fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2475 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2475 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.

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02. [repeat]

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03.

[Supernatural, Watchmen]

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04.

[a case of exploding mangoes (2008 novel)]

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05.

[Brothers in Arms]

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06.

[Agents of SHIELD ]

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07.

[Transformers: IDW Generation One]

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08.

[Sarah Michelle Gellar]

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09.

[Young Guns 2]

Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 057 secrets from Secret Submission Post #354.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Did Watson (in the stories) really write Holmes's adventures due to his grief over Holmes's "death"/as a posthumous tribute to him? I've seen this mentioned explicitly in a couple of fics, and the 2011 movie seems to imply it as well. I was wondering how much basis this had in canon.

That has no basis in canon at all, as far as I'm aware. Maybe some of them he wrote after he thought Holmes had died at Reichenbach, but most of them he wrote because he thought Holmes was cool and thought people would be interested in them. And in fact, Holmes reads and comments on them at various times. So no, it's not as a posthumous tribute to Holmes.

Yeah, I think it's entirely fanon. (albeit canon compliant)

Wait, I'm confused. How can it be canon compliant to say that they're a posthumous tribute when they definitely weren't?

Neither Watson nor anyone else actually says (or hints or implies) that they were a posthumous tribute. However, having them be a posthumous tribute would be totally in-character and totally fit into the stories' chronology. Basically, there's nothing in canon to contradict the theory, even though it's just something the fans made up.

But there is something in canon to contradict the theory that the stories are all written as a posthumous tribute. Holmes comments upon Watson's writing more than once, so clearly they existed while he was still alive. There's also "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane", which is Holmes' narration discussing a case that took place after he retired to Sussex.

I just don't think the posthumous tribute idea stands up to scrutiny. If Watson had written it as such, it'd be far more likely he'd say so-- look at how effusive his tribute in "The Final Solution" was. I'd chalk this theory up to wishful thinking from fans.

...but nobody says that all the stories were written as a tribute. Look upthread.

It's never really discussed. Fans (strongly supported by ACD's in-character introductions and Watson's explanations for why he didn't publish a case that happened ages ago for so long) generally assume that the dates that ACD's stories were published directly coincide with the dates that Watson's stories were published, and, IRL, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes were all first written and published during July 1891-December 1893, i.e., during the period when Watson, in the stories, thought Holmes was dead. On the other hand, A Study in Scarlet was written in 1887 and The Sign of Four was written in 1890, before Holmes "died". So it's very, very, very easy to view the Adventures/Memoirs as something of a tribute and/or motivated by grief, but he never says so AFAIK.

On the other hand, Watson says The Final Problem was written explicitly in order to refute Moriarty's brother's claims that Professor Moriarty was innocent. But usually, he only gives reasons for why he declined to publish certain cases for so long, not for why he wrote them.

Nope. "The Final Solution" is a bit of a tribute, I suppose, but the adventures were clearly written while Holmes was alive, as he occasionally complains or rags Watson about them. Holmes' general complaint is that Watson romanticizes the cases somewhat, or chooses to write specific cases because Watson thinks they're interesting or a good story. Holmes thinks he ought to choose cases based on showcasing a particular deductive technique.

Well, most of his ragging is ragging on A Study In Scarlet/The Sign of Four, or is set after the hiatus. The Adventures and Memoirs, I think, were written (or at least published) while Holmes was presumed dead.

No, the Adventures were the first collection published, and "The Final Solution" came at the end of the Memoirs. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" was published while Holmes was presumed dead, but ostensibly set before. There are quite a few references in canon that show Holmes was well aware of Watson's writings, both while his career was active and after Holmes had retired.

[ SECRET POST #2475 ]

Re: Sherlock Holmes canon vs fanon

Re: Sherlock Holmes canon vs fanon

Re: Sherlock Holmes canon vs fanon

Re: Sherlock Holmes canon vs fanon

Re: Sherlock Holmes canon vs fanon

Re: Sherlock Holmes canon vs fanon

Re: Sherlock Holmes canon vs fanon

Re: Sherlock Holmes canon vs fanon

Re: Sherlock Holmes canon vs fanon

Re: Sherlock Holmes canon vs fanon

Re: Sherlock Holmes canon vs fanon