Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes is a very fascinating character in the detective fiction genre, because of his intelligence and unique observation skills. The phenomenon of Sherlock has captured audiences everywhere, and allowed the character to become universally popular. The character of Sherlock is often replicated in many different adaptations of detective stories. One of the most recent adaptations is the BBC series, “Sherlock”. This series is a modernized version of a classic story, and has kept the famous character around. We are perplexed by the character of Sherlock because we are unable to see into his mind, we are only allowed to see from the perspective of Dr. Watson. This keeps Sherlock’s strategies and uncanny ability to solve mysteries a complex idea to the reader.

Often times we are familiar with Dr. Watson being the narrator of Sherlock’s stories. The print version provides readers with Dr. Watson’s voice in fifty-six of the sixty stories, and the BBC version of “Sherlock” stays true to this idea though the blogs John Watson writes about Sherlock’s cases. This allows Sherlock Holmes to gain popularity and notability throughout London, which causes him to be widely known for his crime solving abilities. Dr. Watson is similar to the reader, because he feels as if the crimes are incredibly hard to solve, but once Sherlock solves them it seems so simple. That is what keeps the reader interested and hanging onto the story. The reason Sherlock’s stories are still used today is because of how intriguing Sherlock’s abilities are, they keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

We appreciate the BBC version of “Sherlock” by staying true to the stories and characters in the Sherlock Holmes books, but also modernizing and evolving the original methods of Sherlock Holmes. The character of Sherlock in the BBC version is a witty recluse, much like the character in the books. We can view Sherlock as a byronic hero because of how he approaches other people, his love interests, and the way he solves crimes. One difference between the books and the BBC show is that this Sherlock is seen as more of a crime fighter, with his use of guns and physical violence; whereas the original Sherlock was not a crime fighter, but just a detective. Overall the BBC version holds true to the values of Sherlock, but adds a modern twist and adapts the commonly loved stories.

-Ashley Borello