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March 17, 2014
The Strange Case of Doctor Doyle
Aside from the first novel and the first six stories, the exploits of Holmes and Watsonheld little interest for Arthur. He revelled in their amazing popularity, and enjoyed the lucrative contracts he was able to negotiate, but his basic attitude to the Holmes stories were that they were potboilers. He wrote them for the money, while privately deploring the public demand for such work. As a result he put very little effort into the stories once he had devised the basic puzzle, and they are full of inconsistencies, errors, trite situations, silly dialogue and implausible denouements. | BestQuest
Posted by gerardvanderleun at March 17, 2014 2:23 PM. This is an entry on the sideblog of American Digest: Check it out.
Your Say
Well, I say he did pretty good for a mercenary. Remember Hallmark cards were not out back then.
Posted by: chasmatic at March 18, 2014 8:08 AM
Are we to understand that Doyle's work eventually jumped the shark, only to be confronted with costumed disciples pointing out the flaws in subsequent se/prequels, based on what was later "just phone it in" work?
I've seen this formula somewhere.
Can't wait til' "The Shining" sequel comes out on Netflix.My chick-lit addicted GF MAY be finished with her dead tree version by then.
Posted by: CaptDMO at March 18, 2014 8:57 AM
Most of the Holmes stories are pretty solid, but after a while you can tell he didn't put much effort into them.
On the other hand, his other books like The White Company and Tragedy of the Korosko are quite good and I recommend them.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 19, 2014 7:22 AM
I don't think most of those guys, the artists and authors and other craftsmen of the day were all that noble. Just doing a job of work. We tend to glorify them once they are dead and we see their works in the curriculum of some course we're taking. I spend my time in the school of life where bullshit walks and money talks. the motto is Quid Pro Quo not Pro Bono.
Posted by: chasmatic at March 19, 2014 8:30 AM