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luthienberenHello All!
Just a few notes on The Noble Bachelor today on points that stood out for me =^_^=
Date
According to Watson this is set a few weeks before his marriage and in autumn for "I had remained indoors all day, for the weather had taken a sudden turn to rain, with high autumnal winds…"
So, either this is very late 1888 or 1889? What do the members of this community think?
Watson is writing this four years later so most likely between 1892-93, so after Holmes is lost to him :(.
Watson's wound
Further to the above, Watson mentions the autumn weather affecting his wound: "...the jezail bullet which I had brought back in one of my limbs as a relic of my Afghan campaign throbbed with dull persistence."
Poor Watson! Yet also, I am amused that here ACD was vague as to where the bullet hit ;)
Holmes & Watson
-Holmes relying on Watson to post him up on the latest in papers due to Watson being stuck indoors all day reading the newspapers. It is a lovely dip into their friendship :)
-Watson mentions his upcoming marriage at the beginning of the story, but apparently either Holmes forgot or is in denial, because the tale finishes with Holmes declaring:
"Ah, Watson...perhaps you would not be very gracious either, if, after all the trouble of wooing and wedding, you found yourself deprived in an instant of wife and fortune…and thank our stars that we are never likely to find ourselves in the same position. Draw your chair up and hand me my violin, for the only problem we have still to solve is how to while away these bleak autumnal evenings."
The other reason could be due to Watson forgetting himself considering inconsistency is his middle name...or Doyle, but it does grant us fans wriggle room when writing!
Case
-The case begins with a very "fashionable epistle" according to Watson, to which Holmes remarks is usually a dull affair and that "the humbler are usually the more interesting."
Naturally, in this instance that isn't true. However, what I find more fascinating is that Holmes receives correspondence from fish-mongers and a tide-waiter* which suggests that by now, Holmes' practice and reputation is well established. Thanks in part, perhaps to Watson, as well as word of mouth?
*According to merriam-webster a tide-waiter was/is:
"a: an officer in various preventive customs services who boards ships and watches the landing of goods
b: any customs inspector working at dockside or aboard ships"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tidewaiter
-My sympathies are mixed on this because I do feel for everyone involved. While I do not like Lord St. Simon, I agree with Holmes that it would be hard for him to react particularly nobly given the circumstances, so do feel sorry for the man.
I am curious as to what the members of this community thought of this story?
Just a few notes on The Noble Bachelor today on points that stood out for me =^_^=
Date
According to Watson this is set a few weeks before his marriage and in autumn for "I had remained indoors all day, for the weather had taken a sudden turn to rain, with high autumnal winds…"
So, either this is very late 1888 or 1889? What do the members of this community think?
Watson is writing this four years later so most likely between 1892-93, so after Holmes is lost to him :(.
Watson's wound
Further to the above, Watson mentions the autumn weather affecting his wound: "...the jezail bullet which I had brought back in one of my limbs as a relic of my Afghan campaign throbbed with dull persistence."
Poor Watson! Yet also, I am amused that here ACD was vague as to where the bullet hit ;)
Holmes & Watson
-Holmes relying on Watson to post him up on the latest in papers due to Watson being stuck indoors all day reading the newspapers. It is a lovely dip into their friendship :)
-Watson mentions his upcoming marriage at the beginning of the story, but apparently either Holmes forgot or is in denial, because the tale finishes with Holmes declaring:
"Ah, Watson...perhaps you would not be very gracious either, if, after all the trouble of wooing and wedding, you found yourself deprived in an instant of wife and fortune…and thank our stars that we are never likely to find ourselves in the same position. Draw your chair up and hand me my violin, for the only problem we have still to solve is how to while away these bleak autumnal evenings."
The other reason could be due to Watson forgetting himself considering inconsistency is his middle name...or Doyle, but it does grant us fans wriggle room when writing!
Case
-The case begins with a very "fashionable epistle" according to Watson, to which Holmes remarks is usually a dull affair and that "the humbler are usually the more interesting."
Naturally, in this instance that isn't true. However, what I find more fascinating is that Holmes receives correspondence from fish-mongers and a tide-waiter* which suggests that by now, Holmes' practice and reputation is well established. Thanks in part, perhaps to Watson, as well as word of mouth?
*According to merriam-webster a tide-waiter was/is:
"a: an officer in various preventive customs services who boards ships and watches the landing of goods
b: any customs inspector working at dockside or aboard ships"
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tidewaiter
-My sympathies are mixed on this because I do feel for everyone involved. While I do not like Lord St. Simon, I agree with Holmes that it would be hard for him to react particularly nobly given the circumstances, so do feel sorry for the man.
I am curious as to what the members of this community thought of this story?
