Skip to main content

A Case of Identity.... the game being afoot and all....

C is for Character.....and also for Caricature


Character --- an account of the qualities or peculiarities of a person or thing.


Caricature --- the ludicrously exaggerated qualities or peculiarities of a person or thing.


Or, more simply, character is the 'grocery list' version of someone. While, caricature is the mutated 'grocery list from Mars' version of someone.


One makes for a memorable figure, the other does not....


A Study in Sherlock



The intrepid consulting detective. Eager for a mystery to solve. Intelligent. Calculating. Precise. When taken at the surface, not very different from the mild-mannered, ex-army doctor, Watson. But, had the stories, which were chronicled by faithful, loyal Dr. Watson, focused on two such mild-mannered individuals, I fear we never would have met Sherlock Holmes.  




It is Sherlock's 'Martian grocery list' that cements him indelibly in our minds. His rat-like tenacity. His refusal to eat while working-- to prevent energies from being wasted on non-essential tasks such as digestion. His boredom-reducing cocaine addiction. And, of course, his ability to tell from a single speck of clay on the outside of your left shoe, where you've been for the past week as well as what you've eaten the last 3 breakfasts.

Of course, one can not forget Holmes' talent for stepping into the disguise of another. He was a master of self-caricature art!

It's obvious which specimen would firmly plant itself in the memory and consciousness of any reader. But, as the great detective said himself, "There is nothing so elusive as an obvious fact."

So, which shall it be......
"Excellent!" I cried.
"Elementary," he said.

Comments

  1. Love this post! As a Holmes fan, I'd say you sketched his personality perfectly.

    And "rat-like tenacity" is my favorite phrase of the day. What a smashing (and spot on) backhanded compliment!

    If you like Holmes, you might give Carole Nelson Douglas' Irene Adler series a go. I feel she's done an excellent job of developing a character worthy of capturing the attention of Holmes.

    Thanks for the delightful post!

    Best,
    Joe
    Dead Reckoning

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oooo, I didn't know there was an Irene Adler series. I may just have to check that out. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Last summer I became mildly obsessed with Mr. Holmes and read everything by Arthur Conan Doyle. Best two weeks of the summer. Seriously. And keep in mind that I live next to a Sicilian beach.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I would think the Sicilian beach would have made a GREAT place to indulge in all things Sherlock! I bet it made a wonderful backdrop :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Really good pics of Holmes. I think I like Robert Downey Jr best, tho...
    Happy C & D day!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Robert Downey, Jr. is very good...but, Jeremy Brett will always have a special place in my heart. He, to me, is the epitome of Sherlock Holmes :-)

    Happy C & D day to you as well!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Share your thoughts!

Popular posts from this blog

A to Z reflections....

Another A to Z challenge comes to an end--- another collection of posts and poetry have been written, another deep breath of relief is released. For my fellow bloggers that survived as well, it's another 'challenge-completed' notch carved into the writing desk. I've come to enjoy my yearly foray into the world of all things alphabetical. This was my third year, though it was only the second year I had a workable theme (which made the challenge substantially easier than the first year I attempted this challenge.) And, though my first year was difficult because my focus was so scattered, I found this year was more  difficult because I lost the enthusiasm that came with the first year excitement----excitement which helped me plug along until the end of the challenge. Year 3 was a success in the sense that I completed the challenge, though, this was the year that almost wasn't---- Somewhere about a third of the way through the challenge, I seriously considered

A-Z Reflections, year 4....

A-Z blogging challenge for 2014 has come and gone, seemingly without my realizing it. And, though I fell behind once or twice toward the end, I finished this year's challenge right on time. Really, I can't believe it's already over. I feel like I just finished my post for letter A... Year 4, for this blogger, was a far cry from the tortured state of despondency that was most of  Year 3 -- I'll not mention the irony of this year's focus on death being easier to blog about than last year's foray into supernatural creatures, we'll leave that for my therapy sessions *ahem* As always, A-Z brought with it, not only 26 days of unbridled and far-reaching knowledge (disguised as entertaining and thought-provoking blog-posts), but a chance to connect with new faces while reconnecting with familiar faces--who had perhaps drifted away--from A-Z's past.  I am always amazed by the ingenuity and inspiration that comes from lumping a couple thousand folk

Remember and Return.....

I've settled my heart in the memory of your sigh, the subtle caress of your lips. I've eased my mind's worry in the warmth of your smile, the soft embrace of your kiss. But, the time of our parting has been of a length, that I scarce can recall your words' sound. And, I fear in the depths of this consuming absence, your passions withheld, your spirit's now bound. I have not the strength to fight such a foe, as wild and untamed as the sea. I have not the will to stand at your door, and demand your decision to be, As one or the other, the sea or my love, I know I would fail to win thee. My only request, when you've ventured enough, Remember! And, return unto me.