Holmes behind the Hat -- Halloween and buying into Stereotypes

As many of you know, I was Sherlock Holmes for Halloween, which was a fun and exciting time, especially since everyone recognized me in my distinctive (and wonderfully inexpensive) costume. See? Don't I look wonderful?

But before I went out with my wonderful halloween crew of freinds, who had equally amazing and non-commercially produced costumes, I couldn't help thinking about the nature of the character I was playing. Holmes enthusiasts will probably be quick to tell you that my costume isn' t a thing like what Holmes was portrayed as in the books.

For starters, there's the pipe and the hat. The hat, the infamous Deerstalker that one cannot picture without putting Holmes' famous noggin underneath it, is never mentioned in the short stories -- reference is made to some type hunting cap, but not necessarily the deer stalker.

The pipe, also, is a mistake -- Holmes' drug of choice was opium, although he did smoke a little, and the distinctive calabash pipe, which I did not have, was introduced by one of the many actors to play Holmes because he wanted something that wouldn't interfere with his diction. My pipe (which I do not actually smoke) was borrowed from my grandfather, a relic of his father-in-law. Over the course of the night, I discovered that the pipe is a wonderfully expressive prop, and one that I will certainly use again if the owner does not ask for its return. Perhaps next Halloween I'll use it for JRR Tolkien or a Dead Poets Society Member or something. That would be fun.

The coat he probably would have worn, although mine is sans the capelet that characterized men's outwear of the period (the historical details I give up when I shop at thrift stores) and the shoes and pants, of course, were straight of my closet, and not a Saville row haberdashery.

It's interesting to see how images of popular culture figures evolve. IMDb tells me that no less than 40 actors have played Holmes, including Christopher Lee and Christoper Plummer, the latest of whom will be Robert Downey, Jr, with Jude Law standing in for the estimable Dr. John Watson --

(As a fangirly aside, I would let that duo investigate me any day of the week. Ditto to James D'Arcy's Holmes from the 2002 "Sherlock" regardless of how plotless the actual movie was...)

But 40 actors and 200 movies point to some kind of allure in Holmes' character. (I am going to fervantly deny the existence of whatever ridiculous hack job Will Farrell and Sasha Baron Cohen are going to make of everyone's favorite dective stories.) And certainly I cannot forget that my own favorite TV duo, House and Wilson, take no small influence from Conan-Doyle's works. What is it about Holmes that makes him so endearing? Is it the brilliant, aloof way he solves crime? The rapier sharp wit that is so quick to belittle anyone who doesn't understand him? Or is it just that misattributed hat and calabash pipe that has fixed him in our literary conciousness?

I think that's a question only Holmes himself could find the answer to. I'll stick to exploring the depths of unanswered questions in my fanfiction. And knowing me, that will probably involve Watson and some class of damsel in distress as soon as that movie comes out...