Little Tid-bits on Psychosomatic Illness and ISFJs

"ISFJs are often overworked, and as a result may suffer from psychosomatic illness." -ISFJ profile, by Margaret Marina Heiss on Type Logic.

As we all know, Dr. Watson is an ISFJ. Interestingly, in BBC's Sherlock -A Study in Pink, Sherlock said to Watson, "and I know that your therapist thinks that your limp is psychosomatic, quite correctly I'm afraid."  In the books there is no mention of him having a psychosomatic illness.

A Study in Pink

Dr. Watson and the war in Afghanistan, past and present.

In the original adventures of Sherlock Holmes, written by A. C. Doyle, Dr. Watson served in the second Afghan War.
"The regiment was stationed in India at the time, and before I could join it, the second Afghan war had broken out...I...succeeded in reaching Candahar in safety, where I found my regiment, and at once entered upon my new duties." -A Study in Scarlet.  Candahar is another spelling of current Kandahar, a city in Afghanistan.

In the new BBC Sherlock series, Dr. Watson also served in Afghanistan.

So, they're just keeping it true to the book, right?

The amazing thing though is that Sherlock is set in our current times, and there currently is a war with British soldiers participating in it in Afghanistan, if this series had been produced 15 years earlier or later than it was, this statement would have been non-nonsensical. They would have had to substitute the name of a different country or set the show in the past. But they didn't, because there was a war there then, and there is a war there now.

Mary Mary Uncontrary

I found some amusing similarities between the primary romances featured in the Sherlock Holmes' adventures and the adventures of Richard Hannay. The former was written prior to the latter.

1. Both Richard Hannay and John Watson fall in love with girls named "Mary."

2. Both men are struck by her beauty and remark upon the fact that their male friend doesn't notice it.

Here Watson recounts his conversation with Holmes just after Mary left in The Sign of Four:

Standing at the window, I watched her walking briskly down the street until the gray turban and white feather were but a speck in the sombre crowd.
What a very attractive woman!" I exclaimed, turning to my companion.
He had lit his pipe again and was leaning back with drooping eyelids. "Is she?" he said languidly; "I did not observe."
"You really are an automaton -- a calculating machine," I cried. "There is something positively inhuman in you at times."
He smiled gently.
"It is of the first importance," he cried, "not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities. A client is to me a mere unit, a factor in a problem. The emotional qualities are antagonistic to clear reasoning. I assure you that the most win- ning woman I ever knew was hanged for poisoning three little children for their insurance-money, and the most repellent man of my acquaintance is a philanthropist who has spent nearly a quarter of a million upon the London poor."
"In this case, however --"
"I never make exceptions."

Here Richard Hannay recounts his first encounter with Mary in Mr. Standfast:

Someone put a tea-tray on the table beside us, and I looked up to see the very prettiest girl I ever set eyes on....She smiled demurely as she arranged the tea-things, and I thought I had never seen eyes at once so merry and so grave. I stared after her as she walked across the lawn, and I remember noticing that she moved with the free grace of an athletic boy.
'Who on earth's that?' I asked Blaikie.
'That? Oh, one of the sisters,' he said listlessly. 'There are squads of them. I can't tell one from another.'
Nothing gave me such an impression of my friend's sickness as the fact that he should have no interest in something so fresh and jolly as that girl.

3. These excepts lead to the third point: both men watch their Mary walk away.

4. Both men get lost in reveries about her.

Watson:

 I sat in the window with the volume in my hand, but my thoughts were far from the daring speculations of the writer. My mind ran upon our late visitor -- her smiles, the deep rich tones of her voice, the strange mystery which overhung her life. If she were seventeen at the time of her father's disappearance she must be seven-and-twenty now -- a sweet age, when youth has lost its self-consciousness and become a little sobered by experience. So I sat and mused until such dangerous thoughts came into my head that I hurried away to my desk and plunged furiously into the latest treatise upon pathology. What was I, an army surgeon with a weak leg and a weaker banking account, that I should dare to think of such things? She was a unit, a factor -- nothing more. If my future were black, it was better surely to face it like a man than to attempt to brighten it by mere will-o'-the-wisps of the imagination. (The Sign of Four)

 Hannay: 

 In Charing Cross Road I thought of Mary, and the brigade seemed suddenly less attractive. I hoped the war wouldn't last much longer, though with Russia heading straight for the devil I didn't know how it was going to stop very soon. I was determined to see Mary before I left, and I had a good excuse, for I had taken my orders from her. The prospect entranced me, and I was mooning along in a happy dream, when I collided violently with in agitated citizen.
Then I realized that something very odd was happening.
There was a dull sound like the popping of the corks of flat soda-water bottles. There was a humming, too, from very far up in the skies. People in the street were either staring at the heavens or running wildly for shelter. A motor-bus in front of me emptied its contents in a twinkling; a taxi pulled up with a jar and the driver and fare dived into a second-hand bookshop. It took me a moment or two to realize the meaning of it all, and I had scarcely done this when I got a very practical proof. A hundred yards away a bomb fell on a street island, shivering every window-pane in a wide radius, and sending splinters of stone flying about my head. I did what I had done a hundred times before at the Front, and dropped flat on my face. (Mr. Standfast)

Yes, General Hannay, the career soldier, was so lost in thoughts about Mary that he didn't notice the air raid right away.

