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SHERLOCK HOLMES AND JOHN H. WATSON:

A Literary Tour of Their Universe

Originator and developer of this course:

  • Donald A. Petkus, Lecturer, Indiana University
  • Bloomington, Indiana 47405-1701 USA
  • Email: petkus@indiana.edu.edu
Petkus: Holmes & Watson Literary Tour Download Syllabus
(PDF / 759 KB / 14 pages)

Objective

  • This seminar seeks to introduce students to the joys, contradictions, and values of studying “the Canon” – the Holmes-Watson narratives written by either Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (ACD) or (as players of the Game insist) Watson and Holmes themselves. It is designed as a 3-credit-hour seminar for college juniors, seniors, or honors students.

Relevance to Students

  • The Victorians were familiar with the idea of art for its own sake, even if not all of them believed it as Holmes did. The Holmes-Watson saga is worth studying on its own merits, but it also is a useful springboard to learning more about literature and the art of writing, women’s issues in the Victorian age, history—military and otherwise, criminal forensics and the birth of crime scene investigation (CSI), science, technology, psychology, and a myriad of other interests. As evidence of their popularity, the Holmes-Watson tales have been translated into over eighty languages as well as Morse code, Braille, and shorthand.
  • The Holmes-Watson saga is an especially rich approach to literary scholarship in an enjoyable format. “Writings on the writings” range from informal fanzine material to true literary scholarship, or (in the case of Monsignor Knox) satires on pedantic, dry scholarly writing.
  • With the 150th anniversary of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s birth in 2010, recent new film releases, and the continuing publication of Sherlockian commentary as well as the original and new Holmes-based stories, the time is ripe to look at the universe that Sir Arthur created. It is the foundation for a lifetime of enjoyment, often in the company of other converts to the Sherlockian cause.

Required Texts

  • A complete set of the Canonical works. Barnes and Noble produce adequate, inexpensive editions of the complete Canon. Although not everything in the Canon is assigned, a complete set is necessary for researching the papers. See Appendix C for comments about other editions available.
  • Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith. This novel is an example of an homage to the influence Holmes had on readers throughout the world. Two cowboy brothers in 1893 Montana discover a body. The older brother decides that he will apply the methods of his hero Sherlock Holmes that he learns about through installments in Harper’s Weekly. The younger brother becomes the Watson chronicler of the case, but is initially skeptical of his illiterate older brother’s capabilities as a “deductifier.”
  • Note: The instructor may choose a companion text other than the above.

Course Overview

  • The seminar approach is multi-disciplinary, and will include the following topics:
  • Textual analysis (close reading) of the text
  • The art of the author, writing pastiche or homage
  • Literary history and ACD’s biography
  • How serious is Sherlockian scholarship? Knox to Klinger
  • Victorian and Edwardian society as reflected in the Canon
  • Social history: class and gender, poverty, the criminal underworld
  • The Game: those Sherlockians who take the view that Holmes and Watson really lived and that ACD was merely the Literary Agent for Watson
  • The social and intellectual worlds of the societies and clubs: Baker Street Irregulars and scion societies, Sherlock Holmes Society of London, societies in France, Japan, and throughout the world
  • Sherlockian and ACD publications
  • ACD and Holmes: love-hate relationship
  • ACD’s non-Holmesian works in science fiction, horror, journalism, historical novels, spiritualism and the paranormal

