This text examines similarities and differences of the figures of Sherlock Holmes as he appears in the novels by Arthur Conan Doyle and in their BBC television adaptation "Sherlock".
Plaid hat, pipe in the mouth and a magnifying glass in hand – this is today’s image of the master-detective Sherlock Holmes. To be honest, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes has never disappeared from our lives. And then there is the TV-channel BBC, which brought the hero into the televisions of twenty-first-century. Is this possible?
Is the probably most famous crime character from the Victorian age survivable in London now? Work the legendary stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle today, too? Has Sherlock the instinct for the current high-tech-criminology? I like to answer these questions in the following elaboration.
First there will be a summary of Doyle’s books and then a presentation of some TV-episodes will be given. At the end a comparison will bring the juxtaposition. Enjoy the track down for a historical hero in the modern civilisation!
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Summary of the stories by Doyle
3. The BBC-series
Different episodes with their connection to the literal original
A study in pink
The Blind Banker
The Great Game
A Scandal in Belgravia
The Hounds of Baskerville
The Reichenbach Fall
Behind the scenes – the leads
4. Comparison of the book and the TV-series
5. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This work examines the successful adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Victorian-era detective stories into the modern 21st-century BBC television series "Sherlock," analyzing how the narrative core and character dynamics remain consistent despite the shift in setting and time period.
- Historical context and evolution of Sherlock Holmes as a literary and cultural figure.
- Detailed comparative analysis of selected BBC episodes against their original source material.
- Examination of character development, specifically the partnership between Holmes and Watson.
- Evaluation of the modernization techniques used by creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss.
- The role of contemporary technology in augmenting the detective's traditional methodology.
Excerpt from the book
A study in pink
The episode is about a murderous cab driver called Jeff in the TV-series and Jefferson Hope in the book. The parallel short-story is titled “A Study in Scarlet” and it was the first Sherlock-Holmes-story ever. The two plots are nearly the same. The cab driver murders several people. At first view these were looking like suicides, but when the third case happened in both versions the detective and the police are sure that the cases are linked. All people are killed by the cab driver by administering a lethal pill. In the end comes out that the victims always had a choice: The cab driver offers two pills, one poisoned one not. The selected passenger of Jeff, the prospective fatality, has to choose one of the pills and swallow her. For Jeff this method was always a possible suicide because he consumes the other pill. His felonies were caused by his sickness: he has an aneurysm, which can kill him every second. In the end he catches Sherlock. In his presence he dies, he was shot by Dr. Watson. The disease is the same in the book and in the series but in the book Dr. Watson find it out (“‘Why’, I cried, ‘you have an aortic aneurysm’7) and in the TV-version the cab driver explains his sickness (“Sherlock: ‘You don’t have long. Am I right?’ Taxi Driver: ‘Aneurism – right in here. Any breathe could be my last.’ “8)
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the central question of whether the Victorian detective Sherlock Holmes can survive and thrive in a high-tech 21st-century London environment.
2. Summary of the stories by Doyle: Provides a historical overview of the creation of Sherlock Holmes and establishes the baseline for the detective's characteristics and his partnership with Dr. Watson.
3. The BBC-series: Analyzes specific episodes of the BBC adaptation, highlighting their structural and thematic connections to the original Doyle stories.
4. Comparison of the book and the TV-series: Discusses the similarities and differences between the original literary works and the modernized television series, focusing on technology, character updates, and narrative context.
5. Conclusion: Summarizes that Sherlock Holmes successfully integrates into modern society by maintaining his core essence while utilizing contemporary tools and maintaining the vital bond of friendship with Watson.
Keywords
Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle, BBC, TV-series, Adaptation, Deduction, Watson, Modernization, Crime fiction, Character analysis, Comparison, 221B Baker Street, Moriarty, Irene Adler, Detective.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic work?
This work focuses on the adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes stories into the modern BBC television series, examining how the essence of the characters and narratives is preserved in a contemporary context.
What are the central themes discussed?
Key themes include the timelessness of the detective figure, the evolution of criminal investigation methods, the nature of the Holmes-Watson friendship, and the impact of modern technology on classic storytelling.
What is the main research objective?
The main objective is to determine if the Victorian-era character of Sherlock Holmes remains effective and relevant when transported to 21st-century London through the medium of television.
Which scientific or analytical method is applied?
The work utilizes a comparative literary and media analysis approach, contrasting specific plot points, character traits, and thematic elements between Doyle's original stories and the BBC series episodes.
What topics are covered in the main section?
The main section provides summaries of Doyle's original works, detailed analysis of specific BBC episodes (such as "A Study in Pink" and "The Reichenbach Fall"), character studies of the leads, and a final comparison between the book and series versions.
Which keywords best characterize this research?
The work is best characterized by terms such as Adaptation, Modernization, Sherlock Holmes, Deduction, and Character analysis.
How does the author analyze the character of Moriarty in the series compared to the books?
The author observes that the TV-series transforms Moriarty from an older "Napoleon of crime" into a younger, more unpredictable, and modern "psycho," while retaining his role as the ultimate existential threat to Sherlock.
What is the significance of the "mind palace" mentioned in the Hounds of Baskerville section?
The "mind palace" is identified as a specific memory technique used by Sherlock to process complex information, which allows him to solve the mystery involving a secret CIA hallucinogenic weapon project.
- Quote paper
- Pia Klaus (Author), 2016, Sherlock Holmes in the novels by Arthur Conan Doyle and his modern adaption in the BBC TV-series “Sherlock“, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/319227