    

5. Both men marry their Mary and then she's suddenly much less of a distraction. 

6. Both men are/were soldiers.

My favorite picture of Hannay

Disease in Literature

Just some scrambled thoughts on diseases in literature.

Did you know that you can diagnose what kind of book someone is reading based on the disease mentioned in it? I like to call it a reverse diagnosis. A friend mentioned that there was an outbreak of cholera in the book she was reading. I guessed (correctly), it was set Out West. From the little she told me, I instantly thought: Western romance novel set in the mid-1800s.

It seems to me that certain diseases or health issues are more commonly mentioned in books either written in or set in different eras. Some of these maladies we don't even hear of today, while others are still running rampant. I've noticed that consumption (now known as TB) was pretty popular in the Victorian era.  In the Regency period, you've got ladies with nervous complaints, delicate health, and hysterics. If you get back into the Middle Ages, then you encounter plague and physical handicaps. In the Icelandic Sagas, there is little talk of disease, most people seemed to meet violent ends. (This is just a comment on general trends based on a small selection of literature, not based on any conclusive studies.)

Brain Fever - Among many literary works it appears in The Master of Ballantrae, by Robert Louis Stevenson, several Sherlock Holmes adventures: The Adventures of the Copper Beeches, and The Naval Treaty, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and The Brothers Karamozov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. In The Master of Ballantrae, it was brought on by excessive shock after months of frustrating circumstances. The sufferer was ill in bed, delirious and feverish for a long time. After he recovered physically, his brain was slightly addled. In The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, a girl developed brain fever after months of stress, she, too, was ill in bed for quite some time before recovering. In The Naval Treaty, a young man was taken ill with brain fever on learning that some important papers in his possession had been stolen which meant the ruination of his career. He was in bed for nine weeks unable to attend to his affairs. In The Brothers Karamazov, Dmitri reports that he was on the edge of brain fever. He was in a frenzied state of fear and jealousy over a woman, on the verge of reckless behaviour and murder. So, what is brain fever and why do we never hear of it today? Do people still get it? Various online sources equate it with meningitis and encephalitis (infections of the tissues surrounding the brain). But that doesn't exactly add up. It doesn't account for the sudden and utter prostration incurred by bad news.

Bad-breath - while sometimes this is just because someone ate garlic that day, it can also be caused by a number of factors such as poor dental hygiene or other health problems (WebMD). Halitosis traverses many eras. In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, we hear of the crowds having bad breath. (I felt like puking when I read it.) Additionally he penned this line in Sonnet 130, "And in some perfumes is there more delight / Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks." In Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes, we are told of a handsome young woman who had bad-breath and was mocked for it. In Gigi, by Colette, Gigi's aunt evaluates her. Freshness of breath was one point of of her analysis. It seems that having decent breath was a criterion for beauty although probably not as important as other traits, bad-breath was considered an unfortunate flaw, like freckles, or an ill-shaped nose.

Inscrutable: Women and Sherlock Holmes

What did Sherlock Holmes think of women? There are a number of what appear to be incongruous reports in the canon, yet they're not entirely irreconcilable.  On some occasions he expressed approval of women, while Watson reported that he had an "aversion to women."  Here's a look at what I was able to untangle:

A Victorian Woman

Holmes really did respect women's intuition. On one occasion he remarked, "I value a woman's instinct in such matters" (The Adventure of the Lion's Mane, 1088)  On another, he praised Mary Morstan for retaining a piece of paper because she had an inkling that it might be important later, "You are certainly a model client. You have the correct intuition"  (The Sign of Four). The most astounding, and strongest statement of his belief in a woman's intuition/instinct is found in these words he said to Mrs. Neville St. Clair, "I have seen too much not to know that the impression of a woman may be more valuable than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner" (The Man with the Twisted Lip).

While Holmes values a woman's instinct and intuition, he has no intention of  letting romance and marriage enter his life because he doesn't see emotion and reason as being compatible: "But love is an emotional thing, and whatever is emotional is opposed to that true cold reason which I place above all things. I should never marry myself, lest I bias my judgment"  (The Sign of Four).

Holmes said of Mary, "I think she is one of the most charming young ladies I ever met and might have been most useful in such work as we have been doing. She had a decided genius that way, witness the way in which she preserved that Agra plan from all the other papers of her father"  (The Sign of Four). The key word is "might have." She and Watson were in love, and therefore their reasoning was impaired according to Holmes, and she could no longer be of much use.

Yet, while this phrase communicates his disapproval of their marriage, it also expresses an appreciation for her faculties and that he thinks she possessed potential for being of assistance in crime solving. It is hard to reconcile this with Watson's report that Holmes had an "aversion to women" (The Greek Interpreter). In this situation it seems he is not averse to Mary, just to averse to her marriage to Watson since it will cloud their reasoning. So perhaps, his "aversion to women" was in a general sense: womankind as a whole, or specifically in regards to romance: he decided not to marry and so pulled back from women generally. It seems that while he was able to appreciate a woman's merits he never pursued a friendship with one beyond what was needed to solve a case.

