Sherlock
Holmes is one fictional character who has transgressed every conceivable line
of society, culture, language and class. Speculations around him have always
courted newspaper headlines since the late 19th century when Arthur Conan Doyle
fathered his most popular character. In recent years, the detective's character
has been revamped owing to a few unfaithful portrayals by movie and TV stars.
Perhaps, Doyle would be turning in his grave right now, given that the
Y-gen girls cannot stop giggling over Holmes' rumored liaison with
his companion Dr. Watson. Doyle never even hinted at the homosexual tendency of
Holmes. On the contrary, he had sent a teaser down our bladders by making the
sleuth a self-admitted admirer of one Irene Adler (who appeared in the short
story "A Scandal in Bohemia", published in July, 1891).
Holmes
never settled down though. Was he really in love with Irene or was he merely an
admirer of her resourcefulness is something which should be left just the way
it is- unsolvable and speculative. What is clear though is that he had a knack
for getting too absorbed in thoughts while working on a case. Today's average
college-going girl may not have really given him any brownie point for staying
ungroomed. Ironically, girls do seem to have a mental orgasm everytime Benedict
Cumberbatch parts with one of his devil-may-care smirks. But a real-life Holmes
would definitely have been in need of a Gillette razor. A couple of swipes and
there you have a face so smooth, slippery and kiss-ready that even Miss Adler
would have done much more than saying, "Good night, Mister Sherlock
Holmes."
So,
when Robert Downey Jr. missed a great opportunity to bed Irene Adler in the
movie, it was a clear "case of lost opportunity" and must have
something to do with his unkempt, unhygienic look.
Amazingly, the book Holmes, cites Listverse,
was squeaky clean.
"Sherlock Holmes is actually described in The Hound of the Baskervilles as having a cat like approach to cleanliness"- Listverse.com
Like
most popular literary characters, this one too seems to have been hit hard by
the media makers. Seems like the 'real' Doyle's Holmes did shave regularly,
though he couldn't have had access to the sophisticated shaving products we
have today. Alas, he could so easily have been a married guy today.
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| Image source: Google |
Pages cited:
1.
http://listverse.com/2013/02/11/10-common-misconceptions-about-sherlock-holmes/
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irene_Adler
