Comments on: Retyping the Speckled Band, Part 4: Description with Purpose http://holmes.spontaneousderivation.com/2008/05/05/retyping-the-speckled-band-part-4-description-with-purpose/ A 21st century look at Sherlock Holmes. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:08:49 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Arachne Jericho http://holmes.spontaneousderivation.com/2008/05/05/retyping-the-speckled-band-part-4-description-with-purpose/#comment-385 Arachne Jericho Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:12:49 +0000 http://holmes.spontaneousderivation.com/?p=262#comment-385 Hi Percy! Nah, you're not being too critical. But as Bert Coules said, a good Sherlock Holmes story is not necessarily a good detective story. It just has to be a good story about a detective. "The Speckled Band", for all its faults as a detective story, is still a very good yarn about a detective fighting evil. And yup, the story's a general favorite all around. Mostly for the reasons I've been walking through here; not so much for the puzzle. Puzzles are very much Agatha Christie territory, not Doyle. Hi Percy!

Nah, you’re not being too critical. But as Bert Coules said, a good Sherlock Holmes story is not necessarily a good detective story. It just has to be a good story about a detective. “The Speckled Band”, for all its faults as a detective story, is still a very good yarn about a detective fighting evil.

And yup, the story’s a general favorite all around. Mostly for the reasons I’ve been walking through here; not so much for the puzzle. Puzzles are very much Agatha Christie territory, not Doyle.

]]> By: Percy http://holmes.spontaneousderivation.com/2008/05/05/retyping-the-speckled-band-part-4-description-with-purpose/#comment-384 Percy Tue, 08 Jul 2008 05:06:25 +0000 http://holmes.spontaneousderivation.com/?p=262#comment-384 Doesn't it seem very strange that neither of the ladies knew that the rope was a dummy? I can't believe that, even though it's been there for two years, and the end of the rope lies right across the pillow, one or the other of them wouldn't have given it a tug. It is most lame and impotent writing for the lady to say that she and her sister 'used to just get the things we wanted for ourselves'. I know that Doyle left this important plot device for Holmes to discover, but it's just too obvious. There several other equally gross flaws in this story that stood out for me the first time I read it, like the snake drinking milk, and returning at a whistle. But I think the most inexcusable is when Holmes states that 'it would take a sharp eyed coroner' to detect two fatal puncture wounds on a victim with alabaster skin tone. Unquestionably, those two marks would stand out as much as a black eye on this woman, and not being able to detect any other signs of death, said coroner would almost certainly look for some kind of insect bite evidence. Am I sounding too critical? The foibles actually add to the charm of the story, and the pacing just pulls all of these problems along with it. I understand that this particular Sherlock episode was Doyle's favorite, as well as most fans' as well. Doesn’t it seem very strange that neither of the ladies knew that the rope was a dummy? I can’t believe that, even though it’s been there for two years, and the end of the rope lies right across the pillow, one or the other of them wouldn’t have given it a tug. It is most lame and impotent writing for the lady to say that she and her sister ‘used to just get the things we wanted for ourselves’. I know that Doyle left this important plot device for Holmes to discover, but it’s just too obvious.
There several other equally gross flaws in this story that stood out for me the first time I read it, like the snake drinking milk, and returning at a whistle. But I think the most inexcusable is when Holmes states that ‘it would take a sharp eyed coroner’ to detect two fatal puncture wounds on a victim with alabaster skin tone. Unquestionably, those two marks would stand out as much as a black eye on this woman, and not being able to detect any other signs of death, said coroner would almost certainly look for some kind of insect bite evidence.
Am I sounding too critical?
The foibles actually add to the charm of the story, and the pacing just pulls all of these problems along with it. I understand that this particular Sherlock episode was Doyle’s favorite, as well as most fans’ as well.

]]>