Talk:Sherlock Holmes

2011 Spanish Film

See this. I don't write english very well. Botedance.

Too long!

This is a hugely long article and one that seems to lose its way part way through (Wiki recommends a page size of 30 to 50KB and this page is 95KB). Has anyone thought of splitting it into "Sherlock Holmes (character)"—dealing just with his character—and "Overview of Sherlock Holmes"—dealing with the basis, history and legacy side? We've been working on the same sort of thing with James Bond and have James Bond (character) and James Bond—both of which have recently gone up to GA level based on the re-writes. Would this splitting of a topic into two pages find favour for Holmes? - SchroCat (^ • @) 09:07, 30 December 2011 (UTC)

Edit request on 31 December 2011

I would like to propose a short addition to the section of this entry that covers The Great Hiatus, as I feel that the present text does not give adequate weight to a period that is of great interest to Sherlockians, in that it does not cover some of the more interesting explanations that have been put forward for Holmes' absence after he went over the Reichenbach Falls.

I propose the following text, which could be added at the end of the paragraph starting, "Some writers have...."

"In The Siam Question (1999) Australian author Timothy Francis Sheil explained that Sherlock had been despatched by his brother Mycroft, head of Queen Victoria's intelligence service, on a secret mission travelling to Egypt, Tibet and Siam to carry out certain sensitive tasks for the Queen."

As a Sherlock fan myself I think Mr Sheil's work is the best explanation of what happened during the great hiatus and the most consistent with the original canon. For verification purposes, The Siam Question has ISBN 0-9538160-0-1 and was reviewed inter alia in The Strand Magazine issue 36 (2000).

VPPartner (talk) 12:07, 31 December 2011 (UTC)

I would be against this. Firstly, the article is not for speculation as to what a fictional character might or might not have done in the fictional world while the author wasn't looking (if you see what I mean). It is for what reliable sources say about Sherlock Holmes in the world. So it's about the character, its development, treatment by the author and others in various media. Secondly, The Siam Question is a novel, and so should be discussed at Non-canonical Sherlock Holmes works. Cusop Dingle (talk) 21:39, 31 December 2011 (UTC)

As a Sherlockian myself, I must admit that I too would be against this, for the same reasons that Cusop Dingle cites. The fact of the matter is that the events of the Great Hiatus will always be a mystery, which is obviously how the great Sir Doyle wished it to be. Had he wanted to explain it, he could have. As it is, to be honest, I would shorten the section considerably. I would delete the Meyer's Seven-Per-Cent Solution reference on the same grounds that it is non-canonical, and I would also delete the amusing, but ultimately completely irrelevant, theory of Mark Bourne's that seems to have been inserted at the end of the section.

Conan Doyle gave us all the information we would get (as far as I can recall at the moment) in The Adventure of the Empty House, yet surprisingly that stories information (that Holmes was the Norwegian Sigerson who made "remarkable explorations") is not mentioned in the section. Vyselink (talk) 05:40, 1 January 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 31 December 2011

There is a misspelling of the word Artifact in the Sherlock Holmes Article regarding his habits and personality. I hope I am doing this right, I just made my account.

TeaSippinJoe (talk) 19:21, 31 December 2011 (UTC)

N Not done Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes use British spellings See American and British English spelling differences#Miscellaneous spelling differences. Dru of Id (talk) 20:20, 31 December 2011 (UTC)

Edit request on 1 January 2012

The paragraph about forensic photography has a clause (", murders in 1888") hanging at the end. Probably this was meant to be a reference to the Whitechapel murders of 1888, where forensic photography was used. I could edit this myself but I will defer to the judgment of the regular contributors to this page.

I would change it to: "Even before Holmes's time, high quality photography was used to record accident scenes, as in the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879 and the Whitechapel murders of 1888.

Josh Thompson (talk) 12:10, 1 January 2012 (UTC)

The Whitechapel murders article specifically says no forensic techniques were used. Is there a source saying photography was used? — Bility (talk) 04:07, 2 January 2012 (UTC)

Reference not mentioned on this page

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a 2003 novel by British writer Mark Haddon. It won the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year[1] and the 2004 Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book.[2] Its title is a quotation of a remark made by the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle's 1892 short story "Silver Blaze". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2.102.68.97 (talk) 20:57, 17 January 2012 (UTC)

A new derivative - pop culture reference

Please consider adding a reference to the following new derivative - pop culture reference:

Science Fiction author Stephanie Osborn has authored two books (with more on the way) which feature bringing Sherlock Holmes to the present day. The stories: The Case of the Displaced Detective: The Arrival and The Case of the Displaced Detective: At Speed (Twilight Times Books, Dec. 2011) describe the results of a physics experiment looking at an alternate reality in which the fictional Homes was in fact a real historical figure. While watching Holmes & Moriarity's fatal fight at Reichenback Falls, the lead scientist steps through the machine, resulting in Moriarity's fall, but Holmes survival. The experiment is shut down, Holmes ends up transported to the new, present day reality. The stories are then based on Holmes' adaptation to 21st century America and his role in solving a crime involving his own transfer to the dimension. These are fun books and very respectful of the Holmes canon, well worth mention in the article. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.111.110.6 (talk) 06:09, 20 January 2012 (UTC)

Drug usage

The drug usage section is lacking references, they should point to the first chapter (The Science of Deduction) of the novel "The Sign of the Four" for reference of cocaine and morphine usage, and to the short story "The Man with the Twisted Lip" as reference to opium disapproval.

Also, the article affirms that Sherlock Holmes is occasional user of morphine, while it can not be ascertained. It is only implied in the first chapter of "The Sign of the Four" by Dr. Watson, in an ironic disapproval for the cocaine usage, what can be pretty much interpreted as a mockery, and not that Sherlock Holmes is an occasional user.

Change the phrase: "Holmes is also an occasional user of morphine but expressed strong disapproval on visiting an opium den."

to something like: "While it may be implied that Holmes is also an occasional user of morphine[ref], he also expressed strong disapproval on visiting an opium den[ref]."

Lvella (talk) 18:45, 21 February 2012 (UTC)

Not done: You are nearly auto-confirmed, so it would be better if you made this change yourself. You just need two more edits somewhere and you will be auto-confirmed. The references you suggest may be a bit problematic, though. Ideally, you want to reference someone drawing the conclusion rather than the raw data from which the conclusion can be drawn. Welcome and happy editing, Celestra (talk) 03:40, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 25 February 2012

Finally, Didierjean and Gobet (2008) → Finally, Didierjean and Gobet (2008)

Thedeepblue4 (talk) 21:26, 25 February 2012 (UTC)

Done elektrikSHOOS (talk) 05:14, 26 February 2012 (UTC)