Chanel Huang

Dr. Lynda Haas

Writing 39B
21 May 2014
Sherlock and Infamous Irene Adler
Throughout the years, more and more famous plays and novelssuch as Romeo
and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and Wuthering
Heights by Emily Bronteare being have been reinterpreted and recreated made into
as movies and television shows. The combination of visual effects, effective casting, and
cinematography creates an experience that cannot be matched by other medium;
therefore, re-popularizing the original works and attracting a wider range of audience.
However, in an attempting to increase their appeals, most filmmakers modernize the
originals in hopes to make them appear more relevant to the modern day audience
group. The legendary Sherlock Holmes novels stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are no
exception. Classical conventions such as Sherlock Holmes almost robotic characteristics
and lack of romantic interests have been revised in order to adapt to the new 21
st

century audience.
Back in Sir Arthur Conan Doyles original Sherlock Holmes novels, Holmes is
portrayed almost as an automatonas his sidekick, Dr. John Watson, had put it (The
Sign 22). He doesnt care for anything other than the thrills and excitements solving
cases bring him. Literary scholar, Leroy Panek similarly noted, Doyle applies machine
images to Holmes (82). Furthermore, he acknowledges, that Doyle makes Holmes an
Comment [KK1]: talk more about the CD texts
and its history
Comment [KK2]: Give more context to the
character of Sherlock Holmes and also include which
text you are going to analyze in the thesis
Comment [KK3]: Introduce the text as well
i.e.: In his book, ____, literary scholar Leroy
Panek.....
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instrument for detection, and that, Holmes fills his cranial attic only with those things
which help him solve crimes(82). This is why when Watson mentioned to Holmes how
attractive Miss Mary Morstan is, their client in The Sign of the Four, was Holmes
simply replied, Is she? I did not observe. Instead of having Holmes say, I didnt notice
or I didn't see, Doyle had Holmes say I didnt observe indicating that he saw, he
noticed, but he didnt care or keep it in mind as it doesnt help him solve the case. This
implies that Mary Morstan, or any women for that matter, is merely a client to him and
he can only see her as a client. He was, I take it, the most prefect reasoning and
observing machine that the world has seen, but as a lover he would have placed himself
in a false position (Adventure 1); Conan Doyle had never portrayed Holmes to fall in
love in all of his series, even with the infamous Irene Adler. She, nonetheless, holds a
special place in Holmes heart, reflected in A Scandal in Bohemia as it is understood
that Holmes considered the photograph of herself that Adler had left behind was more
valuable than the kings emerald snake ring (20). Undoubtedly, She was one of the few
people who mattered to him because she was one of the only ones to ever outwit Homes;
thus, winning his interest and respect. From her, he learned the cost of underestimating
the intelligence and capability of women. In his eyes, Watson described, [Irene]
eclipses and predominates the whole of her sex (1) her canniness drastically sets her
apart from the other Victorian women who tend to be more passive and less educated.
He respected her wholeheartedly, but thats all; the romantic element between the two
is a later convention filmmakers had incorporated for the enjoyment of modern-day
audience. <<<This entire paragraph can be made a little shorter, since this essay's main
Comment [KK4]: you should paraphrase easy
quotes so the essay looks cleaner
Comment [KK5]: try to avoid vague words such
as "this" and "that"
Comment [KK6]: Give more context of the story,
but keep it short
Comment [KK7]: lead into the quote; where is
this quote from?
i.e. An article about blahblah states, ....
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focus is to analyze the modern texts, not the original CD stories
In BBCs adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes series, Sherlock, Holmes relationship
with Irene Adler is much more romantic-based. His attraction towards her is largely
empathized emphasized throughout The Scandal in Belgravia, the second episode of
Season 2. In order to make Sherlock more loveable in todays society, BBC producers
created an illusion in which the audience are misled to believe that at one point
Sherlock Holmes ha almostif not alreadyfallen for the dominatrix, Irene Adler, and
that he had given into the chemical defect found on the losing sidesentiment. In the
episode Sherlock Holmes had been asked by his brother, Mycroft, to retrieve Irene
Adlers camera phone which contained top-secret information in which she depends her
life on. After Sherlock Holmes learned that Irene Adler had faked her death and found
her in 221B Baker St., he gets too carried away in Adlers challenges and cracks the code
for her and unknowingly ruins MODs ploy. Because of his previous encounter with
Irene Adler and the trick she played on his concerning the passcode to her camera
phone, Sherlock wanted to get back on her badly; thus, when she admits to not being
able to understand the code he quickly deciphers it without questioning. During the
scene, the camera is mainly focused on Sherlock and Irenealmost a whip panwith
the occasional shots of John Watson from time to time implying how focused in their