Assignments and Grading

  • 1. Write and present to the class a pastiche of a Watson-written Holmes narrative. 25% of grade.
    • The rules will be explained in class. Even if you feel you have no talent for fiction, you can do well by knowing the conventions of this sub-genre. Your professor will work with you individually on drafts.
  • 2. A paper and class presentation on some aspect of the real world as reflected in the Canon. 50% of grade.
    • The topic must be approved in advance but the goal is to explore the Canon. The approach can be literary, social, historical, critical theory, forensic science, feminist approaches, or other legitimate academic approaches including popular culture studies. See APPENDIX B for a list of possible topics. If you choose to select your own topic, consult with the professor early for approval before starting your research. First come, first served, and no duplication of paper topics for presentation. Any papers not presented by the last day of class will be presented during the time normally reserved for a final examination.
    • Students are strongly advised to use unassigned readings for their projects but it is not mandatory. Additional outside reading is expected for the presentation paper. Unless your final papers are social science based, please use MLA or the Chicago style guidance. Standard expectations for college level writing will apply throughout. The professor wants to meet with each student individually on selecting a topic, requirements, etc.
    • For the formal paper, be prepared to defend your research and analysis during question and answer sessions. You will present your paper in class, sharing what you learned, and helping to guide discussion arising from questions raised by the class and instructor. You are our expert on your own material, so be confident.
  • 3. Participation in class. 25% of grade.
  • Note well. There will be a number of pop or announced SHORT QUIZZES throughout the semester. These are NOT for a grade. Students will evaluate their own quizzes. This should be fun and a simulation of one of the standard features of a meeting of Sherlockians.
    • - All knowledge comes useful to the detective. (VALL)
    • ­Breadth of view is one of the essentials of our profession. The interplay of ideas and the oblique uses of knowledge are often of extraordinary interest. (VALL)

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of the course, students will have
  • Read a significant portion of the Canon, i.e. the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tales of Holmes and Watson
  • Examined the process of how writers operate by discussions using Doyle’s life as source material
  • Discovered some of the literary tools such as genre theory, biographic fallacy, textual scholarship, literary history, and examination of primary sources as ways to enhance one’s appreciation of ACD and the work of other authors
  • Learned of the societies and Internet resources that support Sherlockians such as the Hounds of the Internet, Sherlock Holmes Societies of London and France, America’s Baker Street Irregulars, the Beacon Society, and hundreds of others throughout the world
  • Experienced the process of writing a short Sherlockian adventure, perhaps in the style of ACD
  • Learned of how ACD’s other fiction such as the Professor Challenger stories laid the foundation for films and fiction like the Jurassic Park series
  • Learn how ACD's nonfiction, journalism, and writings on spiritualism affected his contemporaries and his reputation
  • If possible, met with the curator of a Doyle or related collection, and gained insight into literary scholarship and the use of primary sources
  • Laid the foundation for future exploration of the ACD universes

CLASS SCHEDULE

*Please note that the instructor reserves the right to make changes to this schedule.

Week 1

83 pp A Study in Scarlet (STUD) Part I (Chapters I-VIII) including preface and introduction

  • Review syllabus, especially ideas for papers
  • What is the “Canon”? Pastiche and what is not the Canon
  • The Jay Findlay Christ four-character abbreviations for Canonical works
  • Point of view (POV) and its use in the Canon: Part I
  • The Holmes-Watson relationship, first meeting, and POV in STUD
  • Watson’s changing views of Holmes over the years
  • -How are you? You have been in Afghanistan, I perceive. (STUD)
  • -I have my eye on a suite in Baker Street. (STUD)
    • ­
  • -I have to be careful, for I dabble with poisons a good deal. (STUD)
    • ­
  • -I get in the dumps at times, and don't open my mouth for days on end. You must not think I am sulky when I do that. Just let me alone, and I'll soon be right. (STUD)
    • ­
  • -It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of light. Some people without possessing genius have a remarkable power of stimulating it. (HOUN)

Week 2

80pp STUD Part II (Chapters I-VIII) including all material following the end of the novella.

  • Point of view (POV) and its use in the Canon: Part II. Why the change of POV? Did someone other than Watson write Part II?
  • The list of strengths and deficits in STUD
  • What do we know of Holmes and Watson at this stage? Watson’s famous list
  • Why does Holmes seem to need Watson? Does Watson need Holmes?

Week 3

60pp plus Library reserve BLAN, LAST, MAZA, FINA, DYIN, LION

NOTE: Start presenting papers this week for those students wanting to present early.

