 comments:
The written stories really are the best way to enjoy Sherlock Holmes. As far as the cocaine drowsiness is concerned my guess would be that Doyle was referring to what happens with the old 7% solution rather than the stuff from S. America that I wouldn't imagine being cut with much that long ago since it was regarded as a rejuvenating tonic.
Cumberbatch does have a good voice and delivery for Sherlock but our favourite remanins Basil Rathbone (and Nigel Bruce). The first two films of that series were wonderful.
My favourite Holmes and Watson joke:
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson decide to go on a camping trip. After dinner and a bottle of wine, they lay down for the night, and go to sleep.
Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend.
"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see."
Watson replied, "I see millions of stars."
"What does that tell you?"
Watson pondered for a minute.
"Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets."
"Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo."
"Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three."
"Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful and that we are small and insignificant."
"Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow."
"What does it tell you, Holmes?"
Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke: "Watson, you idiot. Someone has stolen our tent!"
Oh yes, the 7 % solution. Made famous by the Nicholas Meyer novel and subsequent movie, but mentioned in The Sign of the Four. That does give Doyle some leeway, anyway.
The dozen or so stories in that particular collection are very fun and in some ways quite distinct from each other.
Rathbone made a great Holmes as well. There's a reason he's still remembered. I remember watching his version of Hound of the Baskervilles with you, which was a blast.
A fine, clever joke.
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