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The Sussex Vampire
Apr. 19th, 2018 11:01 amFor @astudyincanon book club, I listened to the wonderful audiobook read by Sir Christopher Lee, thanks so much for the link!! This is the one with the tantalizing mentions of Mathilda Briggs and the Giant Rat of Sumatra and other cases we can only imagine. I also love the “Watson of course comes with us” in the plan to visit the Ferguson home.
This has always been a favorite because it’s such an outstanding example of Holmes helping a woman in need, even though she’s not the client herself, and initial indications are that she might be an antagonist. In contrast with SCAN, though, when Holmes is just learning that maybe his client isn’t entirely in the right, he goes into this case with a much broader mind. I’d say both stories have a happy ending, but in SUSS, Holmes has the satisfaction of actually championing the wife, and bringing about a reconciliation between her and her husband. Irene Adler Norton had already left town before Holmes had fully understood the situation behind and around the case in SCAN.
It also rings changes on THOR and PRIO, also with happy or happier endings. In THOR, the south american wife was already deeply estranged from her husband, jealous of his emotional infidelity, and killed herself: no reconciliation would ever have been possible. In SUSS, the couple are still faithful to each other, and eager to be reconciled. Holmes’ explication of the situation enables their temporary, reluctant estrangement to be healed quite readily. Her only illness was (I assume) due to having accidentally ingested a tiny bit of the poison she was drawing out of the baby’s wound, and the expectation was that it would pass soon.
In PRIO, we also have two half-brothers, where the elder is jealous of the younger and wants to do away with him, but in SUSS it is hoped that the “year at sea” will give Jack the healthy transition to adulthood and independence, so he can outgrow his jealousy. meanwhile the baby will grow up safely, and not be himself warped by his brother’s ill will, about which he can do nothing. Given that both boys are legitimate (unlike in PRIO, where the elder is always going to be the social inferior of the younger, and can never inherit while the younger will get all), one can imagine a future in which they both feel securely loved by loving and united parents, and they will outgrow the rivalry and become friends.
There are minor points of contact with other stories, but these seem to me to be the main ones.
acd suss suss acd astudyincanon astudyincanonbookclub acd scan acd thor acd prio
15 notes
Apr 19th, 2018
This has always been a favorite because it’s such an outstanding example of Holmes helping a woman in need, even though she’s not the client herself, and initial indications are that she might be an antagonist. In contrast with SCAN, though, when Holmes is just learning that maybe his client isn’t entirely in the right, he goes into this case with a much broader mind. I’d say both stories have a happy ending, but in SUSS, Holmes has the satisfaction of actually championing the wife, and bringing about a reconciliation between her and her husband. Irene Adler Norton had already left town before Holmes had fully understood the situation behind and around the case in SCAN.
It also rings changes on THOR and PRIO, also with happy or happier endings. In THOR, the south american wife was already deeply estranged from her husband, jealous of his emotional infidelity, and killed herself: no reconciliation would ever have been possible. In SUSS, the couple are still faithful to each other, and eager to be reconciled. Holmes’ explication of the situation enables their temporary, reluctant estrangement to be healed quite readily. Her only illness was (I assume) due to having accidentally ingested a tiny bit of the poison she was drawing out of the baby’s wound, and the expectation was that it would pass soon.
In PRIO, we also have two half-brothers, where the elder is jealous of the younger and wants to do away with him, but in SUSS it is hoped that the “year at sea” will give Jack the healthy transition to adulthood and independence, so he can outgrow his jealousy. meanwhile the baby will grow up safely, and not be himself warped by his brother’s ill will, about which he can do nothing. Given that both boys are legitimate (unlike in PRIO, where the elder is always going to be the social inferior of the younger, and can never inherit while the younger will get all), one can imagine a future in which they both feel securely loved by loving and united parents, and they will outgrow the rivalry and become friends.
There are minor points of contact with other stories, but these seem to me to be the main ones.
acd suss suss acd astudyincanon astudyincanonbookclub acd scan acd thor acd prio
15 notes
Apr 19th, 2018