  • POV again
  • Holmes on stage: ACD and William Gillette, Gillette’s effect on Sherlockian iconography
  • ACD’s love-hate relationship with Sherlock, the maker and the doll

Week 4

50 – 60pp LOCAL ACD CANON RESOURCES., e.g. library collections relating to ACD, meetings with local scion or club members, visits to sites on ACD’s American tours

  • Pastiche and non-Canonical works
  • John Dickinson Carr and Adrian Conan Doyle’s roles in ACD’s legacy
  • BSI et al vs. ACD estate
  • How to write a pastiche

Week 5

75 pp HOUN: Chapter 1-8

  • Primary and secondary sources in literary scholarship
  • Showing of HOUN film clips and discussion of how and why films are different from their literary sources
  • ­Now, Watson, the fair sex is your department. (SECO)
  • -And yet the motives of women are so inscrutable . . . Their most trivial action may mean volumes, or their most extraordinary conduct may depend upon a hairpin or a curling-tongs. (SECO)
  • ­Women are never to be entirely trusted - not the best of them. (SIGN)

Week 6

110pp HOUN: Chapters 9-15 and SCAN

GUEST SPEAKER: TBD Someone with expertise in women’s history and/or women’s lives in the Victorian era. SCAN’s portrayal of the ingénue. Power of Victorian and Edwardian British women, divorce reforms, et cetera

  • ACD and divorce reform, torn between a dying wife and a platonic relationship
  • Holmes and women: Irene Adler as The Woman
  • Watson and women: Women as exotic, dependent, independent, to be protected?
  • Feminist theory and framework

Week 7

50-60pp SIGN

  • Watson meets his first (?) wife
  • India as setting
  • Sacred writings (Canon), the Higher Criticism, and the Writings on the Writings
  • What belongs in the Canon and what does not
  • Monsignor Knox: how a piece of satire gave us the ingredients of the perfect Sherlock Holmes stories and launched the Game as well as the Higher (and lower) Criticism

Week 8

80pp CREE, SUSS, DEVI, ENGR, SPEC, and CARD. Review HOUN

  • Holmes and science fiction, supernatural, and horror (giant rats, looks of horror, etc)
  • ACD: spiritualism, faeries, psychic detectives of the future, spirit photography and other hoaxes, getting on Houdini’s nerves
  • Professor Challenger: science fiction and from skeptic to spiritualism
    • ­The Cornish horror - strangest case I have handled. (DEVI)

Week 9

40-50pp BLAN, LION, “How Watson Learned the Trick”

  • Watson (and the Watsonian cult
  • Is Watson a reliable Boswell?
    • ­I suppose, Watson, we must look upon you as a man of letters. (WIST)
    • ­Oh, a trusty comrade is always of use; and a chronicler still more so. (TWIS)
  • Does Watson conceal his own wit and virtues to make his friend look better?
  • Watson as a Victorian ideal
  • Watson, women, and wives
  • Watson on stage, screen, and television. Nigel Bruce to Edward Hardwick as extremes
  • Did Holmes underestimate Watson? Did Watson overestimate Holmes?

Week 10

30-40pp plus 74pages of Hockensmith: Holmes on the Range Prelude through Chapter 11, Read assigned commentary by Klinger.

Also visit and study illustrations at the 221b Baker Street website.

  • The iconography of Sherlock Holmes: Variations on the Holmes and Watson image
  • Contribution of illustrators like Sidney Paget, Dorian Steele, and others including ACD’s father
  • Holmes in film, radio, television, and theatre
  • How William Gillette and other actors shaped the popular image of Holmes
  • Jeremy Brett as the “authentic” Sherlock Holmes
  • How old are Holmes and Watson in the Canon in comparison to the old actors playing them?

Week 11

67pp Holmes on the Range Chapter 12 through Chapter 28 plus Knox biography on the Internet

The Game: Ronald A. Knox (1888-1957) invents Sherlockian “scholarship” with his 1911 satiric essay, “Studies in the Literature of Sherlock Holmes” which is the cornerstone of the “writings upon the writings.” Monsigneur Knox was well-versed in Sherlock Holmes and the genre of detective fiction.

