The best thing about this MA for me, is being introduced to so many different texts and authors. Of our reading list for the year I had only read one of the books before although many had been on my “to-read” lists for quite some time. However it has also introduced me to texts and authors with whom I was previously unacquainted. For instance, this week we were studying Willa Cather’s novel The Professor’s House, which I had never heard of prior to this course. Although it could be argued that this was no great loss as I was not bowled over by the text and found it a rather disjointed read. However this post will not be dealing with the problems I had with the novel but the similarities I found with a text that is rather close to my heart: Arthur Conan-Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet.
For those unaware (or for those who, quite frankly, could not care less) I have a love for all things Sherlock Holmes. Mine and Holmes’ relationship has been ongoing for many years now and shows no sign of abating, even with the renewal of interest in him from other parties that kick started with Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of him (although…let’s not discuss that…anytime soon) I have all the books (including some multiple copies), I have DVDs, I have the board-game (highly recommended by the way) and a stop to the Sherlock Holmes museum is always on the cards when visiting London. I even got the opportunity to do a course devoted to Holmes in the final year of my undergrad which was a thoroughly enjoyable experience (I am unlikely to enjoy writing essays that much ever again). So obviously I will be quick to search for Holmes comparisons in almost anything. However the correlations between The Professor’s House and A Study in Scarlet are striking even to the casual observer.
Both texts follow a similar structure: both are split into three sections with two geographical locations. The first and third section of both texts deal with the main character in their respective domestic spaces. The second section of both texts features a dramatic shift, both in a geographical sense and in terms of the writing style. Also, these sections are recollections and have taken place long before the action of the previous section.
Content wise, there are many parallels that can be drawn between the two texts. Each text is centred around domestic settings and the threats that can be posed against them from outside sources. In The Professor’s House Godfrey is trying to come to terms with a new living arrangement and how he must relinquish the old. In Scarlet, Dr. Watson is not only coming to terms with his new dwellings but also the new housemate that comes with them, in the form of the eccentric Sherlock Holmes. The middle section of each book show us domestic spheres under threat. In Cather’s book, this is the mesa discovered by Tom Outland and the threat posed by the money grabbers with no appreciation of its history or significance. In Scarlet, the Ferrier home is invaded by the Mormon cult intent on curbing their disobedience. Even the setting of the middle sections bear resemblance to one another in parts. Some descriptions of the Utah terrain (e.g. the “swift flowing rivers which dash through jagged canons”, the “enormous plains”) could be applied quite comfortable to the area surrounding Tom’s mesa.
For me personally, both texts suffer due to their departure from the domestic setting. Although they undoubtedly serve an important purpose to each story, I found the deviation to be disappointing. And if you want to read that as “they should have stayed with Holmes for the whole thing because he’s brilliant” then I for one am reluctant to correct you.
Although it seems initially unhelpful in an MA about American Literature to be drawing comparisons with British Victorian fiction, I think the whole idea of intertextuality is key to this kind of learning. Drawing comparisons and parallels with themes and settings across the genres is a key skill for this sort of study and will no doubt prove essential with the eventual write up of the dreaded thesis. And if that gives me further excuse to talk about the great man himself, well I’m just fine with that.
Works Cited:
Cather, Willa. The Professor’s House. Virginia: Wilder Publications, 2008. Print.
Conan Doyle, Arthur. “A Study in Scarlet.” The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes. London: Penguin, 2009. 15-88. Print.
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