‘But 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 judgement.’
With these words Sherlock Holmes comments rather derogatorily on the marriage plans of his close friend and fellow bachelor Dr. John Watson when the latter reveals his engagement to Mary Morstan to him. While Watson’s existence as a bachelor is about to end after the novel ‘The Sign of the Four’, Sherlock Holmes never had any intention to change his lifestyle from being a bachelor to become a husband and father. He never was married or engaged in any form and obviously didn’t miss it. It is due to that attitude that the character of Sherlock Holmes became one of the most famous and best known examples of the bachelor in Victorian literature. But what exactly is a bachelor and how was this term defined during the time when the Sherlock Holmes stories were written?
In this term paper I will point out how the life of unmarried men was depicted in Victorian literature and which images and stereotypes arose when it came to the term ‘bachelor’ in general. In order to do this it is essential to take a closer look at the society during the time the fictional characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were invented – the end of the 19th century.
Which characteristics were typical for a bachelor of that time except for being an unwed male? In order to show how the bachelors stood out and differed from their married fellows it is necessary to examine the role of Victorian men in general. Which moral values were associated with the life of a bachelor and did they differ from the generally accepted values of the time? What was their status in society?
After this quite general examination I shall take a closer look at the two bachelors invented by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Were Sherlock and Watson typical bachelors of their time? What were their reasons for being unmarried and how were their attitudes and interactions towards women? Did they simply had no luck with the ladies or were there other reasons for them to be unwed? I will try to answer these questions on the basis of the Sherlock Holmes novels ‘A Study in Scarlet’, ‘The Sign of the Four’ and the short story ‘A Scandal in Bohemia’.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. The Victorian Age
II.1 The Role of Men
III. The Bachelor in the Victorian Age
IV. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
IV.1 Sherlock Holmes
IV.2 Dr. John Watson
IV.3 Similarities and differences
IV.4 Interaction with women
V. Conclusion
VI. List of Literature
Research Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the social representation of the bachelor in Victorian literature, specifically analyzing the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson against the backdrop of late 19th-century societal norms, moral expectations, and gender roles.
- Social construction of the "bachelor" archetype in the Victorian era.
- Comparative analysis of Sherlock Holmes’s and Dr. Watson’s motivations for remaining unmarried.
- The influence of Victorian masculinity and domestic expectations on the lives of men.
- The interaction and attitudes of the protagonists toward women.
- The functional necessity of the bachelor status for the character of the consulting detective.
Excerpt from the Book
Sherlock Holmes
The one and only consulting detective in the world is clearly one of the most famous examples of how the Victorian fiction preferably used to depict the bachelor: as a scientific genius.
‘The genial bachelor is ubiquitous to Victorian literature.’
The character of Sherlock Holmes is clearly described as a scientific, crime-solving genius who changes the society for the better with the help of his invention, ‘the science of deduction’. Although, it is debatable if it really was his initial goal to change society or if he simply likes the thrill of unraveling mysteries, yet his actions result in solving crimes and arresting criminals which is something decisively positive.
In general the character of Sherlock Holmes is described in a rather positive light by the narrator of the story - his friend Dr. Watson - although, there are several exceptions which illustrate the fact that Sherlock Holmes isn’t an ordinary man and certainly not a man without flaws. He is called ‘a scientific man that is almost cold blooded’ and is shown several times as someone who gets easily obsessed with his job or one of his rather eccentric hobbies: ‘He busied himself all evening in an abstruse chemical analysis. Up to the small hour of the morning I could hear the clinking of the test-tubes.’ Furthermore, he indulges in some outright hazardous habits like visiting opium dens, taking long walks which lead him to the lowest districts of London or his addiction to narcotics, namely cocaine and morphine. All these actions depict him as an unconventional person. Like the typical Victorian bachelor he is a free spirit, or how Dr. Watson calls it ‘a bohemian soul’, who does not care for society’s expectations, standards or conventions although, he is a highly respected person. He is acquainted with people from all classes of society even though the Victorian society laid great stress on class differences. Several times he even hired a gang of street urchins to help him with some of his cases – something completely unthinkable for a man in his position.
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: The introduction establishes the framework for analyzing the bachelor archetype in Victorian literature using the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
II. The Victorian Age: This chapter provides a historical overview of the Victorian era, highlighting the duality of technological progress and social misery, and defines the rigid gender roles of the time.
II.1 The Role of Men: This section explores the patriarchal expectations of Victorian men, emphasizing their role as heads of households and the social pressures to marry and provide for a family.
III. The Bachelor in the Victorian Age: This chapter defines the bachelor as a specific social figure for the middle and upper classes, who exists outside traditional domestic expectations.
IV. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: This chapter introduces the two central protagonists as the primary subjects of the comparative analysis.
IV.1 Sherlock Holmes: An analysis of Holmes as the "scientific genius" and "bohemian soul," whose unconventional lifestyle challenges Victorian social conventions.
IV.2 Dr. John Watson: A profile of Watson as a war veteran and narrator, whose initial life as an unhappy, unproductive bachelor is transformed through his friendship with Holmes and subsequent marriage.
IV.3 Similarities and differences: A comparative look at why the two characters remain unmarried, contrasting Holmes's choice of professional independence with Watson's economic limitations.
IV.4 Interaction with women: An examination of the protagonists' differing attitudes toward women, contrasting Holmes’s detachment with Watson’s vulnerability to romantic interest.
V. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes that Holmes’s bachelor status is a necessary condition for his effectiveness as a detective, while Watson represents the more conventional Victorian path of settling into domestic life.
VI. List of Literature: A compilation of primary and secondary sources used for the term paper.
Keywords
Victorian Literature, Bachelor, Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John Watson, Masculinity, Gender Roles, Social Class, Domesticity, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Science of Deduction, 19th Century, Bohemianism, Marriage, Gender Studies, Literature Analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper examines the literary representation of the bachelor archetype during the Victorian era through the lens of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous characters, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.
What are the central themes explored?
The core themes include the definition of Victorian masculinity, the social expectations regarding marriage, the contrast between professional dedication and domesticity, and the role of the "outsider" in Victorian society.
What is the main research question?
The paper asks whether Holmes and Watson were typical bachelors of their time, why they remained unmarried, and how their attitudes toward society and women influenced their respective character developments.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author employs a literary and sociocultural analysis, using primary texts by Arthur Conan Doyle and historical secondary literature to contextualize the behavior and status of the fictional characters.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body provides a historical context of the Victorian age and gender roles, followed by a detailed comparative study of Holmes and Watson regarding their motivations, lifestyles, and interactions with women.
Which keywords best describe this work?
Key terms include Victorian Literature, Bachelor, Masculinity, Gender Roles, Sherlock Holmes, and Social Class.
Why does Sherlock Holmes remain a bachelor throughout the stories?
According to the author, Holmes remains unmarried because his profession requires total dedication, independence, and a freedom from domestic responsibility that a marriage would inevitably disrupt.
How does Dr. Watson’s view on marriage differ from Holmes's?
Unlike Holmes, who rejects marriage as a distraction, Watson is constrained initially by his financial situation; once he achieves a stable life, he embraces the domesticity and social integration that marriage provides.
Does the author consider Irene Adler a romantic interest for Holmes?
No, the author clarifies that Holmes’s interest in Irene Adler is purely intellectual, based on respect for her wit and intelligence, and that he remains incapable of feeling romantic love.
- Quote paper
- Selina Schuster (Author), 2012, The Bachelor in Victorian Literature. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/233116