  • The relationship of the Baker Street Irregulars and ACD’s estate
  • The Game: ACD as the Literary Agent to John H. Watson, MD who really wrote about the real life Sherlock Holmes
  • Sherlockians and Holmesians: Cult? Victorian trekkies?
  • Baker Street Irregulars and Scion societies, Sherlock Holmes Society of London, societies in Japan, Denmark, France, and throughout the world
  • Conventions, publications and gatherings
  • Pastiche, Parody and Homage

Week 12

32pp Holmes on the Range Chapter 29 through Chapter 32, read: Electronic reserves and visit websites to be announced

  • The world of BSI and other Canon-based associations as pop culture and social phenomena
  • Feuds, castes, and eccentrics galore
  • Guest speaker: TBD (If possible, a BSI member to discuss BSI and the scion societies, mechanics of forming a Holmes group OR run a good or bad example of a Holmes film with discussion of why it is good or bad
    • )

Week 13

46 pp. Holmes on the Range Chapter 33 through Acknowledgments plus on-line discussion

  • Is this an homage or a pastische?
  • Did/do people think Holmes and Watson were real life persons and not just fictional characters?
Holmes and Watson on Film: Class views and discusses The Hound of the Baskervilles (Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce or Peter Cushing/Andre Morel versions recommended).
  • Why literary material is adapted and changed for film
  • How does the film version differ from the novel?
  • Does the film improve or detract from the story?
  • How is Watson portrayed---competent or as a comic sidekick as in the later Universal series?
  • Although Peter Cushing was very committed to his role as Holmes, did the fact he was noticeably shorter than Christopher Lee (Baskerville) diminish his stage presence or effectiveness in the role?

Week 14

50 pp online READ 221B –Vincent Starrett’s poem and Postmodernism assigned readings if available and TBD on Library Reserve

  • Is the perceived order and stability of the Victorian setting of the Canon part of its attraction?
  • Does the relativism and angst of the 21st century create a longing for a simpler time or Golden Era?
  • Was British Victorian life as orderly and stable as ACD portrays it?

Week 15

LAST DAY OF CLASS THIS WEEK

  • Course evaluations
  • Discussion of the value of studying the Canon (if any)
  • The most recent Sherlockian film(s)
  • The future of the Sherlockian world
  • Forming a Holmes group LOCALLY?

FINAL TBD The time reserved for the final will be reserved for the presentation of any final papers not presented earlier. Those students who presented earlier are not required to attend, but their presence and input would be welcome by the instructor and presenters.

Post-Final Any student who wishes to continue with her or his study of the works of Sir Arthur should feel free to call or visit the instructor at her or his campus office.

NOTA BENE

-Education never ends, Watson. It is a series of lessons, with the greatest for the last. (REDC)

APPENDIX A: Story Abbreviations

This scheme of abbreviation was developed by Jay Findlay Christ. This list is found at the Oh, you don’t know Sherlock site, an excellent resource for beginning and advanced research on the Master.

APPENDIX B: Topic Suggestions for Paper to be presented to class

This list is not exhaustive, but any topic has to have prior approval by the professor. First come, first served, and no duplication of paper topics for presentation.

