Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"It's every man's business to see justice done" [CROO]    Everyone likes a neat ending. The case is solved, the criminal is caught, and justice is served.   But what about those Sherlock Holmes stories where the criminals escape? When the final action happens off-page or off-screen? There's not the same resolution there as when a Scotland Yard inspector claps handcuffs on the accused. Or is there?...

"the writer was on board of a ship." [FIVE]  We were inspired by two articles in the Baker Street Journal, some forty years apart. Each made a study of ships' names in the Sherlock Holmes stories.   Of the named sailing vessels, what can we infer from those named after women? Unlike some of the other ships in the Canon, they're not listed in Lloyd's Register. Was it a Watsonian influence regarding...

"an historical curiosity" [MUSG]  It's the third week of the month, which means it's our regular feature in Season 4: Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist, the episode in which we investigate an old piece of Sherlockian scholarship and offer our commentary. This month, we feature "The Historicity of Sherlock Holmes" by Prof. Dirk J. Struik. Presented to the Speckled Band of Boston, it first appeared i...

"I have never loved" [DEVI] When you think of crimes in the Sherlock Holmes stories, many of them were crimes of passion. In a 1981 article in The Baker Street Journal, Julie Maynard makes the case that as many as twenty-five percent of the Canon involves adultery or implied adultery.  What was going on here? Was it an unconscious attempt from Conan Doyle? Or perhaps a conscious one? It's just a T...

"Indeed, if I may make a full confession to you" [FINA]   They say confession is good for the soul. It's also good for the detective story. Sherlock Holmes found the suspects he sought in many cases, but he didn't have the backstory for all of them. The solution? A confession. Driven by fear, love or finality, a number of characters in the stories have reasons for confessing. And one was extracted...

"It may give him a sleepless night" [FIVE]   Have you had trouble sleeping lately? You're not alone. There were plenty of people in the Sherlock Holmes stories who struggled to sleep as well. Whether it was because they were horrified by something that happened to them, troubled by something they did, or were determined to crack a problem, they lost sleep over it. It may not seem like it to you, b...

"Billy advanced and drew away" [MAZA]   We're used to reading about Mrs. Hudson ushering clients in and out, and providing various domestic services for Sherlock Holmes. But now and again, we find ourselves in the presence of young Billy, the page. What was a page? And was Billy the only one at 221B Baker Street? In Vol. 2, No. 3 of  The Sherlock Holmes Journal , G.B. Newton made an assessment of...

"we have got a foeman who is worthy of our steel" [HOUN]   There are a handful of cases where Sherlock Holmes meets an opponent who is formidable and antagonistic, but where he later turns out to be an ally. Who were some of these individuals? Which stories did they appear in? And just what was it that made them seem as if they were on he wrong side of the case? It's just a Trifle. Have you left u...

"a highly sensational and flowery rendering" [SIXN]    Flowers appear in a handful of spots in the Sherlock Holmes stories. More than the famous rose scene from "The Naval Treaty," they literally dot the countryside and color the scenery. From a flower that lent its name to one of the stories and a country house, to an obscure statesman, you may be surprised to discover the botanical connections i...

"the Colonel's manner has been just a trifle cavalier" [SILV]   Having spent the last episode discussing the unusual setting and Holmes and Watson's friendship as displayed in "The Reigate Squires," our minds turned toward their host, Colonel Hayter. Or rather, of his fellow ranking military officers in the Canon. In fact, we realized that in the Sherlock Holmes stories, the title "Colonel" usuall...

"the fellows are still at large" [REIG]  In "The Reigate Squires," we find Sherlock Holmes ill and uprooted — staying in a country house — which, although it's a bachelor establishment, isn't quite what he's accustomed to. Although it may not be one of Holmes's truly great cases, there is much to love in this story.  Watson was right there to back up Holmes in every way: reacting in horror to Holm...

"Your hand stole towards your own old wound" [CARD]  Watson returns from Afghanistan, recovering from a wound in the shoulder and the aftereffects of disease. But we later discover that he had a leg wound as well.  Could it be the delirium that caused him to misstate his injuries? Or was there another reason for his error? Two old pieces of Sherlockian scholarship – one from the 1940s and another...

"the best and only final clue" [3STU]  In "The Adventure of the Three Students," Holmes has a litany of clues at his disposal. From balls of doughy clay to a tear in the leather of a desk, and more. And yet, he's fixated on this one clue that he claimed was "the best and only final clue." What was it? And was it truly the definitive clue in the story? It's just a Trifle.   Have you left us a ratin...