Additionally, "Holmes had, when he liked, a peculiarly ingratiating way with women, and...he very readily established terms of confidence with them" (The Adventure of the Golden Pince-nez).  Holmes could easily befriend women when he found it expedient, yet I don't recall any mention of his having a close or prolonged friendship with a woman in the canon and he certainly had no intention of falling in love.

From Harper's Bazaar, May 14, 1898

Perhaps part of his "aversion to women" stems from the fact that he finds the reasoning behind their actions hard to predict, "And you must have observed, Watson, how she manouvered to have the light at her back. She did not wish us to read her expression...And yet the motives of women are inscrutable. You remember the woman at Margate whom I suspected for the same reason. No powder on her nose--that proved to be the correct solution. How can you build on such quicksand? Their most trivial action may mean volumes, or their most extraordinary conduct may depend upon a hairpin or a curling tongs" (The Adventure of the Second Stain). This sentiment renders Holmes quite human and quite a man! He expresses the age old man vs. woman struggle for comprehension of the other, although based on his decision not to marry, his interest in this subject is entirely a professional one. --And, once again, he's an "automaton" as Watson called him in The Sign of Four.

Many people like to toy with the idea of a romance between Holmes and Irene Adler. Holmes was not in love with Irene Adler. "It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler" (A Scandal in Bohemia).

It's interesting to note that many of the women Holmes encountered throughout his adventures were brave, spirited, independent, emotional, and loyal. Most of them weren't silly, although sometimes over-run by passions.

Therefore, from the canon, it seems that while he is decidedly against romantic attachments, he is generally kind to women and values woman's instincts. 

Note:

The Sherlock Holmes stories were written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. There are many different editions and publications of these stories, and they are sometimes presented in part or as an entirety.

The first image is from Karen's Whimsy. Her website features collections of nicely sorted public domain images for free use.

The second is from Wikipedia. Due to its date, the image is no longer under copyright.

Dr. Watson an Expressive ISFJ

In the Sherlock Holmes canon, there are many incidents that support the generally accepted idea that Dr. John H. Watson is an ISFJ.

ISFJ stands for Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging, and is a personality type in the Myers Briggs system of personality analysis.

ISFJs are known as "The Protectors" and "The Defenders." Watson felt the need to protect his friend, insisting on accompanying Holmes when he was being pursued by Moriarty (The Final Problem, 734). He also felt protective of Miss Mary Morstan. When Thaddeus Sholto suddenly and offhandedly revealed that her father was dead, Watson wrote, "I could have struck the man across the face, so hot was I at this callous and offhand reference to so delicate a matter." Not long later they found themselves holding hands, "I have marvelled at it since, but at the time it seemed the most natural thing that I should go out to her so, and, as she has often told me, there was in her also the instinct to turn to me for comfort and protection" (The Sign of Four). In this quote, it is clear that he instinctively wanted to be supportive to her, and that she saw him as a good emotional support and protector.

Dr. Watson

Heiss wrote that ISFJ's will provide practical support at a moment's notice to their close friends. This is seen a number of times throughout the canon. In The Final Problem, Watson left on very short notice with Holmes in order to protect and assist him. He arose early to go on adventures with Holmes and undertook assignments from Holmes that involved leaving his own business behind. Additionally, he retrieved a different friend from an opium den and the man was grateful for this rescue (The Man With the Twisted Lip). Watson definitely exhibits this ISFJ trait. 

On a related note, this type feels a need to serve. "ISFJs are characterized above all by their desire to serve others, their 'need to be needed.' In extreme cases, this need is so strong that standard give-and-take relationships are deeply unsatisfying to them" (Heiss). Watson once referred to Holmes as his master, which implies that he was the servant or pupil. He, himself, stated that he served Holmeswith these words: "my years of humble but single-minded service" (The Adventure of the Three Garridebs). While he would have liked to be more appreciated this need to serve is perhaps why he continued to serve Holmes despite the fact that he felt unappreciated. It seems that Watson would have liked a normal give-and-take friendship, but because he was an ISFJ he put up with one that was not and on learning that Holmes really did value his friendship and service after his apparent indifference, it was enough for him: "All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation" (The Adventure of the Three Garridebs).  "ISFJs are loyal to the end," Joe Butt.

Typical ISFJ, Watson feels unappreciated, "I have often been piqued by his indifference to my admiration and to the attempts I had made to give publicity to his methods" (The Hound of the Baskervilles).  Heiss wrote, "ISFJs are often unappreciated....they are often unwilling to toot their own horns about their accomplishments because they feel that although they deserve more credit than they're getting, it's somehow wrong to want any sort of reward for doing work." Watson doesn't express the feeling that it is wrong to want recognition, but he does feel unappreciated and that he deserves more gratitude from Holmes.

