Too Convenient?

In my reading I sometimes find that Holmes' circumstances can be a bit too perfect. In the Adventure of the Beryl Coronat, for instance, Holmesused the footprints in the snow to solve the case. What if it had been summer. Do you think these stories are realistic? Have you noticed simmilar instances?

Idealizing Holmes

In Silver Blaze, Holmes says to Watson, "Because I made a blunder, my dear Watson-which is, I am afraid, a more common occurrence than any one would think who only knew me through your memoirs." I thought this line was funny because we can only read these stories "through Watson's writing" and I wonder how idealized Holmes' personality might be. Do you think that Watson's admiration for Holmes' abilities has turned a blind eye to his faults? Do you see any hints of Holmes' reality in Watson's writing?

Sherlock Holmes Character

Just Wondering. What do you think someone who find if they psychoanalyzed Sherlock Holmes? I mean he's defiantly not normal. I noticed that in the story, The Man With The Twisted Lip, Watson remarks that Holmes will not rest until a case is solved which often leads to many sleepless nights for the detective. After reading this, as I read further stories I began to pick up on details that make Holmes look strange. He can deduct anything, and is somewhat obsessed with mystery. If he sat down with a psychiatrist what do you think they would deduct :-)

Sherlock Holmes Movie

I recently saw the new Sherlock Holmes movie (A Game of Shadows) and I thought it was amazing! It was action-packed and comedic at the same time, which is how Holmes appears in the stories, so I think it stays true to the character. Also, I was reading online about it, and found out that it is loosely based on one of the Sherlock Holmes short stories, The Final Problem. I'm so excited to read the short story now!

Let me know if anyone else saw the movie, and we can talk about it more. :D

Sherlock Holmes For The Defense

I'm not sure if you all have ever seen the TV series known as Matlock. (They were made from the mid-80s to 90s.) Anyway, Ben Matlock (played by Andy Griffith) is a lawyer from Atlanta, Georgia. Sort-of like a more modern Perry Mason, he represents, in court, defendants that are innocent, and gets them off the hook, while finding the real culprit. In this episode he goes to London, England, and participates in a murder trial. In this video, Matlock uses the Sherlock Holmes' story, The Red Headed League, to help explain the murder.

Was justice served????

I have a question, in the Boscombe Valley Mystery, Holmes tells the murderer that he will not turn in his confession, unless someone else is convicted (other then the real murderer). Usually, Holmes seems to have no problem serving out justice, but in this case, he seems to let the murderer go free. I understand that the murderer felt that the only way to protect his family was by killing his enemy, but do you guys think that Holmes was correct? I seem to think that justice should have been served no matter what. He did kill someone...

Gingerbread House! (We're winning...)

Jobs:
Jess- Architect
Lilly- "Historian" (make the house actually accurate to the story)

Emmy- (We haven't discussed this, so, post what you want to be! :) )

Leah- Food Gatherer + Builder

List of Ingredients:

Gingerbread (Ms. Kindel supplies)

Tray

Icing (Ms. Kindel supplies)

5 Pips

M&ms?

Gumdrops

Mentos/Necco Wafers?

Liqorice

Toothpicks?

Green Big League Chew? (for grass or whatnot)

Feel free to post things that are missing!!!

Circumstantial Evience

"Circumstantial evidence is a very tricky thing," answered Holmes thoughtfully; "it may seem to point very straight to one thing, but if you shift your own point of view a little, you may find it pointing in an equally uncompromising manner to something entirely different."

Do you think that Holmes is correct in saying this? I kept thinking of the Casey Anthony trail where her defense kept pushing that the jury could not convict her because all the evidence against her was circumstantial. Any thoughts..?

Crime? Or just Human Nature?

Watson: I suppose that, homely as it looks, this thing has some deadly story linked on to it-that it is the clue which will guide you in the solution of some mystery, and the punishment of some crime.

Holmes: No, no. No crime. Only one of those whimsical little incidents which will happen when you have four million human beings all jostling each other within the space of a few square miles. Amid the action and reaction of so dense a swarm of humanity, every possible combination of events may be expected to take place, and many a little problem will be presented which may be striking and bizarre without being criminal.

(The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle)

Do you agree or disagree with Holmes' view on humanity and crimes? Do you think things are different now as opposed to the late 1800s or does that statement, if true, still represent current crime?

Sounds like House

I'm sure you guys probably know House was based on Holmes (the creator even said he made up the name House because Holmes sounds like "Homes" : D). Well, while reading "The Five Orange Pips" I just found these lines amusing: "Some friend of yours, perhaps?" "Except yourself I have none. I do not encourage visitors." I think that just sounded like House because no one can stand House except Wilson.

Irene

I was thinking about Irene Adler, and I remembered that Waston said she died (at the time he is writing all the stories). But after seeing how cunning she is, I'm more curious as to how she will die. She seems almost as intelligent as Holmes and Holmes doesn't seem like the kind of person to fall into traps easily. I feel like her nature creates a lot of enemies, and maybe one of them assassinated her. So, what do you think will happen to her?

Summation

I find Holmes' summations to be one of the best parts of the stories because you learn a lot about his deduction skills and how his mind works. They also help clarify some parts that were harder to understand (well at least for me). But I also liked the comical banter between Watson and Holmes. They use fairly modern language, so I get their humor. For example, one of my favorite lines from The Red-Headed League is, "You did, Doctor, but none the less you must come round to my view, for otherwise I shall keep on piling fact upon fact until your reason breaks down under them and acknowledges me to be right." I just feel like he's subtly hinting at how annoying he can be. Anyways, I was wonder what everyone else's favorite part of the stories are.

Reading 1: INNITIAL REACTIONS

Ive' got a question. who do you associate yourself with more, holmes, or watson? why?also, did you notice Holmes said pshaw? made me smile :)

Stories in my book

Hi everyone. Here are the stories in my book.

A scandal in Bohemia

A case of identity

The red-headed league

The five orange pips

The man with the twisted lip

The blue carbuncle

The speckled band

The engineer's thumb

The beryl coronet

The copper beeches

Silver blaze

The yellow face

The stockbroker's clerk

The Gloria Scott

The musgrave ritual

The religate squires

The crooked man

The resident patient

The Greek interpreter

The naval treaty

The final problem