4 ms·
In the original stories Holmes is clearly not (just) a cerebral hero. He is an expert boxer ("He was undoubtedly one of the finest boxers of his weight that I h
by freddie_mercury 7y ago
In the original stories Holmes is clearly not (just) a cerebral hero. He is an expert boxer ("He was undoubtedly one of the finest boxers of his weight that I have ever seen"), an expert swordsman ("Is an expert singlestick player, boxer and swordsman"), and is described as being extremely strong strength ("Few men were capable of greater muscular effort.")
Holmes is constantly praised for his bravery, physicality, and devotion to country ("The Adventure of the Naval Treaty" or "The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans").
I guess I just don't see as much of a gap between Holmes and, say, Odysseus or Robin Hood, as you do.
- edmundsauto 7y agoAdmittedly, I'm not much of a scholar on the topic other than gen-ed classes on it. I appreciate your take. Both Holmes and Odysseus are frequently at odds with their ostensible superiors, who try to assert control over both. However, both characters confirm that they're basically on another level from the "normies" and do whatever the hell they want, consequences be damned. That's an interesting archetype -- be so good that others can't control you. (Although it might actually be better described as hubris than a valid career positioning strategy.)