ISFJs are Sensors as opposed to Intuitives. Andrea Wenger wrote, "They’re more interested in sensory data than in the patterns perceived by the unconscious mind." Watson saw and noticed details but he could not connect them correctly in the grand way the intuitive Holmes did. Now, that being said, ISFJs do have some intuition which may misguide them (Heiss) as perhaps it did Watson.

Watson possessed an inability to hide his true feelings well. Joe Butt wrote that ISFJs are "are often unable to either hide or articulate any distress they may be feeling." One example was when Holmes deceived Watson instead of taking him into his schemes because he knew Watson wouldn't be as convincing if he didn't believe in it.  In The Dying Detective. Holmes said to Watson, "among your many talents dissimulation finds no place, and that if you had shared my secret you would never have been able to impress Smith with the urgent necessity of his presence, which was the vital point of the whole scheme." (Conversely: because he did believe Holmes was dieing, he succeeded in convincing the villain to come). In The Sign of Four, he pretended to be happy although his heart "was heavy within" him and it was evident: "I think I must have been rather over-acting my delight, and that she detected a hollow ring in my congratulations."

Now, in response to the latter half of Joe Butt's statement, Watson was able to articulate his feelings just fine, and I think this is because we see his feelings through his writings. Writing gives one the chance to analyze one's emotions and pick the right words to describe them. In Portrait of an ISFJ, we read, "more so than other types, ISFJs are extremely aware of their own internal feelings, as well as other people's feelings" which they may refrain from expressing. From personal experience both these statements are true in the right context. ISFJs just hide their feelings poorly. 

On a similar note, and although not technically an ISFJ trait, Watson had an expressive face. In The Adventure of the Cardboard Box, Holmes was able to basically read Watson's mind because, well, it was written across his face:
“You remember,” said he, “that some little time ago when I read you the passage in one of Poe’s sketches in which a close reasoner follows the unspoken thoughts of his companion, you were inclined to treat the matter as a mere tour-de-force of the author. On my remarking that I was constantly in the habit of doing the same thing you expressed incredulity.”
“Oh, no!”
“Perhaps not with your tongue, my dear Watson, but certainly with your eyebrows."
Their conversation continued and Watson argued:
"But I have been seated quietly in my chair, and what clues can I have given you?”
“You do yourself an injustice. The features are given to man as the means by which he shall express his emotions, and yours are faithful servants.”
“Do you mean to say that you read my train of thoughts from my features?”
“Your features and especially your eyes.” Holmes continued with an analysis of Watson's expressions and movements which were the foot-prints that led him through the path of Watson's mind.

And this is one reason why Martin Freeman is an excellent Watson:

Watson from BBC Sherlock

What a veritable palette of expression!

Further Exploration:

His writing style also indicates that he is an ISFJ. For more on that see:
Dr. Watson's Writing Style and Personality Type

I really enjoyed this post about Dr. John Watson from BBC's Sherlock. It approaches character analysis by looking at personality functions. I learned a lot about Myers Briggs through her series and the further exploration that it prompted:
http://sherlockcharacteranalysis.tumblr.com/post/29827385452/sensor-feeler-thinker-intuitor-johns-myers-briggs

Bibliography:

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, edited by Leslie J. Klinger, intro by John Le Carré. The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, vol 1 & 2. W. W. Norton & Company. New York: 2005.

Heiss, Marina Margaret and Joe Butt. ISFJ Profile, on TypeLogic.
http://www.typelogic.com/isfj.html

Wenger, Andrea. The ISFJ Writing Personality: Tangible Warmth.
http://andreajwenger.com/2010/03/06/isfj-writing-personality/

Portrait of an ISFJ

http://www.personalitypage.com/ISFJ.html

Ten Things You Didn't Think You'd Learn from Reading Sherlock Holmes

Photo: Edana A.

A little list of things one can learn from reading the Sherlock Holmes adventures by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, precluding detective work and Holmes' maxims:

1. Brandy is the proper restorative for someone who has fainted.

2. "Bunny rabbit" was a term that was in use during the early 1900s.

3. A hansom was a common mode of travel.

4. Brain fever is the result of great mental stress.

5. The English adorned their homes with busts of Napoleon, (even though he was an enemy of Britain.)

6. "Grotesque" does not mean "horrible." See my post: The Meaning of Grotesque

7. Army pensions were in existence pre-WWI

8. Trains can be awkward. "Yes, sir, I fear that I am a little late; but the trains were awkward" (The Adventure of the Six Napoleons).

9. Men's boots had laces. (They still do.)

10. A Scotch bonnet was not considered dignified for elderly non-Scots. (Doesn't say if The British thought it was dignified on Scots or not.)

Dr. Watson's Writing Style and Personality Type

Dr. John H. Watson is generally accepted as an  ISFJ. His writing style certainly supports this idea. Watson writes clearly, succinctly, and yet with warmth.

