Sherlock Holmes: Trifles

"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....

"cuisine is a little limited" [NAVA]   We find a smattering of food references throughout the Sherlock Holmes stories. But which can be considered consummate British dishes?   We don't come across toad in the hole, bubble and squeak, or cock-a-leekie soup, but there are other meals that are considered British. And by more than the virtue of appearing in British stories. Which food might this be? I...

"befogged in mind" [SIGN]   Weather conditions not only play a part in the settings of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but in some cases, they determine the plots as well. Fog, London and Baker Street seem to go hand in hand in 1890s London, but London's fogs are more than weather conditions. How did fog color Sherlock Holmes's view of the criminal world, and which stories saw an impact from this mis...

"I am a born sportsman" [LAST]   In a lifetime crammed with high adventure, his brilliant achievements in crime detection obscured his remarkable skills as an athlete. He was an expert with singlestick and foil, a fine boxer, equally accomplished with rifle and small arms and had a knowing eye for horseflesh. In this final installment in our 2019 series on games and sports, we turn to William S. B...

"his whole Bohemian soul" [SCAN]   The last in our series of episodes on international interactions with Sherlock Holmes brings us to the now-defunct kingdom of Bohemia. It was so important that it got its own scandal. What do we know about this land from which the masked king came? And of the adjective "Bohemian"? How did Bohemians come to signify the unconventional? It's just a trifle.   Have yo...

"I was alone." [BLAN]   Sherlock Holmes was occasionally without his Boswell. Watson was married at least twice – some scholars even claim there was a third Mrs. Watson. Was Holmes truly affected by Watson's absence? There is a subtle time lapse that may give away how Holmes dealt with a matrimonial Watson. And a look at how Holmes dealt with solitude earlier in his life. It's just a trifle.   Hav...

"the only selfish action which I can recall in our association" [BLAN]   Sherlock Holmes was a loner. An independent consultant. An automaton. But he also shared rooms with Dr. Watson off and on for over 20 years. When Watson went off and got married, how did this affect Holmes, really? And Watson had  how many  wives? It's just a trifle. Have you left us a rating and review on  Apple Podcasts yet...

"his strange headgear" [SPEC]   Sherlock Holmes is synonymous with a certain type of hat. We don't need to mention the kind. You know what it is. But he never wore one in the stories, which you probably also know. But what about some of the other hats that were mentioned by name in the Canon? It's kind of a hat check name check in this episode. And it's just a trifle.   Have you left us a rating a...

"from their East Indian colonies" [RESI]   "Asian" isn't a term that pops up in the Sherlock Holmes canon. And yet we meet a handful of individuals who lived in or interacted with residents of the largest continent on the planet. We hear of Asian countries such as Japan, China, Afghanistan, Andaman Islands, Ceylon, the Dutch East Indies, India, Tibet, Nepal, Persia, Siam, Malay, Singapore, Turkey,...

"Going for a swim, I see." [LION]   How many swimmers do we encounter in the Sherlock Holmes stories? Given that only one story is centered around an ill-fated swim, you might think you know the answer. Then again, you might be mistaken. Allow us to turn over the Canon in our minds for other references to swimming. And what do we know about swimming habits in the late Victorian / early Edwardian e...

"you had been out in vile weather" [SCAN]   Think about the number of times we come across inclement weather in the Sherlock Holmes stories. It's almost like the cliched "It was a dark and stormy night." How often do we find that harsh weather conditions run parallel to some tempestuous conditions in various Canonical households?  It's just a trifle.   Have you left us a rating and review on  Appl...

"It is always awkward doing business with an alias." [BLUE]   Back in Episode 96, we chatted about the many disguises and other identities of Sherlock Holmes. But what about other people in the Canon who played dress-up? Whether they were trying to dupe one of his clients or Sherlock Holmes himself, these individuals each had good reasons to be incognito. It's just a trifle. Have you left us a rat...

"this young stranger from Canada" [HOUN]   Canadians are so polite. Why, Sir Henry barely complained of being killed by his family's legendary spectral hound. Where do we find Canadians and Canadian influences in the Sherlock Holmes stories? There aren't terribly many instances, but there are just enough to be a Trifle.   We're available everywhere you listen to podcasts, including  Apple Podcasts...

"a very different level to your Majesty" [SCAN]  "The Adventure of the Dancing Men" has a similar theme to that of "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor": a British gentleman and his flighty American bride with her checkered past. Is there some lesson implied here about the importance of sticking with one's own tribe and class? And what other instances in the Sherlock Holmes stories stand out as ex...