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An Examination of Trends in a Century of Sherlock Holmes Adaptations

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An Examination of Trends in a Century of Sherlock Holmes Adaptations NOT SO ELEMENTARY: AN EXAMINATION OF TRENDS IN A CENTURY OF SHERLOCK HOLMES ADAPTATIONS Nathan Camp Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS May 2018 APPROVED: Adam Trahan, Committee Chair Brooke Nodeland, Committee Member Mark Saber, Committee Member Eric Fritsch, Chair of the Department of Criminal Justice Linda Holloway, Interim Dean of the College of Health and Public Service Victor Prybutok, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School Camp, Nathan. Not So Elementary: An Examination of Trends in a Century of Sherlock Holmes Adaptations. Master of Science (Criminal Justice), May 2018, 220 pp., 19 tables, references, 176 titles. This study examines changes over time in 40 different Sherlock Holmes films and 39 television series and movies spanning from 1900 to 2017. Quantitative observations were mixed with a qualitative examination. Perceptions of law enforcement became more positive over time, the types of crime did not vary, and representation of race and gender improved over time with incrementally positive changes in the representation of queer, mentally ill, and physically handicapped individuals. The exact nature of these trends is discussed. Additionally, the trends of different decades are explored and compared. Sherlock Holmes is mostly used as a vehicle for storytelling rather than for the salacious crimes that he solves, making the identification of perceptions of crime in different decades difficult. The reasons for why different Sherlock Holmes projects were created in different eras and for different purposes are discussed. Copyright 2018 by Nathan Camp ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... v CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1 Introduction to Sherlock Holmes ........................................................................................ 1 Historical Background of Sherlock Holmes ....................................................................... 2 Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 7 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ......................................................................... 9 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 9 Queer, Gender, and Racial Representation ......................................................................... 9 Serial Stories and Adapting Holmes ................................................................................. 14 Adapting and Altering the Story ....................................................................................... 16 Sherlock in the Pantheon of Detectives ............................................................................ 20 Interaction with Fans ......................................................................................................... 22 CSI..................................................................................................................................... 26 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 28 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 29 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 29 Finding the Population and Selecting the Sample ............................................................ 30 Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 36 Limitations ........................................................................................................................ 38 CHAPTER 4. RESULTS .............................................................................................................. 40 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 40 Quantitative Analysis ........................................................................................................ 40 Queer Representation ........................................................................................................ 61 Racial Representation ....................................................................................................... 66 Gender Representation ...................................................................................................... 72 Other Elements of Representation .................................................................................. 104 Overcoming and Embracing Tropes ............................................................................... 112 iii Adapting and Altering Holmes ....................................................................................... 128 Forensic Science ............................................................................................................. 143 Summary of Themes ....................................................................................................... 152 CHAPTER 5. DISCUSSION ...................................................................................................... 163 Limitations and Suggestion for Future Research ............................................................ 171 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 173 APPENDIX A. ENGLISH FILM POPULATION OF SHERLOCK HOLMES ADAPTATIONS ..................................................................................................................................................... 177 APPENDIX B. FOREIGN FILM POPULATION OF SHERLOCK HOLMES ADAPTATIONS ..................................................................................................................................................... 185 APPENDIX C. TELEVISION POPULATION OF SHERLOCK HOLMES ADAPTATIONS 191 APPENDIX D. CODE SHEET................................................................................................... 201 APPENDIX E. DEPICTIONS OF TONGA ............................................................................... 204 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................... 208 iv LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1. Sample of Film Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes .......................................................... 33 Table 2. Sample of TV Adaptations of Sherlock Holmes ............................................................ 34 Table 3. Character Appearances ................................................................................................... 42 Table 4. Adapted ........................................................................................................................... 43 Table 5. Time Period ..................................................................................................................... 43 Table 6. Location .......................................................................................................................... 43 Table 7. Tropes ............................................................................................................................. 44 Table 8. Crimes Committed by Criminal ...................................................................................... 44 Table 9. Crimes Committed by Holmes or Watson ...................................................................... 45 Table 10. Criminal Demographics ................................................................................................ 46 Table 11. Victim Demographics ................................................................................................... 47 Table 12. Holmes and Firearms .................................................................................................... 48 Table 13. Holmes Killings ............................................................................................................ 48 Table 14. Weapon Used by Criminal ............................................................................................ 48 Table 15. Holmes’s Cooperation with Police ............................................................................... 49 Table 16. Crime Introduction ........................................................................................................ 49 Table 17. Criminal Apprehension ................................................................................................. 50 Table 18. Forensic Elements ......................................................................................................... 50 Table 19. Other Elements of Criminal Justice System ................................................................. 51 v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Introduction to Sherlock Holmes “Elementary, my dear Watson.” A simple phrase that has resonated with viewers for nearly a hundred years, it has become a prized catchphrase for the
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