"my heart jumped so with joy" [STUD]    We commonly see clients who come to Sherlock Holmes riddled with despair and grief. But if we look closely enough, we can also find happiness and sheer joy in the Canon. The Sherlock Holmes stories contain the full range of human emotion, from anger to relief and from  anguish to jubilance. The more we looked for the upbeat, the more we found. It's just a Tr...

"helped a little to fill up the gap of loneliness and isolation" [MAZA]    There are many tragic figures in the Sherlock Holmes stories, and more than a handful are lonely or isolated in some way. This is either features in their predicament or gives us a better understanding of their personality. As many of us may be entering a period of isolation or loneliness now, we thought it was an apt topic...

"Watson, the fair sex is your department" [SECO]   There was a scandal in Sherlockian circles in the early 1940s. Author Rex Stout, BSI ("The Boscombe Valley Mystery"), creator of Nero Wolfe, after careful research, determined that Watson was a woman. He presented his facts in the  Saturday Review of Literature  and let them sit. They didn't sit well with all Sherlockians, and Julian Wolff, BSI ("...

"I made every disposition of my property before leaving England" [EMPT]   After Holmes "died" at the Reichenbach Falls, wouldn't people have looked for a funeral or memorial service? Watson, in particular, would have expected to assist in such an arrangement.   As next of kin, Mycroft would have been expected to handle it, but that would have put him in an awkward position. If he was reluctant, th...

"he contracted some loathsome disease" [YELL]   Dr. Watson was a general practitioner, and one "with very limited experience and mediocre qualifications," as Holmes blurted out in "The Dying Detective." It's the reason he called for a specialist in rare diseases. With global news being filled with talk of coronavirus, we thought it might be the perfect time to reflect on what we know about infecti...

"work which will cut deep at the very foundations" [GOLD]  "The Adventure of the Norwood Builder" first appeared in print in 1903 as part of  The Return of Sherlock Holmes . It was the second story in the collection, after Sherlock Holmes was resurrected from what many thought was a watery grave. We can forgive the muddled minds of the time then, for missing a couple of key points in "The Norwood...

"I saw the American stamp" [DANC]  For all of his familiarity with American cities, American police forces, American language and attire, Sherlock Holmes may very well have been American. A number of scholars have taken up the argument, including Christopher Morley in his famous essay. Even President Franklin Roosevelt tried his hand at it. It's just a trifle.   Have you left us a rating and revie...

"the City and Suburban Bank, the Vegetarian Restaurant" [REDH]  We have plenty of instances of animal flesh on the side-board, whether it's a couple of brace of grouse, Henry Baker's Christmas goose, or a joint of beef. There was one lone vegetarian restaurant mentioned in the Canon. It had a real-life inspiration. But what else do we know about vegetarianism in Victorian times? It's just a trifle...

"should not gossip about there being a black child in the neighborhood." [YELL]  Steve Dixie in "The Three Gables," Lucy Hebron in "The Yellow Face," and the unnamed mulatto in "Wisteria Lodge" are notable black people in the Canon. Actually, they're the  only  ones. What does this say about Arthur Conan Doyle's attitude and treatment toward them?  We know about the shocking way he chose to portra...

"I had only one confidant—my brother Mycroft." [EMPT]  Why did Mycroft put himself in harm's way for Sherlock Holmes when the latter faced his arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty? Mycroft put Sherlock up for a night, drove the brougham that took Watson to Waterloo, and kept the rooms up at 221B during the hiatus that ensued.    But why didn't Moriarty go after Mycroft? What made him think that "the Br...

"enormous sums of money" [SILV]   Here's one of those things that lends itself to the title of this podcast. We were thinking about Professor Moriarty and his ignominious fall from grace. After he left the university where he was Mathematical Chair, he came to London, where he became an army coach. Army coach? That brought a number of things to mind. But surprisingly little has been written about...

"As to your dates, that is the biggest mystification of all." [CREE]   With Season 4, we're starting a new monthly series that we're calling "Mr. Sherlock Holmes the Theorist." Each month, we'll be taking a look at what some early Sherlockian scholars had to say about certain trifling elements in the Sherlock Holmes stories. In this case, we're looking at "The Date of  The Sign of Four " from H.W....