John Le Carré wrote in the Introduction to The New Annoted Sherlock Holmes, "Dr. Watson doesn't write to you, he talks to you, with Edwardian courtesy, across a glowing fire. His voice has no barriers or affectations. It is clear, energetic, and decent."  Andrea Wenger labeled the ISFJ writing style as "Tangible Warmth." She wrote, "ISFJs focus on facts, which they often convey with warmth.." Although Holmes complains that Watson doesn't stick to the facts enough,* the stories stay focused on the mystery at hand and are told in a straight-forward fashion. He just diverges a little bit to give us a better glimpse of the characters and their lives-- one source of warmth. This warmth, or rather personability, is found in the feelings of the characters, such as their excitement, fear, love, and ideals.  

Warmth is also found in Watson's descriptions. Even if he is describing something dreary, it still has warmth because the description contains a perception of the subject and how it is interpreted by an imaginative human mind. It's like that scientific principle which says the temperature scale doesn't measure hot versus cold, but is rather a scale of heat. There isn't really such a thing as cold, but just a difference in warmth. It was explained to me somewhat like this: two objects that we perceive as cold, one being -10 degrees Fahrenheit and the other -20 degrees Fahrenheit  (cold to human touch) actually contain heat, for if they didn't there could be no energy transfer and the warmth from the -10 object wouldn't travel to the other and raise it's temperature to -15 degrees.

One example of Watson's descriptive warmth in speaking and writing is this exchange where his "SF" effusion is met with "NT" facts:

"'The Haven is the name of Mr. Josiah Amberley's house,' I explained. 'I think it would interest you, Holmes. It is like some penurious patrician who has sunk into the company of his inferiors. You know that particular quarter, the monotonous brick streets, the weary suburban highways. Right in the middle of them, a little island of ancient culture and comfort, lies this old home, surrounded by a high sun-baked wall mottled with lichens and topped with moss, the sort of wall--'
'Cut out the poetry, Watson,' said Holmes severely. 'I note that it was a high brick wall.' (The Adventure of the Retired Colour Man)

The description pulls you in. He personifies the house. He is bounteous with adjectives and in a painter-like fashion, he daubs moss and lichen onto the wall. Not only does he display warmth in this passage but also other characteristics in keeping with the ISFJ style, for Wenger writes, "They may also excel at sensory detail, drawing the reader in."

Furthermore, in Portrait of an ISFJ, we are told, "ISFJs have a rich inner world that is not usually obvious to observers. They constantly take in information about people and situations that is personally important to them, and store it away. This tremendous store of information is usually startlingly accurate, because the ISFJ has an exceptional memory about things that are important to their value systems. It would not be uncommon for the ISFJ to remember a particular facial expression or conversation in precise detail years after the event occurred, if the situation made an impression on the ISFJ. " This is evident in Watson's writing. He often wrote the stories years after they occurred (with the help of his notes) and yet the people have life and color, and the descriptions are explicit.

By Sidney Paget, The Strand Magazine, October 1891

ISFJs "Enjoy reading and writing about history or biography, but are less likely to gravitate toward business or technical writing" (Wenger). Watson writes about events, he recounts stories that have happened, which is, more or less, history. Holmes referred to him as his "biographer" on at least one occasion. Watson does not write the dry technical pieces Holmes would wish.*

Wenger also informs us that ISFJs "often write about topics they care about, although they may not let their own beliefs shine through. They prefer to present the facts, which they may do in great detail, then let readers make up their own mind."  We know that Watson finds the cases very interesting, his wife says as much. However, Watson doesn't make judgments on Holmes' handling of a case although he expresses his disapproval of his drug use and excessive untidiness.

"Tangible Warmth" (Wenger) is certainly an appropriate description for Dr. Watson's writing style. The facts told in vivid detail renders it tangible. Warmth emanates from the humanness of his descriptions, the emotions expressed, and the interactions between people that you come to know through his eyes.

~Please take a look at Andrea Wenger's article,  The ISFJ Writing Personality: Tangible Warmth. I was delighted with it. You may also enjoy reading her other articles. ~

Note:
*In The Sign of Four, Holmes said, "Detection is, or ought to be, an exact science, and should be treated in the same cold and unemotional manner. You have attempted to tinge it with romanticism, which produces much the same effect as if you worked a love-story or an elopement into the fifth proposition of Euclid."


Bibliography:

Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, edited by Leslie J. Klinger, intro by John Le Carré. The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, vol 1 & 2. W. W. Norton & Company. New York: 2005.

Wenger, Andrea. The ISFJ Writing Personality: Tangible Warmth.
http://andreajwenger.com/2010/03/06/isfj-writing-personality/

Portrait of an ISFJ

http://www.personalitypage.com/ISFJ.html 

 

Dr. Watson Quotes

~A compilation of my favorite quotes by or about Dr. Watson.~

One of my favorite moments from the Sherlock Holmes canon is when Watson carries his point of accompanying Holmes despite the danger he ran. In The Final Problem, Holmes advises Watson to return to England while he endeavors to elude Professor Moriarty, who now seeks his life, alone.

Watson wrote, "It was hardly an appeal to be successful with one who was an old campaigner as well as an old friend. We sat in the Strasburg salle-à-manger arguing the question for half an hour, but the same night we had resumed out journey and were well on our way to Geneva." (The Final Problem, page 734)

This quote not only shows Watson's tenacious loyalty and bravery, but also his strong will, for he won the argument and they continued the journey together.

