1. Barthes, Roland. The Death of the Author. (1969) http://www.tbook.constantvzw.org/wp-content/death_authorbarthes.pdf 05222015
Barthes argues readers need to divorce the author’s biographical background from the text. He states that an author’s experience informs the text but should be considered separate from the text. He argues that writing consists of many voices escaping unto the page (2). The “contemporary culture” views the author as a “person, his history, his tastes, his passions” (2). For Barthes the author is an inscriptor (4). While the reader becomes an active participant with the text.
Barthes theoretical concept plays an important part in the discussion of #authorship. This discussion between Barthes and Foucault during literature’s structuralism gives the theoretical background for my research project. The interplay between the author and the reader as manifested in the authorship discussion provides foundational background for the audience in reviewing the adaptations.
2. Calcagno, Antonio. “Foucault and Derrida: The Question of Empowering and Disempowering the Author.” Humanities Studies (2009), pages 33-51. Web
Calcagno argues that Derrida can be disputed from within Foucault’s philosophy (35). Calcagno’s illustration deconstructs authorship down to a power relationship between the creative force, person, and the idea. (35). Calcagno uses Foucault’s essay, “What is an Author?” to show that Derrida’s work is “self-authorship or self-fashioning” (36). This authorship leaves Derrida as an author (50). He concludes Derrida’s idea of “deconstruction” power is little without the authorship of Derrida himself (50).
This article offers Foucault’s theory of authorship and its implications through Derrida offers insight into my project through the Foucault authorship lens.
3. Charles, Alec. “Three characters in search of an archetype: Aspects of the trickster and the flaneur in the characterizations of Sherlock Holmes, Gregory House, and Doctor Who.” Journal of Popular Television, Volume 1, Number 1 (2013). Pages 83-102. Web
Charles examines three popular culture figures; Sherlock Holmes, House M.D., and Doctor Who, through Jungian archetypes, flaneur and trickster aspects (83).
He explores how cultural traditions have influenced gender roles and the contradictions found within icons (84). The convergence between these figures occurs as House M.D. as an adaptation of Holmes that references Doyle. While Sherlock is a modern adaptation and Doctor Who, shares the same visual storytelling links such as the “deerstalker and Holmesian cloak” (88). Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes character is the foundation for both the House M.D., Sherlock, and Doctor Who figures but their current representation does not resemble how Doyle wrote him (89). The Holmesian characteristics are found in the three figures manifestations (89). They represent a “scientific flaneur” in how they doggedly pursue their detective work but in an “unfocused” manner (95). Charles states these figures exhibit asexuality in how each of them fails in romantic relationships (98). He argues the Jungian archetypes allow for one manner to understand these figures with their iconicity (99).
4. Cohen, Hart. “Database Documentary: From Authorship to Authoring in Remediated/Remixed Documentary.” Culture Unbound: Journal of Current Cultural Research, Volume 4, (2012). Page 327-346. Web
Cohen explores Database documentary in relationship to authorship. He argues that the “database concept” births “new knowledge” and how that is related to authorship (333). Cohen discusses remediation and how old media is found in the new forms (333) and defines as “borrowing” and “refashioning” from the one from to the other (333). Cohen explores Manovich’s authorship concept through software applications. He examines how software programming has transformed the traditional idea of the author. (334). Cohen reviews the concept of interactivity and how it can “blur the lines” between “producer and consumer” (335). The advent of Web 2.0 broadened the role of authorship changes authors into consumers (336). Cohen argues the authorial presence more in the shape of remediation by interactivity by the “viewer/user” (342). Cohen concludes that the Database documentary field is changing as is authorship in how manifests in the production and relationship.
This article doesn’t fit with my project as I thought it would in regards to the authorship. The part about remediation and transformation might be useful.
