Snowflake Challenge #2

[kingstoken]

Challenge #2

In your own space, talk about your fannish origin story.

In past I've talked about my mom and Star Trek, shows I liked as a kid, and how I didn't get into transformative fandom until I was an adult because I lived in a rural area without reliable internet, so I won't repeat all that.

So, since I've recently gotten into watching the 1980s-1990s Granada Sherlock Holmes. I thought I would talk about my love of Sherlock Holmes as a teenager. I'm not completely sure when I started reading the Holmes stories, but I think it was probably my first year of High School. I liked mysteries before this, I remember reading stories about three boys who solved mysteries as a kid, and no it wasn't the Hardy Boys, probably one of their many clones. Anyways, my high school library was mostly non-fiction, but it had a mezzanine with fiction books, and I think that is where I read my first Sherlock Holmes book. Later on, my grandmother gifted me a Reader's Digest collection of the short stories.

I remember going to a 4-H meeting and as part of a get to know you thing we were all supposed to share our favourite book, and I said The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and everyone looked at like I was weird. (I guess late 19th century mysteries were not a normal thing for teenagage girls to be interested in, ha!)

I eventually moved on to other things, but I've come back to it in some form or another over the years, usually adaptations like Elementary, and it's been a joy. However, the Granada series is so close to the books it's like visiting an old friend. I'm pretty sure I never saw the Granada series as a young teen, even though it would have been around the right time period, because if I had I think I would have probably been obsessed with it.

When I went to London about a decade ago now we visited the Sherlock Holmes museum at 221b Baker St, and I have a leather bookmark I bought from the gift shop I use it a lot, and always try and use when I read mysteries.

Anyways, I think teenage me might be surprised, but also be happy that I have got back into Sherlock Holmes again.

(One note, because I know someone will ask, but I never got into BBC's Sherlock. I didn't have access at first, and later when I saw clips of it I really didn't like how the Holmes/Watson relationship was portrayed, from what I saw. Holmes can be rude and mean to Watson occasionally, but what some adaptations fail at is showing the respect and fondness Holmes had for Watson, and as much as I love Holmes I love John Watson even more.)

Comments

[vendettadays]

Oh, it was lovely to read all the things you love about Sherlock Holmes and how it's been part of what you've enjoyed for so long. I also never quite got into the BBC adaptation of Sherlock for the way Holmes and Watson's relationship was portrayed, but really enjoyed the portrayal in Elementary. Thank you for sharing!

[senmut]

I couldn't with the BBC version either. I first saw the Granada series, then the Rathbone ones.

[barbaratp]

Eu também cresci em uma área rural sem internet, eu nem sabia que isso era uma coisa na época e fui aprendendo sobre com os jornais e revistas que eu lia ou assistia na tv.

Infelizmente não tive sua sorte de ser apresentada ao mundo literário de Sherlock, o conheci somente como filme e antes disso só ouvia falar por referências nos programas que assistia.

Aqui no Brasil temos algumas coleções sobre jovens bancando o detetive as quais me afeiçoei muito, tanto que li o máximo que pude delas. Não tínhamos Sherlock, nem Christie ou Poirot mas tivemos Pedro Bandeira, Lúcia Machado de Almeida e alguns livros estrangeiros mais recentes dessa onda mistérios. Me lembro de um onde via até mesmo óculos especiais (de celofane vermelho, parecidos com os de 3-D) para visualizar corretamente algumas páginas.

Era um espetáculo. Quando criança devorei a biblioteca da escola tantas vezes que eu mais vivia lá do que em qualquer outro lugar. A bibliotecária era minha amiga, uma luz que eu seguia por todos os lugares.

Única série sobre Sherlock que assisti foi a BBC, outra inspirada é House M.D. que estou a duas temporadas de concluir. Vi os filmes do Downey Jr e alguns pouquíssimos mais antigo e dos quais mal tenho lembranças.

Elementary eu não gostei de alguns episódios e nunca quis ver, mas esse Granada todos falam sobre e eu fico curiosa para saber mais (não sei se teria como assistir no Brasil com algum recurso de dublagem ou legenda, mas ei de procurar).

Quanto a ser adolescente e nunca ler o que aqueles ao nosso redor liam eu passei por isso. Todo mundo em Crepúsculo, Harry Potter ou Hush Hush e eu lendo Dan Brown e Thomas Harris. Na infância foi a mesma coisa, e só escalonou com os anos. Me achavam maluca, obviamente que sou e com orgulho *risos*

Como nunca vi outras representações de Sherlock e nunca li os livros não me ocorreu muito ao longo dos anos que o BBC fez Holmes não tão respeitoso por John e agora me pergunto o que mais eu perdi por só conhecer uma adaptação e nada do material original.

Ps.: Também gosto de ST, esse ao menos vi alguma parte da série original e os filmes de 2009, mesmo assim meu contato continua pequeno. E como Sherlock, conheci pelas referências, depois fui ver como era. Muita coisa chegou a mim bem atrasada.

[kingstoken]

I love the Sherlock and Joan relationship so much! I didn't love all the choices they made with the series, but their relationship was done beautifully.

[kingstoken]

Granada is such a treat, maybe someday I'll get around to watching the Rathbone films as well.

[kingstoken]

It is very nice to hear about you enjoying mysteries in your home country. I know all of the Granada series is available on Youtube, but I don't know what languages the subtitles are available in.

[switchbladeeyes]

I also loved Sherlock Holmes as a teenager. I think I first discovered the stories in junior high and have read and re-read the stories many times since. I still have a set of two paper back books containing all the stories that I got when I was in college, probably 1999-ish. Covers are darn near falling off but I’ll never get rid of them.

