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A review by dyingotters
The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes by Vincent Starrett
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
The first time I heard of this book was when I found and bought it at a local secondhand bookstore, so I had zero idea what the book talks about or how it was perceived by Sherlock Holmes fans. I don't want to say what is "essential" or non-essential for Sherlockians but this book is definitely 100% worth the time of a devoted fan (and maybe a bit hard to follow for a casual enjoyer, but personally my years of fixation for my autistic special interest has adequately prepared me for this one).
This book looks at Sherlock Holmes through every aspect of him: his inspiration, his introduction, methods, death and return, his author, adaptations, illustrations, etc.... Despite all that there is one theme that Vincent Starrett revisits throughout the book, and that is the existence of Sherlock Holmes. Often times in the subtext and few in the literal text, Starrett ponders about the meaning of "existing". Sherlock Holmes is a funny case of existence: many people thinks he was real, more treat him like he was real, and few treat him as a fictional character who has nothing to do with the real world. It's common knowledge that the whole England was experiencing grief after The Final Problem, even my mom, when I told her about this book, asked me if Sherlock Holmes was a real person. Starrett also entertains the reality of Holmes and Watson in his text, theorizing that Watson had a bad memory for details, and discussing bad adaptations as not having consulted Doyle and Watson. Starrett described Doyle as a creator who shares the likeness of his creation, and suggested that the real "death" of Sherlock Holmes came with the death of Doyle. The way this book blurred the line between reality and fiction - it almost gave me a new understanding of the relationship between the terms "Doylist" and "Watsonian".
All in all very glad I read this book. I was thoroughly entertained and informed and it's given me a deeper and better understanding of, not only what is within, but what is outside of Sherlock Holmes as a character. My favourite quote (which I read before reading this book) is:
"So they still live for all that love them well: in a romantic chamber of the heart: in a nostalgic country of the mind: where it is always 1895."
This book looks at Sherlock Holmes through every aspect of him: his inspiration, his introduction, methods, death and return, his author, adaptations, illustrations, etc.... Despite all that there is one theme that Vincent Starrett revisits throughout the book, and that is the existence of Sherlock Holmes. Often times in the subtext and few in the literal text, Starrett ponders about the meaning of "existing". Sherlock Holmes is a funny case of existence: many people thinks he was real, more treat him like he was real, and few treat him as a fictional character who has nothing to do with the real world. It's common knowledge that the whole England was experiencing grief after The Final Problem, even my mom, when I told her about this book, asked me if Sherlock Holmes was a real person. Starrett also entertains the reality of Holmes and Watson in his text, theorizing that Watson had a bad memory for details, and discussing bad adaptations as not having consulted Doyle and Watson. Starrett described Doyle as a creator who shares the likeness of his creation, and suggested that the real "death" of Sherlock Holmes came with the death of Doyle. The way this book blurred the line between reality and fiction - it almost gave me a new understanding of the relationship between the terms "Doylist" and "Watsonian".
All in all very glad I read this book. I was thoroughly entertained and informed and it's given me a deeper and better understanding of, not only what is within, but what is outside of Sherlock Holmes as a character. My favourite quote (which I read before reading this book) is:
"So they still live for all that love them well: in a romantic chamber of the heart: in a nostalgic country of the mind: where it is always 1895."