5. Compagno, Dario. “Theories of Authorship and Intention in the Twentieth Century: An Overview.” Journal of Early Modern Studies, Volume 1, No. 1 (2012). Pages 37-53. Web
Compagno argues that to understand text we need to examine the author through “theories of subjectivity and meaning” (38). Compagno explores how Husserl (1900) explores the “meaning-intention” behind words and “the speaker’s intention” (39). Husserl’s findings include that there is the writer’s consciousness and another with the reader (40). Further, Compagno discusses Roland Barthes and Jacques Derrida’s theories in that Barthes proposes there is no author with a “master meaning” but the meaning is in reader’s mind although, New Criticism argues there is an “ideal meaning”(41). Both Barthes and Derrida offer that analysis beyond “the text” that reveals author biographical information does not disrupt the meaning of the text or what the author intended to state (41). Compagno discusses further how by studying the author’s “language use” as a way to see their intentions (41). He examines Foucault’s concept of authorship stating how the author is a result of his “cultural and historical” environment (41). Lastly, Compagno concludes that his analysis has made the author “human” again by connecting “consciousness” with the “unconsciousness” (51).
This article and the different theories that it explores with the concept of authorship, the reader, and text is insightful in relationship to my project as Compagno discusses the author’s biographical influences on the text/language or “signs” that come into play as the text is interpreted.
6.During, Lisabeth. “Clues and Intimidations: Freud, Holmes, Foucault.” Cultural Critique, No. 36 spring 1997: Pages 29-53. Web
During argues that the character, Sherlock Holmes’ detection shares Freudian psychoanalysis in how it deciphers from within the unconscious for the answer (42). Holmes’ and Freud also share a heightened awareness in their viewing that they find hidden from other observers (44). During discusses how Foucault explains the reading of the signs and signifiers within the world in The Order of Things (1966) as knowledge that surrounds us (35). She presents Foucault’s argument about the dissemination of signs and what do signs lead us to believe through interpretation or signify (36). The significance of the sign is how the mind reads and interprets it (37). Lastly, during sees that the character, Sherlock Holmes and scientist Sigmund Freud share commonalities in how they read and interpret the world around them (50).
This article evaluation Foucault’s argument on the interpretation of signs is useful in examining three of Doyle stories. Additionally, its examination of psychoanalysis with Freud and Holmes’ detection is relevant in looking at the character, Sherlock Holmes, as one of Doyle’s signs.
7.Eisner, Caroline and Martha Vicinus. “Originality, Imitation, and Plagiarism: Teaching Writing in the Digital Age.” The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Press. 2011. Web
Eisner and Vicinus argue that with the advent of the wiki pages brought the discussion of authorship and authority to the forefront (40). Eisner explores previous historical analysis of authorship which centers on the factors of: “historical moment, geographical location, and prior cultural practice” (40). The author was seen as a historical figure. They examine Roland Barthes, The Death of the Author (1968) and Michel Foucault, What Is an Author, arguments that emerged in the 1960s (41). With Barthes argument that “language is a system” and “identity is lost” in the action of writing (41). Foucault’s response to Barthes was that authorship resides with the particular characteristics of discourses that define “originality, authority, and property” (42). Therefore, authorship rests not with the person but the historical context at play (42). Then, with the wiki technology and its interface changed the relationship between “author, reader, and editor” as each one interacted and collaborated (43). Lastly, these authors see that the wiki technology as an example of Foucault’s analysis realized (45).
This article’s presentation of the theoretical concepts of authorship views of Barthes and Foucault in relationship to the wiki technology.
8. Foucault, Michel. “What Is an Author?” movementresearch.org/classesworkshops/melt/Fouccault_WhatIsAnAuthor.pdf Web 05012016
Foucault’s discourse is on the relationship between the author and their text as seen through the author-function. Foucault argues that the author’s signs and signifiers within their text show the historical and cultural context in which the text was written (3, 6). Foucault uses Saint Jerome’s criteria to define the author-function by four criteria which includes the author’s works are a defined constant value which each work needs to meet the same value, if the “contradictory” theory is presented then, the works fall under “conceptual”, if there are other works that are stylized differently then, they are not attributed to the author, and lastly, texts stating events occurring after “author’s death” are not to referenced because the author falls within a certain historical period (8). The author’s cultural and historical context allows for insight into the text’s framework and events that are found within the socio-economic stature of the author (8).
