投稿類別：英文寫作類 篇名： Deductions About a Detective: A Comparison Between BBC’s Series Sherlock and the Original Stories 作者： 蔡丞。南湖高中。二年５班 指導老師： 林嘉紋老師 Deductions About a Detective: A Comparison Between BBC’s Series Sherlock and the Original Stories I. Introduction 1. Motivation Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series has received global popularity. Many writers and directors have produced their own creations in the form of novels and films. All of them generally follow the Victorian historical setting. The BBC’s series Sherlock is an exception. This thesis will discuss the differences of the characters and between the original stories and the BBC adaptation. More specifically, the personalities and traits of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes, John and Mary Watson, and Inspector Lestrade. 2. Purpose I intend to elaborate on the differences of the characters in two versions and further introduce the fans of a new generation to the original stories, thereby helping them better understand the characters of the franchise. 3. Research Questions A. How is Sherlock’s relationship with Watson altered in the BBC’s series, as opposed to their original counterparts? B. How does the producers of Sherlock portray their version of the Holmes siblings? Do they still share the same brotherly compassion as they did in Conan Doyle’s stories? C. How did the producers of Sherlock change Inspector Lestrade’s attitude towards Sherlock? D. With the 21st century background, how was the role of Mary Watson, a woman, played in Sherlock ? 4. Process 1 Deductions About a Detective: A Comparison Between BBC’s Series Sherlock and the Original Stories Make deductions about Sherlock Holmes Conduct research via reading the original stories and watching the BBC's Make deductions about adaptation Mycroft Holmes Study the characters of Make deductions about the two universes John Watson Make deductions about Mary Watson Make deductions about Inspector Lestrade II. Thesis 1. Synopsis of the Original Stories The original Sherlock Holmes stories feature Sherlock Holmes, the world’s only consulting detective, and Dr. John Watson, an honorably discharged army doctor as the main protagonists Some of the deuteragonists that will be included in my research are Inspector Lestrade, a bold policeman who is initially suspicious of Sherlock but later becomes his friend, Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older brother, and Mary Watson (nee Morstan), Dr. John Watson’s wife. The stories center around Sherlock and John’s adventures as they solve the most difficult murders and mysteries. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1887 novel A Study In Scarlet introduced the world to the stories of the brilliant consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion, Dr. John Watson. The plot begins with Sherlock and Watson moving into their flat situated on 221B Baker Street and starting to investigate the dreadful murders that occurred all over London alongside Inspector Lestrade. Later on in Conan Doyle’s second novel released in 1890 The Sign of Four, John Watson married Mary Morstan after solving the mystery of her inheritance of the Agra treasure. 2. The Production of Sherlock In 2010, Co-producers of the BBC’s hit series Doctor Who, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss created the series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes and Martin Freeman as John Watson. The series’ plot loosely follows the original stories, therefore some changes were made in order to suit the adapted 21st century background of the story. The series received global 2 Deductions About a Detective: A Comparison Between BBC’s Series Sherlock and the Original Stories popularity and introduced a new generation of fans to the Sherlock Holmes stories. However, it seems that the characters they know in the BBC’s series may not be the same in the original stories, since some alterations were made due to the series having a modern background. 3. Comparisons 3.1 Sherlock Holmes My research begins with a comparison of Sherlock Holmes (Original Universe) and Benedict Cumberbatch’s William Sherlock S. Holmes (BBC’s series). Sherlock Holmes is a misogynistic, cold, and arrogant individual who often insults other people with his intelligence. The reason why he has few friends is clear. According to The Adventure of the Five Orange Pips, when someone rang the bell of Sherlock and Watson’s flat, Watson expected the person to be a friend of Sherlock’s, to which Sherlock replied, “Except yourself I have none.” People other than Watson were all referred to as acquaintances by Sherlock as he had already abandoned nearly all emotions for the cold reasoning that is required in the field of crime scene investigation. In the second episode of the second season of Sherlock, The Hounds of Baskerville, William says to John Hamish Watson (John Watson’s counterpart in the series), “I don’t have friends, I just have one.” Even though he does not