sherlock holmes in the sign of four

[cimorene]

I'd forgotten several things about The Sign of Four. I've read about, and noticed independently, how Conan Doyle's style changed a great deal midway through his career, and not just the style but the characterisation of Holmes and Watson as well. Early Holmes is less sympathetic to the reader, as well as less warm to Watson; their relationship is a bit impersonal, though friendly. And the whole thing both starts and ends with him injecting himself with cocaine.

The statistics I read about it really stuck with me. Besides the incidence of cocaine decreasing drastically as the series moves on, I wrote sometime in 2003 when I started intensively researching Holmes canon chronology (short answer: it doesn't make any sense because ACD didn't give a shit. Put it wherever you want),

In the early stories, he insults Watson three times for each endearment or compliment (something like that, numbers possibly a little fucked up), and[...] after The Return, it's like seven or eight endearments per insult.

After rereading the entire thing, I'll have to rewatch and post a commentary and screencaps. But though Holmes is still interesting and likeable, and maintains his semi-humourous role of weirdo which is so entertaining throughout the series, his inhuman ciphery characteristics are exaggerated. The sentimentality is a tad thick, but the quick-moving romance between Watson and Mary Morstan is actually better written than I had remembered.

Comments

[dreamnnightmare.livejournal.com]

The Sign of _the_ Four. And I've noticed that too...qualitatively.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Actually it's been published with both titles, and my new edition doesn't have the second 'the'.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Wiki:

The novel first appeared in the February 1890 edition of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine as The Sign of the Four (five-word title), appearing in both London and Philadelphia. The British edition of the magazine originally sold for a shilling, and the American for 25 cents. Surviving copies are now worth several thousand dollars.

Over the following few months in the same year, the novel was then re-published in several regional British journals. These re-serialisations gave the title as The Sign of Four (four-word title).

The novel was published in book form in October 1890 by Spencer Blackett, again using the title The Sign of Four. The title of both the British and American editions of this first book edition omitted the second "the" of the original title.

Different editions over the years have varied between the two forms of the title, with most editions favouring the four-word form. The actual text (as opposed to the title) of the novel always uses "the Sign of the Four" (the five-word form) to describe the symbol in the story.

[dreamnnightmare.livejournal.com]

I prefer th original, but din't know th debased 4-word form had ever been used. Makes little sense 2 use 4 words in title but 5 in text. IMHO.

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Because the titling of pulp fiction in the late 1800s was so sensible!

[brandysniffer.livejournal.com]

random driveby of love!

[cimness.livejournal.com]

Hi!