Foucault’s author-function and theory of authorship is the theoretical foundation in which I am examining Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s signs and signifiers found in the Sherlock Holmes’ stories and how they transformed in their adaptations. I hope to show in my project how first Doyle’s signs exhibit the Victorian era and then, how those signs changed in the film adaptations.
9. Frenz, Horst and Louise Wylie Campbell. “William Gillette on the London Stage.” Queen’s Quarterly. Jan, 1, 1945; 52. Pro Quest, 443-457.
Horst Frenz and Louise Wylie Campbell argue William Gillette was one of the American actors and playwright that became a sensation in England (445). This began with his play, Secret Service, in 1897 (446). The British general public considered Gillette, “one of the greatest actors of all-time” (446). The next play that Gillette brought to the British audience was Too Much Johnson, a remake of the French farce (451). Frenz states that Gillette’s critics felt that the actor had relied heavily upon his French sources and transformed the character, Billings, into an American hinting at his previous play (451). The play although, a success didn’t reach the previous heights. After a three-year hiatus, Gillette brought Sherlock Holmes to the London stage. Frenz argues that “capitalizing on the popularity of the Sherlock Holmes stories in the Strand Magazine. Gillette used in his play three characters from the Conan Doyle stories: Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Professor Moriarty” (452). Gillette also created new characters and the plot for the play (452). It opened in London in the Lyceum Theatre on September 2nd, 1901 (453). Gillette’s Holmes differed from Doyle’s Holmes. For Gillette’s Holmes, there was “many helpers” that replaced Doyle’s Holmes “deductive reasoning” (453). Gillette’s Sherlock brought him success both in London and later New York (453-454).
This article provides information on how Gillette’s adaptation modified Doyle’s original text. The new characters, Watson’s absence, Sherlock’s helpers are examples of the changes to Doyle’s original signs.
10. Garcha, Amanpal. Studying the Victorian Novel in Print: Professional Authorship and Idiosyncrasy in Literature. Literature Compass 4/3 (2007) Pages 899-916. Web
Garcha discusses the print Victorian novel and the influences and effects of the publishing industry about authorship through the novelist, Thackeray. Accordingly, the argument is that Thackery’s novels and text bear the imprint of the Victorian publishing house (901). The assertion that Thackery is an example of Foucault’s authorship function (901). On the other side, Sutherland’s claim is explored that the publishing houses changed the text in such a manner that it could be construed that the houses themselves could be considered “authors” (903). Although, Garcha shows that Sutherland counters that Thackery shows as the originator (903). Later, Garcha compares the Victorian publishing houses to academic publication and professionalization in which the Victorian authors and academics are each working within systematic institutions (910). From this relationship Garcha determines is how some Victorian authors succeeded while others fell behind (911).
Garcia’s argument and discussion between the relationship of the publishing industry and authorship is one of interest and to be explored. Although, the topic of Textuality and authorship is mentioned; in how the article is presented I felt that it needed to be explored more in-depth.
From my project’s perspective on Doyle’s text and the adaptations it did not quite fit although, gave another venue to research in regards to Strand magazine and their working relationship with Doyle.
11. Goodman, Lesley. “Disappointing Fans: Fandom, Fictional Theory, and the Death of the Author.” Journal of Popular Culture, Volume 48, No. 4, Pages 662-676, August 2015. Web
Goodman explores fandom, fan fiction, fan complaints and authorship. She argues that fans disappointment derives from their relationship with the “source text and creator” and its “fictional universe” (663). She defines that fan fiction is an outcropping from their frustration to place within the “fictional universe” what they desire to see or what they see as lacking in the source text (664). Goodman suggests that fans “acknowledge” the author/creator of the text but it’s a connection through the “fictional world’s theory” (664). The theory is where the source text creates the fictional world that is “distinct from” the real world (664). The reader of the source text creates this “fictional world” as they are reading and fill in missing parts (665). The authorship in the creation of the text and universe stands until the fandom attempts to fill the missing holes from the Canon (666). The fans frustration then, comes when authors contradict their fictional universe (667). Their frustration takes form in the fan fiction created which is “appropriating” the text regardless of the authorship (667). Goodman concludes that it would benefit to look closely at the fans disappointment as a manner to understanding fandom (674).
