tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756608595761528683.post5006056137055416943..comments2023-12-08T00:28:13.416-08:00Comments on Better Holmes & Gardens: Some Thoughts on Character: Professor James Moriartygoddessinsepiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14216346071787396697noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756608595761528683.post-83796888742565961662011-05-14T19:23:07.330-07:002011-05-14T19:23:07.330-07:00Great post. I just re-read The Final Problem, and...Great post. I just re-read The Final Problem, and it struck me what an intense villain Moriarty is, even though he only makes one actual appearance. For me, I think it's Holmes's "Napoleon of Crime" speech, as well as his supposed death, that make me take Moriarty seriously. I do like the foreshadowing of his character in the Granada series, as well; it seems quite believable to me.Marianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01693636355638596302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756608595761528683.post-85190417743286729462011-01-31T07:47:40.523-08:002011-01-31T07:47:40.523-08:00You pose a fascinating question here, one I have t...You pose a fascinating question here, one I have thought about myself, but I think it extends even beyond Moriarty. Part of what makes the stories just genius is that some of the characters are so vivid and lend themselves to the imagination so richly that even though they occupy a tiny portion of the canon, they have become iconic. Moriarty is of course the most successful example of this, but I think Irene Adler (a character I have written about) is another -- she's only in one story! -- and Mycroft of course, and that ridiculous specter of a dog. Who hasn't heard of the Hound of the Baskervilles? Conan Doyle had a marvelous skill at creating characters who have entered pop consciousness in a way completely out of proportion to their presence in his work. I LOVE it!Darlenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10422143606253191906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6756608595761528683.post-81573293455288734782011-01-28T22:40:32.722-08:002011-01-28T22:40:32.722-08:00You seem to uncover and pull together all the righ...You seem to uncover and pull together all the right threads as you broach each of these important Sherlockian topics! I especially like the questions you ask, your theories, and your boldness in offering conclusions. Concerning Moriarty, you hone in upon a paradox--his sparse appearances, his ubiquitous "presence." You evoke that presence in just a few words, so vividly fraught with the atmosphere, I almost see the fog of London rising from the page! Finally, I like your explanation for why he seems to lurking behind more scenes than the two he appears in: "Well, that's because he could be there, he could be there lurking and organizing, and the readers would do well to remember it." I will!Lucyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00187517182328614133noreply@blogger.com