Immortal Sherlock Holmes

THE ‘SHERLOCK’ED WORLD

Why the most loveable fictitious character will never die and why his reinvention is inexorable.

Today’s world is fiction-hungry, fiction-famished rather! Almost every week there’s a book launch and of which majority are of the fiction genre. A plethora of imaginary characters encompasses us but we are pretty much ‘addicted’ to the old wine. The old wine which is served in an exotic new bottle almost every half-decade. By the ‘wine’ I mean the immortal incisive shrewd phlegmatic consulting detective ‘Sherlock Holmes’ who has lived only in his readers’ hearts and minds for comfortably over a century now.

Sherlock Holmes and his sidekick Dr. John H. Watson, who is the narrator of the original series of novels and stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, are one of the most enigmatic pair one has read. Although there is absolutely no doubt about the literary genius of Sir Conan Doyle, the basic reason why his brain-child became immortal lies in the sheer unique demeanour of Holmes.

It is due to this demeanour and air around the character that he is reborn every few years in a new avatar and a new series of mysteries to be solved. More recently the BBC produced version of Sherlock Holmes starred by Benedict Cumberbatch (playing Holmes) and Martin Freeman (playing Watson) has taken the television viewers by storm. It has arguably been named as the best televised edition of Holmes and has drawn comparisons to the two fairly recent films of the character starring Robert Downey Jr.

The factor that has lead to the critical acclaim and popularity of the TV series (with 3 seasons complete) is the sanctity of the brain and behaviour of original Holmes that has been left untouched. Holmes has been displayed as a socially awkward amateurish sleuth who exactly resembles Doyle’s authentic hero.

The stories and novels of Sherlock Holmes are by far the best form of his. But since the times have changed the newness that has been brought to the character is commendable. And this newness in Sherlock Holmes would perpetuate forever. The wine will always taste better.