Goodman’s discussion about how fans respond to source text through fan fiction and the fictional world’s theory is worth considering when examining authorship and fandom.
In relationship to my project it lends discussion to the Sherlock adaptation and how the series has been discussed and seen as pastiche by the Sherlockians who guard the Canon or Doyle’s original source text with the character, Sherlock Holmes.
12. Haralovich, Mary Beth. “Sherlock Holmes: Genre and Industrial Practice.” Journal of the University Film Association. Vol. 31, No. 2. Economic and Industry History of the American Film. (Spring 1979), pp. 53-57. Web
Haralovich argues the Sherlock Holmes series (1939-46) production process captured the audience appeal through the detective genre conventions specific to the narrative style and to Doyle’s Sherlock conventions (53-54). Doyle’s conventions for Sherlock Holmes were laid out as “Holmes to be accompanied by Dr. Watson, to live at 221B Baker Street in Victorian London, to reason deductively from seemingly insignificant details, and to outwit the criminal with idiosyncratic personal characteristics” (54). These conventions were maintained for the first production in 1939 of The Hound of the Baskervilles but deviated in the second production of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) which followed William Gillette’s adaptation (54). Gillette’s adaptation ended with Holmes declaration of love to a woman, something Doyle’s Holmes as a bachelor would balk at such a thing (54). Haralovich argues that the transformation of Doyle’s conventions occurred when Universal began their adaptations with the phrase, “Sherlock Holmes is ageless, invincible and unchanging. In solving significant problems of the present day he remains—as ever—the supreme master of deductive reasoning “(54). Her argument allows Holmes to be removed his historical and original conventions (54).
This article illustrates well how Doyle’s original conventions were changed while maintaining the genre specific conventions to entice audiences. Her discussions of the Rathbone adaptations are relevant to this project because the same stories and adaptations are examined. Additionally, how Universal’s opening statement for their Sherlock Holmes adaptations became a springboard for later adaptations to choose the “timeless” aspects of the Holmes character rather than how Doyle wrote the character.
13.Hall, Jasmine Yong. “Ordering the Sensational: Sherlock Holmes and the Female Gothic.” Studies in Short Fiction (June 1991); 295-303. Web.
Hall argues that the feminine and Gothic aspects establish Sherlock Holmes as “the powerful, patriarchal hero” and “rational detective” conquering these forces (295-296). These Gothic forces represent the past while Holmes represents a “new, rational” future (297). Thus, Holmes as the hero will rescue these women from the oppressive past (297). Holmes’ rivals in the stories fight with a physicality while Holmes uses his “rational deduction” (297). Hall further argues Holmes rationality offers them a chance to form new identities, free from their previously oppressed females’ roles (299). Then, when Sherlock deals with the villain in the stories, he becomes the “dominant” male and the villain becomes the oppressed female (299). Holmes is also shown to exert control over the Gothic elements and sexual overtones (301). Sherlock’s cases with their Gothic elements shows him as the powerful hero and they are not cases which would “feminize or emasculate” him (301). Lastly, Sherlock’s rational system of deduction is dependent upon cases that illustrate females as property for Holmes to step into the role of hero and aligning the world into order (303).
This article’s argument about how Holmes is placed as the powerful hero to the oppressed female gender was not something that this author had encountered in previous readings. Although, the stories examined in the article do not match the ones chosen for this paper, their gothic elements and sexual overtones that Hall raises opens up new readings of the Holmes stories. Hall’s argument of Holmes as the hero that exerts control over the other characters and discourse fits in with this project’s argument about the detective narrative genre and Sherlock Holmes as a character.