 When Watson recognizes Holmes after he thought Holmes was dead for some years: "I rose to my feet, stared at him for some seconds in utter amazement, and then it appears that I must have fainted for the first and last time in my life." (The Adventure of the Empty House, 789)

By Sidney Paget

Watson's quip: "I don't admit that a fresh illustration is an explanation." He had requested Holmes to explain how he came a conclusion and Holmes began to explain by starting with an example. Holmes replied to Watson's quip, "Bravo Watson! A very dignified and logical remonstrance." (The Disappearance of Lady Carfax, 1363)

Some of my favorite quotes about or to Watson, spoken by Holmes:

"There is no prospect of danger, or I should not dream of stirring without you." (The Adventure of the Norwood Builder, 843)

"And a singularly consistent investigation you have made, my dear Watson....I cannot at the moment recall any possible blunder which you have omitted." (The Disappearance of Lady Carfax, 1371). Oh, poor Watson, it seems a bit undeserved too. 

"The ideas of my friend Watson, though limited are exceedingly pertinacious."  (The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier, page 1483)

"I am getting into your involved habit of telling a story backward."  (The Problem of Thor Bridge, page 1605) 

'"Cut out the poetry, Watson," said Holmes severely. "I note that it was a high brick wall."' After Watson gives a soulful description of a wall. (The Adventure of the Retired Colourman, 1734)

"Good Old Watson! You are the one fixed point in a changing age." (His Last Bow, 1433)

Source:
The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, vol. 1 & 2, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Edited by Leslie S. Klinger. W. W. Norton & Company. New York: 2005.

The Mascot of "Mystery"

It may be miniscule, but I took a moment to muse on this minutia.

Sherlock Holmes is so synonymous with "mystery" that he is the mascot of the genre. At my local library the logo for the mystery section is a little image of Mr. Holmes with his memorable hat and pipe, but whoever designed it gave him a mustache! Mr. Holmes did not have a mustache, so maybe they merged him with Dr. Watson, a different detective, or he's in disguise. All the books in this section bear this symbol, marking them as mystery novels.

*I fear the choice of "M" as the dominant letter for alliteration in this bit of silliness is hardly appropriate for this topic since quite a few of the miserable murderers and masterminds of crime have names that begin with "M" (See The Empty House).*

If, then

I recently read The Lost Special and The Man with the Watches, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Phillip A. Schreffler makes the claim (in the "Afterword") that the character who writes to the newspapers with a possible solution is none other than Sherlock Holmes, even though his name is never mentioned. In the story, he is referred to as "an amateur reasoner of some celebrity at that date." And the first line of the letter contains one of Holmes' most famous axioms, in addition to the words "elementary principle." After reading the canon, it seems to me that he favors the word "elementary." He is also an INTP, and this type likes logic and theories, which involves applying principles.

Well, if the unnamed fellow is indeed Mr. Holmes, then I do believe Professor Moriarty, or one of those under him, is undeniably in The Lost Special. The events took place in 1980, before the death of the professor. The principle perpetrator engaged the aid of an agent he described as "one of the acutest brains in England....it would be unjust to claim all the credit for myself."

The perpetrator also wrote of his agent: "he had command of a band of workers who were trustworthy and intelligent. The idea was his, and my own judgement was only required in the details."

Finally, he said, "I have already spoken of my English agent--who is a man with a considerable future before him, unless some complaint of the throat carries him off before his time."

The crime itself was rather spectacular. They made a train disappear without a trace.  The finesse and successful completion of the crime further points to Moriarty being behind it somewhere.  

And I really should try and find what the Sherlockian scholars have to say about it...

Bibliography

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. Pleasantville, N. Y. : 1993

Joe Butt, INTP Profile. http://www.typelogic.com/intp.html

For more about the personality type of S. H. see:
http://loreandlit.blogspot.com/2013/11/sherlock-holmes-book-character-as.html

Sherlock Holmes (Book character) as an Intuitive Perceiver

Last night as I was reading The Complete Sherlock Holmes in the wee hours of the morning, I came across a rather revealing quote about Sherlock Holmes and his personality type. Across the internet I have seen Holmes labeled as either an INTP or an INTJ (personality types in the Myers-Briggs system). From my own small knowledge of the types, I agree with those who say he is an INTP, which stands for Introverted iNtutive Thinking Perceiving. I'm not going to go into a full analysis, but I just want to show how this quote fits with this conclusion.

By Frederic Dorr Steele

Holmes said, "I have an instinct for such things, and yet sometimes it has played me false. It seemed a certainty when it first flashed across my mind in the cell at Winchester, but one drawback of an active mind is that one can always conceive alternate explanations which would make our scent a false one." (The Problem of Thor Bridge, page 1069)

This quote points to the fact that Holmes is intuitive (the N) in INTP. There are many references to his instinct and intuition throughout the stories and events that are evidence of it. For more on Holmes' intuition, see the links below. 