I watched the Granada series in the mid-90s. As I recall, A&E aired the show. I LOVED it, and it remains my favorite adaptation of the stories ever.

I enjoyed the BBC show and a modern take on the stories. I especially liked Martin Freeman as Watson TBH.

[barbaratp]

Vou verificar isso torcendo para ter legendas em português, ou ao menos em espanhol (entendo um pouco do idioma)

[kingstoken]

Thank you, it is so nice to hear about other people's love of Holmes.

[potentiality_26]

Very cool to read about your journey. I watched Granada Holmes for the first time a couple of years ago when I was in a not-so-great place mentally, and it still means so much to me.

[kingstoken]

I'm glad to hear it means so to you, and to discover new fans of the series.

[barbaratp]

Ah eu também tenho alguns Reader's Digest ganhei de uma pessoa que ia jogar eles no lixo, quando soube que eram de valor até tentou me enganar para reaver os títulos. Não devolvi e ainda comprei uma das revistas RD de 1952 com receitas incríveis e ótimas matérias.

[the_other_sandy]

Was the "three boys who solved mysteries" Alfred Hitchcock's Three Investigators? I read those too, along with the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes (I started in 8th grade), and Trixie Belden, then moved up to Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and my grandmother's issues of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, before making the switch to SF and fantasy for many years and then adding mysteries back into my rotation again.

I essentially grew up with Sherlock Holmes. One of our local stations ran the Basil Rathbone movies every other week during the baseball off-season (alternating with the Warner Oland and Sidney Toler Charlie Chan movies) when I was a kid, and I think I started watching them when I was...6 or 7 maybe? I also watched the Granada series as it ran on our local PBS station in my teens (I have the whole boxed set on DVD now). Jeremy Brett was perfect in that part.

[lebateleur]

My dad read the Sherlock Holmes stories to me as a little kid. I never got into the Grenada series because the characters didn't look like the ones in my head. That's less of an issue for me now, so maybe I'll check it out.

And your post begs the question: What do you think of the RDJ Sherlock?

[kingstoken]

I'm not sure if it was the Three Investigators, I'm afraid it's been too many years and I don't remember the title, I just remember it was about three boys that solved mysteries.

Someday I will have to watch some of the the Basil Rathbone films, I know they are well liked.

I do agree that Jeremy Brett was pretty much prefect casting for Holmes.

[kingstoken]

That is a really nice memory.

I know about the problem with the characters not looking how you pictured in your head, that's why I couldn't watch the LOTR movies when they came out.

I have never watched the RDJ films, he just didn't seem very Holmes like to me, and at the time they came out I was into other things. I have heard they are very slashy, and I think more steampunk leaning. I'll have to check them out some day. (I'm always so behind on watching movies. I can watch all sorts of TV shows, but movies always seem like more work for some strange reason, lol)

[the_other_sandy]

Basil Rathbone was a good Holmes, but Nigel Bruce is about my least favorite Watson. He was very Vaudeville style comic relief and nothing like book Watson.

[kingstoken]

Yes, I've heard he was a disappointing Watson, so it does make me hesitate to watch them, because I love Watson just as much if not more than Holmes.

[the_other_sandy]

Ironically I disliked Nigel Bruce's Watson so much that it stopped me from reading the books until I was 13 because I didn't know that book Watson was different.

[smallhobbit]

Hooray for Sherlock Holmes!

[kingstoken]

Yeah! Also, I love the icon.

[walgesang]

Another huge Sherlock Holmes fan! :D This feels very similar to my early days of being enamored with Jeremy Brett's Sherlock Holmes (I also never got into BBC's Sherlock either). I'm very curious of a new spin-off called Watson and recently have been reading Molly Ostertag's amazing series Watson's Sketchbook.

I'm sounding like a broken record at this point, but Snowflake Challenge is reminding me of a lot of folks I see around fandom but never got around to friending!

[kingstoken]

It has been so nice finding other Holmes fans via this post. Also, hello new friend!

[walgesang]

Hurrah and hello!

[delphi]

Holmes was a later discovery for me. I'd seen a bit of Granada here and there, knew the references and pastiches from other media, and had idly read some fic in my early years online. But it wasn't until I was eighteen and had a week to pass with no internet, television, FM radio, or bookstores that I read through a two-volume collection of The Complete Sherlock Holmes and was like: "Oh. Now I get where all the fannish love comes from."

[kingstoken]

Yes, when you read they tend to grip you, but you also fall in love with these characters.

[svgurl]

It's great that Sherlock Holmes has had such a consistent presence in your fannish life! I really liked the stories and I loved Elementary too, but I never got around to seeing the Granada series, despite all the praise I've heard about it. I need to check that out one day. This post was a good reminder that I've always wanted to. :)

[kingstoken]

You should check out the Granada series if you get the chance, it's on Youtube, so you don't need to subscribe any streaming service to watch it.

[lebateleur]

I was skeptical about the RDJ films but they won me over on viewing. They obviously knew and loved the source material, and did a great job emphasizing aspects of the character (e.g., baritsu) that's actually better suited to a visual medium than a written one. I enjoyed the steampunk elements and Easter egg nods to other adaptations like Young Sherlock Holmes.

IMO the sequel is not a good Sherlock adaptation but rather a good RDJ Sherlock sequel, because it is wholly fanficcy and fanservicey, and unapologetically so.

[kingstoken]

Thanks, I'll have to check them out some time.