14. Lange, David. “At Play in the Fields of the Word: Copyright and the Construction of Authorship in the Post-Literate Movement.” Laws and Contemporary Problems, Volume 55, No. 2 Copyright and Legislation: The Kastenmeier Years (Spring 1992): Pages 139-151. Web
Lange argues that “intellectual property” and “copyright” will die alongside the concept of authorship with the advancement of new technologies (151). He argues that authorship within copyright handed down through the establishment has caused the suppression of creativity (141). Lange argues three reasons in which copyright suffocates creativity. The reasons are: copyright muffles “speech”, copyright acts as a tool of the establishment, copyright “assaults” free expression (141-142). In arguing against authorship he states that certain authors are more highly prized than others and that it’s Foucault’s “bourgeois society” which is making those choices (143). Lange envisions as technologies change that our concept of authorship will evolve to include more creative expression and as items are naturally appropriated (148).
This article does well to in its discussion of copyright and creative expression. It did not seem to address in-depth what it was trying to prove but only marginally. The ideas of authorship and censorship fit well with the previous article on the publishing houses and the effect there.
As to evaluate how the article relates to my project there could be some use with the Foucault discussion and copyright as related to the Sherlock adaptations through the years.
15. Losh, Elizabeth. “From Authorship to Authoring: Critical Literacy, Expert Users, and Proprietary Software.” Computers and Composition, Volume 33, September 2014, Pages 40-49. Web
Losh argues that digital literacy needs to be a subject taught within our educational system where students understand coding, composition, interfaces, and programming with the advent of the new technologies (47). She cites these literacies to fall under four categories: “variables, menus, glitches and citations” (42). Losh desires that students are comfortable within their digital roles as “cogs in a machine” (44). She argues to teach these digital literacies the instructors need to have “deep engagement” with their students (47).
This article was not what expected in regards to authorship and literacy. It’s more on ideally what needs to be taught about digital literacies to the current and future students.
In evaluation of the article towards my project, the first section which indirectly references media ecology might work in the discussion about the BBC (2010) Sherlock adaptation.
16. Musto, David F. “A Study in Cocaine: Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud.” JAMA, Vol. 204, No. 1(April 1968); 27-32, web.
Musto argues that for Sigmund Freud and Sherlock Holmes cocaine was a stimulant (27). By 1880 cocaine was hailed by various doctors as a cure-all for various diseases and behaviors (28). Ironically, the chief propagator for the drug existed not in the medical journals but in the British magazine, The Strand (28). The Strand magazine was where the British public could also read about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s beloved detective, Sherlock Holmes and his exploits with Dr. John Watson (28). Amongst the Holmes fandom it is disputed whether Holmes was addicted to cocaine, morphine, or opiates (28). Musto agrees with commentary that Sherlock Holmes is a cocaine addict based upon Watson’s observations through various stories (28). Musto argues that the cocaine use was a treatment plan for Sherlock melancholy moods and that after the Final Problem; Holmes was cured of the addiction (28). Holmes sought help for the addiction during his time traveling abroad between the stories, The Adventures of the Final Problem (1893) and The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901) (28). Freud came and published during this time in favor of cocaine use as treatment (28). Although, by 1887, Freud retracted these statements as further medical information became available (32).
An interesting aspect of this article is how the character Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson are evaluated and written about as historical figures not literary characters. Musto argument about Sherlock Holmes possible cocaine addiction and the examples within the story are convincing. The Freud section of the paper though, seems to drop off and doesn’t carry the same momentum that the Holmes section contains. In relationship to my project, the illustrations of Sherlock Holmes’s possible cocaine use will be pertinent when the paper discusses the addiction as one of Doyle’s signs.
