I am happy.
I am soooo happy.
Could it be Frida Frag's charming "A Love Letter to *All* Sherlockians?"
Well, that was the icing on the cake. There's a lady who definitely knows how to channel her energy in a positive direction, and I have to admire her for it.
But the cake, and the capital "B" Babe who baked it (being a Baker Street Babe, of course), was the ever amazing Kristina Manente, who kicked some cranky old man ass all over the internet tonight. Now, most folks will look at the cause of her righteous beatdown and raise up some anger of their own at the cause. But me?
Well, I could, if I went back in my files for full documentation, tell you a story of a St. Louis fangirl back in the 1980 who ran afoul of the same Sherlockian arrogance that made a run at Kristina thirty-three years later. It was a different time back then, women weren't allowed to be Baker Street Irregulars and pompous male assery was a lot more common, due to the lack of some female civilizing influence, I suspect. My friend the fangirl broke off from the established Sherlockian groups of her hometown and started a lively journal called The Baker Street Chronicle, which had a healthy bi-monthly run for five years and was always a treat to see arrive in the mailbox. But that bitter taste cause by one unpleasant Sherlockian was a hard one to get rid of, and undoubtedly changed the entire course of her Sherlockian life. I've seen that tale played out far too many times over the years.
So to see a flight of internet valkyries rising up on their winged steeds against that career offender and his snooty Sherlockianery is something like a miraculous vision of vindication. I love the world we're living in these days. Seeing current intolerance for something that bugged me in 1988 when the offending article first came out is a very lovely thing.
So in honor of Kristina Manente's whupping of an ancient evil, as well as Frida Frag's admirable response, I am just gonna hand out the blog-hugs on the net tonight, because I am certainly feeling the love. (And I'll sing a song from Lion King if I have to!)
Yes, and that means you Elementary fans, too . . . big hug!
The ongoing investigation of Sherlock Holmes, reported from the Peoria, Illinois outpost of Baker Street's dirtiest half a dozen.
I really think everyone is too harsh on poor Mr Shreffler. Reading his article what I saw and heard in my mind was the dowager countess of Grantham aka Maggie Smith asking, "Weekend? What, pray, is a weekend?"
ReplyDeleteOnce upon a time Sherlockian scholarship was a genteel pursuit. Illustrious names and personalities were attached to it. That elderly people (I suppose) who have been proud to be a part of this elite group for decades don't take kindly to the new influx of fans from all ways of life comes as no surprise.
And I do understand it, because, let's face it, some of the new BNFs are downright vulgar. I don't like Mr Scruffy as Sherlock Holmes. And I don't like Mrs Scruffy as Sherlockian, which is why I don't socialise in fannish circles in RL. Cons? *shudder*
But that, of course, doesn't mean Mrs Scruffy can't be a fan. That also doesn't mean that old school Sherlockians are wrong when they insist on certain standards. When I saw pictures of the "Daintiest Thing Under a Bonnet"-ball, I was pretty aghast. *That* is called *a ball* today?
I do find those oldtimers pretty charming and I regret that they're about to die out. Their pursuit of "the game" is not for me and they wouldn't consider me a "serious Sherlockian" what with me coming to Sherlock Holmes via "Sherlock". But that doesn't mean I cannot appreciate them, relics that they are.
Otoh there are those like Frida Frag writing kumbaya-letters and "loving" every single one, devotee or fan. Well. Whether the enthusiasm about the new fans "keeping Sherlockiana alive" is justified, remains to be seen.
General praise for every endeavour whatever its quality is abhorrent to me. I do not love the writer of the bad pastiche. I hate "Elementary". There are differences in quality and they should be acknowledged. If we heap praise on everything in equal parts it's no wonder that some people feel Mr Scruffy is a worthy presentation of Sherlock Holmes.
Now, let's not fall into the trap of thinking that our past was all genteel and full of people who didn't drink hard, swear in public, or fart like real people tend to do. Even my favorite elderly Sherlockians have been royal pain-in-the-asses to somebody. The thing is, Mr. Shreffler has been a long history of this snooty, anti-inclusive sort of fan behavior (all while claiming not to be a mere "fan") and his chickens are coming home to roost.
ReplyDeleteIt's an endless cycle, really. Not all the new fans will remain with us until they become the next set of cool old fans, but when they do, the ones who were pains as youngsters will be pains as oldsters, and the ones who were cool when they were young will be super-cool when old. And a few might mellow along the way. Frida's faith in fans will prove out in the end . . . not with every single one, to be sure . . . but with the best of them. History will sort 'em out, but like all cute little babies capable of one day being president, we should probably give them the benefit of the doubt.
I sense a love story being worked into the fifth proposition of Euclid...and I love it!
ReplyDelete"Once upon a time Sherlockian scholarship was a genteel pursuit."
ReplyDeleteThis would be the same Baker Street Irregulars whose constitution mentioned White Rock, ice, and the rules for who should buy the next round?
http://www.bsiarchivalhistory.org/BSI_Archival_History/The_BSI.html
Not sure how that tongue in cheek constitution contradicts my quote?
ReplyDelete