world the couple were. <<awkward wording Also, Irenes shots are mostly low-angled
indicating that shes the one in control of the situation. This helps her come across as
really intelligent and confident and its no doubt to the audience Sherlock Holmes would
be attracted to her. In addition, its also possible that Sherlock might have been aware of
Comment [KK8]: shorten the summary
Comment [KK9]: Remember to refer to
characters by last name in a scholarly essay
Formatted: Highlight
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his confounded feelings towards her and thats why he doesnt trick her to give him the
passcode with his usual intensity, but rather, as John astutely points out, went with the
flow, letting her play her game which ultimately creates the sense of the two flirting,
and when Irene outsmarts Sherlock, forcing him to give her back her camera phone, he
just drops the whole thing and hands it to her, with a compliment, Oh, youre quite
good, whereas hed normally forces it out of the person. This romantic element is
included because it is what todays audience group desires. <<You should talk more
about other cinematic elements in the scene, such as the music, sound, lighting, etc.
In the movie Sherlock Holmes directed by Guy Ritchie starring Robert Downey Jr.
and Jude Law, it is presented so that at Irene Adler and Sherlock Holmes first encounter
the audience can straight off seereveals to the audience that there was a romantic
history between the two. The scene starts off with Sherlock waking up to Irene checking
out his flat. Unlike the BBC or original Conan Doyle version, Irene Adler had divorced
her husband, whom she had described as boring, jealous, and prone to snoring. This
indicates the power Irene Adler has and sets her apart right off the bat since back in
the Victorian Era, which is the setting of the movie, women had no say in anything let
allow file for divorce. In those daysDuring the Victorian era, once a woman is married,
she is most likely to be married to her husband until he dies or divorces her. The fact
that Irene was the one who divorced him would be unimaginable to Conan Doyle.
Furthermore, how Irene criticizes of her former husband would not have been
acceptable in that time period. Her assertiveness is also a later convention since thats
what todays society had sculptured an attractive and desirable woman to be: to have
Comment [KK10]: what scene?
Comment [KK11]: strays slightly away from
your main point about the romantic aspect of the
modern day texts
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personality, is independent, confident, and intelligent. As Irene and Sherlock discusses
the reason for Irenes unexpected visit, the shots are at almost the same levelunlike
the BBC versionsuggesting that Guy Ritchie wants the audience to see the two as
equals. Contrasting the flirting and fighting for control, this version the movie portrays
more of a partners-in-crime, best friend relationship between the couple since that is
more relatable to the audience group. The movie also relies more on the characters
facial expressions to set the romantic and flirtatious mood whereas the television show
relies on the words. This is why the shots are mostly close-ups and the whip pan scene
rather than a stationary with camera shooting the two facing each other, talking. The
close-ups highlight the actors detailed and specific facial expressions luring the
audience in creating an experience readers wouldn't able to experience by just reading
the books. <<again, include more cinematic elements in your scene analysis
Different conventions are both added and revised in unique ways from the original
works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as changes are needed since people and society
interprets things differently than before. <<awkward wording These revisions in both
the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler are fit to suit the bold and unique
preference of the audience of modern-day society. <<Dr. Haas said this in my essay, but
I think you should find a movie reviewer and comment about the popularity of the show


**remember to refer to characters by their last names
talk about more cinematic elements
Comment [KK12]: the camera shots? Describe
it as camera angles
Comment [KK13]: remember to be specific
Comment [KK14]: how is it more relatable to
the audience group? Give details!
Comment [KK15]: avoid using contractions
Formatted: Highlight
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In the paragraph where you talked about the movie, choose a specific scene instead of
talking about generalizations about how Sherlock and Irene's relationship was
portrayed in the films







Work Cited
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Sign of the Four. Seattle: Amazon Digital Services, 2013.
Kindle eBook. Online.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. "Adventure 1: A Scandal in Bohemia." The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes. Lit2Go Edition. 1892. Web.
McMahon, Colin. "I Love the Woman: An Analysis of Love, Power, and the Character of
Irene Adler (Sherlock)." The Red Rings of Redemption. 31 Mar. 2014 Web.
Panek, Leroy. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling
Green State University Popular Press, 1987. Print.
Prunes, Mriano, Michael Raine, and Mary Litch. "Film Analysis Guide -- Plain HTML
Version." Film Analysis Guide -- Plain HTML Version. Yale University, 27 Aug. 2002.
Web.

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