17. Novost, Courtney. “Outside Dupin’s Closet of Reason: (Homo) sexual Repression and Racialized Terror in Poe’s ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue.’ Poe Studies, Vol. 45 (2012); 78-106. Web
Novost argues that Edgar Allan Poe in his book, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, with his detective Dupin to address the issues of homosexuality, “male homosexual spaces” and the “patriarchal, rascist, and xenophobic” anxieties present at that time (98). She argues that Poe as the narrator Dupin exerts control over how the reader is going to project the story while Poe is attempting to “master” his own rationality over those “inferior” (98). Thus, the reader is lead to question what is the inferior or the other in these spaces through the text choices made by Poe (80).
This article’s evaluation of Poe’s narrative choice and sexual text inferred with the language offers perspective towards the character, Dupin, which is the model for Sherlock Holmes. The discussion of how Poe uses the narrative and Dupin to lure the reader into the conversation about the unspoken taboos is well done. In relationship to this project, it gives another prism in which to question the defining characteristics of Sherlock Holmes and whether Doyle was making a similar statement as proposed here about the Victorian society.
18. Ray, Amit and Erhardt Graeff. Reviewing the Author-Function in the Age of Wikipedia in Originality, Imitation, and Plagiarism: Teaching Writing in the Digital Age. Caroline Eisner and Martha Vicinus (Eds.) the University of Michigan Press. 2011. https://www.academia.edu/973291/Reviewing_the_Author-Function_in_the_Age_of_Wikipedia web
Ray and Graeff argue that with the advent of wikis that authorship issues are raised in regards to “authority, originality, and value” (40). They discuss the debate between Barthes and Foucault with authorship, expounding how Barthes moved towards “cultural text” (41). Then, in discussing Foucault that his argument opened up further questions on authorship in how the author-function allows new analysis of the text in regards to authenticity and originality (42). Ray and Graeff examine Wikipedia and how it operates within “poststructuralist principles” with its “community-enabling editing capabilities” (44). Ray and Graeff conclude that Wikipedia is a realization of Foucault’s critique of Barthes because Wikipedia provides a “multifunctional space” for its users to take on the various roles (45).
This article is relevant in examining the new technology utilized in the media ecology within the new adaptations and the participatory nature of the Sherlock fandom. Their discussion of “cultural text” applies to this project in how Doyle’s cultural influences are illustrated in his Sherlock Holmes stories.
19. Saussure, Ferdinand. “Nature of the Linguistic Sign.” In The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends. David H. Richter, Ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 1998. 832-835.
Saussure presents the concept of the sign and signifier within his article as the basics of language (832). He defines the “sign” as “a concept and a sound-image” (832). The two parts are how when a word is spoken that the mind sees the picture-image of the object and the concept of the word behind it (833). He furthers defines that “symbol” can substitute for the “signifier” where “signifier” means what the “sign” is defined as (834). Additionally, that the “signifier” is reflection of a certain “span” of time in which it occupies (835).
Saussure’s theoretical concept is the foundational concept for my research project. He provides the terms, “sign” and “signifier” which are used in relation to Doyle’s text and examined within the adaptations. The terms are used within the project to define Doyle’s signs as the characters, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John Watson, Professor Moriarty; the hat, pipe, and coat; and Sherlock’s cocaine addiction. These designated “signs” and their meanings as written by Doyle in the Victorian era and in modern times through the specific adaptations are examined.
