Wednesday, January 28, 2004
A Study in Scarlet
Technically I didn't read the whole book, since my copy of A Study in Scarlet is in a big, thick book containing all of the Sherlock Holmes stories. But I was not about to read the whole big, thick book containing all of the Sherlock Holmes stories. I tried that once, soon after I bought it, and discovered that while I enjoy a little bit of Holmes now and then, trying to read big chunks of the stuff, say all of the Sherlock Holmes stories (as contained in a big, thick book), causes me to tune out and daydream while my eyes skim over the words. A very unsatisfying way to read, I'm sure. Anyway, I felt obliged to read a Sherlock Holmes "novel", and so skipped over The Hound of the Baskervilles, which I think I've read before, in favor of A Study in Scarlet. As the first Sherlock Holmes story to appear, it was an appropriate choice. (Though that was a fact I didn't know until afterwards.) It was quite an enjoyable read, filled with all of the elements which are now cliched. Scotland Yard is stumped by a murder and Sherlock Holmes, who has already started to establish his reputation, is consulted. He starts gathering clues and making arrangements designed to ensnare the murderer, while poor Dr. Watson tries to keep up. I was a bit surprised when the story jumped back in time and westward to the American frontier of 1847, but eventually the connection to rest the story was made clear. Once again I had to wonder what it would have been like to have read the story without already knowing the character of Sherlock Holmes. In the end, a worthless speculation. I suppose I should be adding more contemporary volumes to my reading diet, so I can experience tomorrow's cultural icon before they hit it big. But these classics are just so darn good. Like this one, for example, they're books worth checking out.
Labels: CheckItOut
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