  • A topic of your own selection. Consult with the instructor early about getting approval before starting your research.
  • Women in the Canon. How are they depicted? Why did Holmes say he would not trust the best of them? Victims, villainesses, exotics, and hot-blooded Latinas, et al.
    • - Women are never to be entirely trusted - not the best of them. (SIGN)
    • ­ Love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things. I should never marry myself, lest I bias my judgment. (SIGN)
    • ­ Woman's heart and mind are insoluble puzzles to the male. Murder might be condoned or explained, and yet some smaller offense might rankle. (ILLU)
    • ­The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. (SIGN)
    • ­ I have seen too much not to know that the impression of a woman may be more valuable than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner. (TWIS)
    • ­ I am not a whole-souled admirer of womankind. (VALL)
  • The Great Hiatus. At the end of FINA, Watson and the world believe Holmes died at the hands of his arch-enemy Moriarity. A few years later in EMPT, Watson faints for the only time in his life when Holmes appears alive in his rooms? Why did ACD bring Holmes back? What was the reaction of the public when Holmes “died”? Does ACD’s explanation make sense? Does it matter?
  • Watson as veteran. Were there elements of Post-Traumatic Stress in Watson’s behavior in STUD? Where was Watson wounded? The location of the wound wanders from limb to limb and has inspired a lot of speculation including Jerry Kegley’s magic bullet theory. What were the differences between the Indian Army and the British Army in India?
  • Holmes as a psychological case. Evidence of manic-depression, Asperger’s, addictive personality in the Canon. Can one make a convincing case?
  • What was Mycroft’s real role in the British government? How do he and his brother Sherlock relate to each other?
  • Drugs as a theme in the Canon. According to Tracy et al, the amount of cocaine injected by Holmes was actually less than the commonly prescribed dosage for the then current legal drug
  • “Brutish” husbands, step-fathers, guardians and fathers in the Canon.
  • Divorce reform, property rights, and the rights of women in Victorian times.
  • Holmes taking the law into his own hands. Man and Superman theme?
  • The social world of Holmesians and Sherlockians: SH societies in US, UK, and elsewhere.
  • The literary merits of the Canon. Why does it stay in print? Just a cozy read or a work of significance?
  • ACD and racism, views on the KKK, the “un-English” living in London.
  • The impact of Holmes' iconography recognized throughout the world.
  • Watson is apparently discreet or sloppy (or both) in identifying the dates of many cases. Look at Baring-Gould and other writers on the issue of dating the cases. What did you find? Was it worth the search?
  • Who are the literary and historical figures that characters in the Canon are based on? Doctor Joseph Bell is said to be the model for the deduction by observation side of Holmes. Is Watson based on Doyle? What other people may have served as models in specific stories?
  • Empire and the exotic in the Canon. Those who return to England from India, Africa, Andaman Islands, United States, San Pedro and elsewhere seem to bring trouble with them, often with exotic poisons and weapons.
  • American characters and American locations are featured in many cases. ACD’s relationships with Americans, his tours of the USA, American publishers, the Mormon reaction to STUD. Why was Holmes always glad to meet an American? Many of them were killers, gangsters or KKK members.
    • ­ It is always a joy to meet an American, Mr. Moulton, for I am one of those who believe that the folly of a monarch and the blundering of a minister in far-gone years will not prevent our children from being some day citizens of the same world-wide country under a flag which shall be a quartering of the Union Jack with the stars and stripes. (NOBL)
  • The Valley of Fear. What is its value in the Canon? What were the historic facts the story is based on? Some argue it is the best Holmes novel. Is it a better novel than HOUN or SIGN? Moriarty is mentioned in VALL but years later Watson seems to know nothing about him in FINA. POV yet again crops up.
  • Gregory House, M.D. Many feel that the character of the popular fictional doctor played by Hugh Laurie was based on Sherlock Holmes. Many feel that Holmes was based on ACD’s professor at the University of Edinburgh, Doctor Joseph Bell. Compare and contrast the character of Greg House with both Sherlock Holmes and again with Doctor Joseph Bell.

APPENDIX C: Alternative Editions of the Required Textbooks

Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith should be available in paperback, remaindered hardback, and as a used book. Look on the Internet for inexpensive copies through Amazon.com and used bookstores such as Abebooks.com and Alibris.com.

The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, Volumes 1- 3: by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Leslie S. Klinger. This edition by Klinger is considered less scholarly than his 9-volume paperback Sherlock Holmes Reference Library (published by Wessex Press) but is comparable and more impressively bound with slipcases available. The set is available through Norton ($155) and, of course, Amazon ($98 new).

Annotated Sherlock Holmes, the Four Novels and the Fifty-Six Short Stories Complete ... With an Introduction, Notes, and Bibliography edited by William S. Baring-Gould (Hardcover - 1971). This two-volume set is definitely a classic, but some Sherlockians find fault with Baring-Gould’s dating of the incidents and his general approach. Often available in a clean, used set and worth attention. Good annotation and graphics.