20. Schuttler, George W. “William Gillette and Sherlock Holmes.” Journal of Popular Culture (Spring 1982); 31-41, web.
Schuttler argues that William Gillette had the ability to recognize the market and potential profit from adapting Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories in the late 1890s and early 1900s (31). Gillette saw the character, Holmes, as a “gentleman detective” not seen on the stage at that time (31). Once Gillette had Doyle’s permission to adapt the Sherlock Holmes stories for the stage, he wrote his adaptation primarily from three stories, “A Scandal in Bohemia, The Final Problem, and A Study in Bohemia” (31). Gillette criteria in which he examined Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories for his choices were that Sherlock Holmes had to be central and that the situations were filled with action (31). His adaptation deviated from Doyle’s original stories in Sherlock was hired by a foreign prince, motivated by money, and given a love interest in the character, Alice Faulkner (32). Gillette himself took on the title role of Sherlock Holmes when the played opened in October 1899 (32). Later, in September 1901 Gillette opened the play in London where Doyle witnessed and approved of the adaptation (35). Gillette played Sherlock Holmes when his play was filmed for a cinema version in 1916 (35). The play was an immensely popular success for Gillette. Although, it was immensely popular Schuttler argues the play’s flaws ranged from: a contrived plot, action without credibility and shallow characterizations, unbelievable rivalry between Sherlock and Moriarty, and unexplainable escapes by Sherlock (36). On the other hand, the stage production left edible marks on the Sherlock Holmes legacy. Holmes appears in the play in a “long, dark coat, double ended tourist cap and smoking a pipe in a dressing gown,” (38). Critics hailed Gillette as “perfect embodiment of the genius of Baker Street” and they felt Gillette’s physicality matched Doyle’s description of the character (38-39). Schuttler states, “Fredric Dorr Steele, the noted illustrator,” commented that, “he based his numerous illustrations of Doyle’s Holmes upon Gillette’s appearances” (39). Besides influencing the Holmes legacy, Gillette is primarily remembered for his portrayal of the character (40).
This article provides an examination of Gillette’s play and cinema adaptation, Sherlock Holmes and details about this adaptation deviates from Doyle’s original stories. The details about Gillette, the plot and characters, the stage production provides support to my argument about Gillette’s influence upon the Sherlockian iconography and later adaptations.
21. The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia, August 2016. Web 20-23 August 2016.
The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia offers a broad spectrum of information on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the Sherlock Holmes stories. The web page contains a biographical sketch on the author’s life and his works. There is a list of the Canonical books as well as the other books written by Doyle. It has information on the illustrators and various adaptations done throughout the years. This web page is relevant to the project in that it provided basic background information and copies of the pertinent illustrators and adaptations that are discussed.
22. Westmoreland, Barbara F. and Jack Key. “Arthur Conan Doyle, Joseph Bell, and Sherlock Holmes: A Neurologic Connection.” Arch Neurol, Vol. 48 (March 1991); 326-329. Web.
Westmoreland argues Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most beloved creation, Sherlock Holmes, reflects the author’s “medical training and experiences” (325). Doyle’s work exhibits an authenticity marked by these references and realism within the deductions. She argues Holmes unique characteristics contribute to his popularity while modern readers are drawn to Victorian England (325-326). Sherlock Holmes was modeled after Doyle’s mentor, Dr. Joseph Bell. Dr. Joseph Bell’s presentations prominently featured diagnosis based upon acute observations skills. Westmoreland states, “Bell taught the art of diagnosis, stressing the necessity of noting the environment, the appearance, and the personal characteristics of the patient,” (326). These characteristics are found in Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Doyle served as a clerk for Dr. Bell and their relationship formed. From these experiences’ Doyle later wrote and conceived the character (326).
This article demonstrates the clear connection between Conan Doyle’s medical training, experiences, and mentor’s influence upon Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. The connection shows how Dr. Bell’s presentations and mannerisms were transposed unto, Sherlock Holmes. These influences permeate Sherlock Holmes deductions and Dr. John Watson’s observations on various cases solved by the duo. Dr. Bell’s acknowledgement about how Sherlock Holmes reflects his methods of observation illustrates the context of his relationship with Doyle (326).
The connections and illustrations between Conan Doyle, Dr. Joseph Bell, and the character Sherlock Holmes are valuable to my project as it shows how Doyle’s signs are reflective of their historical context. Doyle’s states he is indebted to Dr. Joseph Bell for Sherlock Holmes (326). The character, Sherlock Holmes, illustrates the persona of Dr. Joseph Bell and the rising medical knowledge of the Victorian era.
This definition of the Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes provides a contrast to the adaptations’ Holmes. Thus, Doyle’s medical training and experiences supports my argument of Foucault’s authorship-function illustrated within Doyle’s signs.