directly specify who that is, it is clear that William genuinely views J.H. Watson as the only person who cares to be intimate friends with William. He also frequently says that he is a “high-functioning sociopath.” Sociopaths such as William are able to form emotional ties with people as displayed in one of Conan Doyle’s stories The Adventure of the Dying Detective after the antagonist Culverton Smith is arrested, Sherlock told John, “You never failed me, you never did.” Also, the misogynistic side of Sherlock Holmes is seen in A Scandal in Bohemia, according to Watson, the only female Sherlock has ever truly admired or even loved is Irene Adler, an opera singer who is intelligent enough to spin Sherlock in her fingers. Sherlock’s admiration for her was so great that he only acknowledges her under the title of the Woman. However, William Sherlock Scott Holmes is no longer portrayed as a misogynist in Sherlock. According to Amanda Abbington in an interview with This Morning on 28th January in 2016, “[Sherlock] didn’t trust women that much and didn’t truly understand them, [the series] is called Sherlock and it has to focus on the two males [Sherlock and Watson] in it but we haven’t been registered as doing anything concerning sexism.” As seen in the quote, due to the change in public view about women, the series changed the way Sherlock was portrayed. 3.2 Mycroft Holmes In the original stories, Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older brother, only appears in four stories 3 Deductions About a Detective: A Comparison Between BBC’s Series Sherlock and the Original Stories and is described as even more intelligent than Sherlock Holmes but lacks the inclination to move himself into investigating crimes, which is the reason why Mycroft elected to become a government official and, using his access to a trove of information, aided his younger brother in solving many clandestine cases. Sherlock also seems to trust Mycroft greatly, as seen during the events of The Adventure of the Empty House, after Sherlock’s return from his supposed death. Sherlock revealed that during the three-year hiatus of Watson’s chronicles of Sherlock Holmes, he had been away hunting Moriarty’s criminal agents and was financially backed by Mycroft, stating, “As to Mycroft, I had to confide in him in order to obtain the money which I needed.” In Sherlock, Mark Gatiss’ Mycroft Holmes remains a government official but now has a hand in the affairs of MI5 (the British Security Service) as he directly stated in The Six Thatchers when being asked about information as to an ages-old case. Also, he constantly uses his authority to rally spies and William Sherlock Scott Holmes’ friends to maintain a close surveillance on him, with whom he shares a strained relationship. Despite the strangeness of this action, it shows that Mycroft cares about his younger brother so much that he would go so far as to engage in espionage just to ensure his safety. As seen in Sherlock, Mycroft Holmes abducts John Hamish Watson just to tell him to keep a close watch upon his younger brother (A Study In Pink). The notions mentioned above illustrate that both versions of Mycroft Holmes worry about Sherlock a great deal and are willing to support him to their greatest ability. 3.3 John Watson John Watson, a former army doctor discharged from Afghanistan, serves as the faithful companion of Sherlock Holmes in his detective adventures. John Watson, in the original stories, was quite dubious about Sherlock Holmes’ facility in observation, but gradually became impressed by his friend’s uncanny ability in the field of crime investigation. However, in Sherlock, Martin Freeman’s John Hamish Watson, while still sharing the same background as his original counterpart, has a rather different perspective about William Sherlock Scott Holmes’ ability in deductions. J.H. Watson was instantly fascinated by the way his friend observes the individuals and objects around him. Furthermore, the original version of Dr. Watson does not suffer from any post-war mental conditions. The omission of this fact is due to the techniques of psychiatric therapy for post-traumatic disorder having yet to be developed. Yet, Sherlock portrays John Hamish Watson as a discharged soldier who, despite suffering from the mental trauma caused by the battles he fought, still misses the adrenaline rush and the action he experienced during his time in the army. Veteran soldiers tend to fear the battlefield after retiring, but could potentially miss the euphoria they experience in the warzone. As stated by Martin Freeman in the BBC’s The One Show on 19th December in 2013, “[John] is a soldier coming back from war, you miss the adrenaline and that excitement and it can to some 4 Deductions About a Detective: A Comparison Between BBC’s Series Sherlock and the Original Stories extent lead you adrift, and I think John has been possibly quite a depressed individual.” 3.4 Mary Watson Mary Watson’s first appearance was in The Sign of Four.