The fact that Holmes can "always conceive alternate explanations" to the one he already came up with shows that he is a P (perceiving). The official Myers-Briggs website describes the perceiving function thus: "in type language perceiving means 'preferring to take in information.'" The site states that the following statement is the sort of thing a perceiver might identify with, "Sometimes I stay open to new information so long I miss making decisions when they are needed" (The Myers & Briggs Foundation: Judging or Perceiving). Notice how similar this is to Holmes' own statement. He declares that his ability to come up with new explanations is a drawback of the active mind.

Quote from the book:
The Problem of Thor Bridge, in The Complete Sherlock Holmes, vol. II. By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Doubleday & Co, Inc. Garden City, New York. 1930.

For a description of the INTP personality type:
Typelogic INTP profile

For a fuller analysis of Sherlock Holmes' (of BBC's Sherlock) personality type, you might enjoy:
Thinker Intuitor Sensor Feeler: Sherlock's Myers-Briggs Type

The Meaning of "Grotesque"

I had always thought the word "grotesque" meant something gruesome, and/or misshapen in a strange and creepy way.

The word came up a number of times in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. However, the men in the stories used it to describe things that were just strange or un-ordinary, I began to wonder if the word had a different meaning back then.

In the book, Watson said, "I cannot see how such a message as this could inspire horror. It seems to me to be rather grotesque than otherwise" (The Gloria Scott, page 374). In this statement, it is clear that something "grotesque" is not necessarily horrific. He said that "grotesque" describes the message better than "horror" and therefore horror does not equate grotesque.

I wondered if these strange but, in no way gruesome events were enough to upset delicate Victorian sensitivities, but no, these events really did not have anything that smacked of immodesty and were generally not even gruesome. There were just that: "strange."

Fortunately, the book itself answered my question by asking it:

"'I suppose Watson, we must look upon you as a man of letters,' said [Holmes]. 'How do you define the word 'grotesque'?' 

'Strange—remarkable,' [Watson] suggested." (The Adventure of the Wisteria Lodge, page 869)

There we have it.

However, Holmes had begun to see another side to the word. The passage continues:

"'There is something more to it than that,' said [Holmes]; 'some underlying suggestion of the tragic and terrible. If you cast your mind back to some of those narratives with which you have afflicted a long-suffering public, you will recognize how often the grotesque has deepened into criminal. Think of that little affair of the red-headed men. That was grotesque enough at the outset, and yet it ended in a desperate attempt  at a robbery. Or, again, there was that most grotesque affair of the five orange pips, which led straight to a murderous conspiracy. The word puts me on the alert.'" (869)

While reading this passage, one must read "grotesque" as "strange" in keeping with the rest of the book, yet here we see that Holmes said that events that start as bizarre, often turn out to be criminal affairs. The word grotesque has begin to take on the darker connotations many people have today.

Holmes later said, "as I have had occasion to remark, there is but one step from the grotesque to the horrible" (888). So, still, the word does not mean horrible, and in my own definition I note a distinct difference between them due to nuance. However, I feel that now, in the current day usage, the word "grotesque" has stepped from "strange" to "horrible" in the sense that "grotesque" can describe things that inspire horror, it can indicate gruesomeness.

I asked my friends to define the word "grotesque" without the aid of the dictionary. Here are some of their responses: 

"I've always thought of it as frightening and unnatural."

"I always think of twisted stone statues..."

"I think in general it means gross but I generally associate it with something relating to gore or something unthinkable."

"I always think of something gross, but the 'esque' always makes me think of art, so I think of something that at first glance is gross but after taking a closer look is beautiful, or was meant to be so by someone for a certain audience." 

"Disfigured, ugly, gargoyle-like, disgusting, twisted from the normal form"

 To some "grotesque" is more along the lines of Watson's definition, while to others the definition involves some thing twisted or gross.

One important source we have not looked into yet is the dictionary: 

"Grotesque" as an adjective:
Farlex 
1.Characterized by ludicrous or incongruous distortion, as of appearance or manner.

2 Outlandish or bizarre, as in character or appearance. See Synonyms at fantastic.

3. Of, relating to, or being the grotesque style in art or a work executed in this style.

"Grotesque" as a noun:

Merriman-Webster 

a. a style of decorative art characterized by fanciful or fantastic human and animal forms often interwoven with foliage or similar figures that may distort the natural into absurdity, ugliness, or caricature.

So, I find several overlapping definitions of the word at play here.  These online dictionaries and Watson record the word as meaning "strange" and "bizarre" and this I suppose is the "correct" meaning.  The dictionaries also included twistedness in their definitions and a definition pertaining to art. In general usage these days it has a connotation of horrible and twisted. Some are aware of the art style too. To Holmes, the word meant "strange" with a nuance of "tragic and terrible" while indicating criminal activity.

~Update: In Anne of the Island, but L. M. Montgomery, we find this phrase:  "Must proposals be either grotesque or --horrible?"  Grotesque and horrible clearly have different meanings here, in accordance with the Sherlock Holmes stories. The copyright is 1915, definitely contemporary with Sir Doyle, although later than the publication of The Gloria Scott by over ten years.~

Drugs, Then and Now.