The Oxford Sherlock Holmes: 9 volume set by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Author), Owen Edwards (General Editor) Nine conveniently pocket-size volumes, different editors for each volume, no illustrations but perhaps the best annotation of all the annotated editions. Available through Oxford Press or Amazon.

Editions without Annotation or Illustrations

This is a cheaper and less attractive way to go. Since much of the Canon was pirated and fell into the public domain, there may be some minor textual problems. The downside is that one loses a lot of contextual material, but the upside tends to be low price and portability.

Free downloads are available on Michael Sherman's website and the Amazon website sometimes offers free editions to download to your Amazon Kindle (if you have one).

The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with a Preface by Christopher Morley. A single volume published by Barnes and Noble Press. Of all the non-annotated texts, this one has the advantage of the preface by Morley, founder of the Baker Street Irregulars. It is a reprint of the Doubleday edition which has some historical interest in itself. its features: portable, serviceable, no notes or graphics. Perhaps it is the best of the non-annotated editions.

APPENDIX D. Holmes and Watson on the Internet

There are many, many Sherlockian websites, and most of these offer links to other sites and resources. Unfortunately, the Internet is a mixed blessing. Some sites are excellent, some are amateurish, and some are extinct or have not been updated in years. As always, scamming and malicious software are potential hazards. Various search engines can help you find an answer to specific Watsonian and Sherlockian questions, but you will often get a pound of chaff for a grain of wheat. Here are some sites to start with but, as always, be prudent. If any links are dead or broken, please notify the instructor.

Sherlockian.net is Chris Redmond's comprehensive website. "Everything the Web offers about Sherlock Holmes is here."

Sherlockian Resources on the Internet: A Survey. Another excellent Internet source on Holmes offers many links to major sites. Links include Canonical stories available on line.

The Beacon Society a site dedicated to teaching Sherlock Holmes, has many links to research on Sherlock Holmes, Sherlockian Societies, Arthur Conan Doyle, the Victorian Era, and Detective Fiction. In the “I’m a Student” section, there is information about writing a Sherlockian pastiche and/or a detective story.

The Chronicles of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle offers a heavy concentration on Holmes and Watson, but also has material on ACD’s other works, biography, and links to related sites. Shopping opportunities and electronic greetings cards are worth a visit in themselves.

Hounds of the Internet The Sherlock Holmes Social Network created by Scott Monty is a listserve for Sherlockian discussions. To leave comments, you need to be a member but you can read the site even if you are not planning to join the discussions.

Holmesian Derivations is an interesting site that includes discussions on the literary art of the Canon and ACD’s writing process.

Illustrious Clients of Indianapolis, Inc. one of the oldest and most active Sherlock Holmes societies and a scion society of the Baker Street Irregulars.

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes A good site for information about Holmes in various media. They ask for donations for the production of one act, downloadable plays based on the Canon.

MrHolmes.com is an excellent site for reference including short summaries of the Canon for our edification. They also are in search of voluntary donations.

Project Gutenberg makes it possible to download text in the public domain from the Internet. Much of the ACD materials are now in the public domain. Donations and volunteers for this nonprofit organization are requested but not required to use this site.

Classic Literature Library: Free Classic Literature in the Public Domain. A useful access to classic literature for free including the Holmes-Watson saga. Almost the entire Canon is in public domain now. Visit and enjoy.

APPENDIX E. 221B

This classic sonnet by Vincent Starrett (1886-1974) is often a closing benediction at meetings of admirers of Sherlock Holmes and John H. Watson, MD. The honor of reading this poem usually rotates among members in attendance.

    221B

  • by Vincent Starrett

    • Here dwell together still two men of note
    • Who never lived and so can never die:
    • How very near they seem, yet how remote
    • That age before the world went all awry.
    • But still the game's afoot for those with ears
    • Attuned to catch the distant view-halloo:
    • England is England yet, for all our fears—
    • Only those things the heart believes are true.
    • A yellow fog swirls past the window-pane
    • As night descends upon this fabled street:
    • A lonely hansom splashes through the rain,
    • The ghostly gas lamps fail at twenty feet.
    • Here, though the world explode, these two survive,
    • And it is always eighteen ninety-five.