I love reading books written in the past that are set in present/recent past in relation to the author's life. It's so enlightening to be able to see what people thought about different topics, what they knew scientifically, and to see their social customs through their own eyes.

I just started reading The Sign of Four, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and published in 1890 (Sherlock Holmes - Wikipedia). It begins with a dialogue between Holmes and Watson that sounds as if it could have taken place today. Well, not with the exact same words, but the argument seems essentially the same. 

By Sidney Paget

Watson is disturbed at seeing Holmes injecting himself and finally broached the subject with, "What is it today? Morphine or cocaine?"

Holmes replied that it was cocaine and asked if he would like to try some. Watson replied with a stout refusal, and they proceeded to debate the use of cocaine.

Let's dissect their arguments a little bit. Below each quote are my thoughts. I've highlighted the different parts of the argument with the same color as my thought about that statement. So, the second red sentence is my thought about the red sentence in the quote. The second purple sentence corresponds to the purple sentence in the quote. Etc.

Holmes said, "I suppose that its influence is physically a bad one. I find it, however, so transcendingly stimulating and clarifying to the mind that its secondary action is a matter of small moment."

He acknowledges that the drug has negative physical effects. But he uses it anyhow because of the feeling it gives him. This is typical. He claims that it helps him think. I've heard that one before too.  Certain drugs are said to give one an out of this world feeling (transcendence) and to be stimulating.

Watson answered with, "Your brain may, as you say, be roused and excited, but it is a pathological and morbid process, which involves increased tissue-change, and may at last leave a permanent weakness. you know too, what a black reaction comes upon you. Surely the game is hardly worth the candle. Why should you, for the mere passing pleasure, risk the loss of those great powers with which you have been endowed? Remember that I speak not only as one comrade to another, but as a medical man to one for whose constitution he is to some extent answerable."

He stresses the fact that cocaine has detrimental, long-lasting, permanent side-effects. He points out that it is not worth the risk, and makes his argument personal by warning that the cocaine could damage Holmes' intellect which is his greatest pride. Watson (like anyone making a good argument) validates his speech with relevant credentials. 

We really don't give people in the past enough credit for what they did know. In this case, that would be Sir Arthur since Watson and Holmes are his creations and not real people at all, but he, the author, had to know the pro and con arguments in order to write them into his book. I find it amazing that this argument, which is pertinent today, was actually basically the same then and now.

Savor the Flavor...of Books!

Certain books strike me as having different flavors.

Books and food. It's not a bad analogy really.  The reader ingests and then digests the material, retaining nourishment for the mind. To take the analogy further, sometimes a person doesn't digest the materiel very well and then just regurgitates it (typically this happens in school). With food, the eater ingests it and it is then digested in the body for nourishment. Sometimes it only makes it to the stomach; after summary digestion it is regurgitated. While some food is unhealthy "junk food,"  there are also unhealthy "junk books."

But, back to the flavors. Two of the first books that struck me as having a flavor were The Lord of the Rings and The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow. After those realizations, I pondered a bit and made comparisions between other books and food.

Here is a list below of different books and their flavors:

The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien - Ice cold lemon water. It's pure, refreshing, and wholesome. The flavor is magical yet with out an sugar added. I think I made this connection because the first time I had lemon water, it was at an outdoor dance. The atmosphere was almost magical. We were all dressed prettily in long elegant gowns we had sewn. We wore no shoes and felt the cool grass beneath our bare feet. Strands of lights illuminated the yard. Light, classy refreshments were served on a side table. And there in a clear dispenser was the ice cold lemon water, so rejuvenating on that summer night.

The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow, by Allen French - Cold Icelandic spring water. When I'd first read it, I'd likened it to fresh spring water, but now that I've been to Iceland and drank the water there, I insist that it is Icelandic spring water, like what comes right out of the tap over there!

The Complete Richard Hannay, by John Buchan - Espresso. Rich earthy flavor, strong and warm. It also has the same effects on me as too much caffeine in my system! I get hyper. When talking about Richard Hannay, I start talking really fast and excitedly (like when I drink too much coffee). Similarly, I also want to do some sort of physical activity, like ride a bike and feel the wind in my face, exercise, fight, lift weights, run around, jump over things or dive under them! These books get my blood pumping! 

Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand - This one I don't associate with a flavor, but rather a sound. Imagine the sound of a violin rising to the stars in a lonely crescendo in the night air under a full white moon. If I were to pick a flavor, I think it would be some sort of wine. Something that's not quite as sweet as rosé.

I asked my friends on facebook if they associate different books with flavors. Here is what they had to say:

A Song of Ice and Fire series, by George R. R. Martin - "The milk at the end of a bowl of Honeycomb."

The Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder  - A bowl of stew. A second friend chimed in, agreeing with this description.

Sherlock Holmes series, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle  - A cup of steaming of black tea. 

The Girl of the Limberlost, and The Harvester, both by Gene Stratton Porter- A thick mint milk shake. "Refreshing but something to let melt in your mouth a little."   

Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen - An ice cream parfait in a fancy glass. She found the book to have different layers.