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Jonathan Sullivan
Professor Haas
Writing 39B
21 May 2014
The Intellect of Sherlock for a Modern Audience
With modernization comes obvious change. From communication, to transport, to leisure,
and to entertainment, as society progresses in terms of technology, it also changes. The classic
Victorian-era series of Sherlock Holmes is not excluded from this category of update. As the
genre progresses into the future, contemporary creations of Sherlock, predominantly in the form
of television and film, have been updated to match the audience of the time; as a result, it is as
popular as ever. BBCs Sherlock, a contemporary reproduction of the classic Conan Doyle
detective novels, modernizes an essential element of the character of Sherlock his Intellect and
rationality to mesh with the audiences of contemporary society.
The prodigious Intellect of Sherlock is the defining feature of his character in the novels;
it is his quintessential quality from which most of his other characteristics are formed. Arguably,
the success of the genre, and Doyles detective, hinges upon these qualities of intellect, as,
without it, Sherlock would lack the magic trick that defines his character. From the very
beginning of The Study in Scarlet, readers get a mere glimpse of the deductive prowess of a
character, who, using logic, deduction, and observation, is able to determine the origin of
Johns pocket watch. It is easy to see why this would appeal to audiences; what a reader gets
from the detective novel is not that of listening to a story but of watching a magic trick, which
the magician immediately explains (Dove 3). Without this magic trick of his deductive
powers, Sherlock would be a dull and empty character, which is whyas Doyle developed the
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storieshe transformed the somewhat wooden character of the detective when he made
Holmes (Panek 92) as he invented the pocket geniusshap[ing] the genius to [his] down-to-
earth values (10). Sherlocks Intellect, the driving force behind his observational ability, logic,
deductive, etc.everything that the audience knows him foris what transforms him from the
wooden to the interesting. Furthermore, his character represents a key feature of the Victorian
society in which he was createdthe focus on rationalism. Sherlock Holmes is just as subject to
the times in which he was created as any other character; his rationality is just one example of
this mirror-like reflection of society. In his own words, Detection is, or ought to be, an exact
science and should be treated with the same cold and unemotional mannerthe only point in the
case which deserved mention was the curious analytical reasoning from effects to causes by
which I succeeded in unraveling it (Doyle 200). Sherlock, in many ways, can be compared to a
machine cold, calculating, deductive, and lacking emotion; in this, he is the epitome of reason
and the absence of emotion (which is foiled, of course, by Watson and his excess of
emotion/romance). Thus, he can be seen as a symbol of the society in which he was created in
an empire driven by the increasing industrial force and an emphasis on science and rationalism.
Accordingly, BBCs Sherlock adopts and modernizes Sherlocks intellect in order to
make it appealing to a modern audience. This modernization becomes evident in a scene from
the third episode of the third season, His Final Vow, in which pristine editingin this case
constructing the film from a vast array of techniques from lighting to camera anglein order to
put the viewer in the thoughts of Sherlock. It goes without saying that Doyle could not have
placed readers inside the mind of Sherlock in the same way that the show can through series of
imageswhat is more important to notice, however, is more important than just the showing, but
rather, how it is shown. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Sherlock finds himself at the
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behest of Mary, whom he mistakenly believes will not shoot him. As he is shot, the music and
pace slows, and we zoom in on the red-stain that is beginning to build upon his shirt as the bullet
has pierced into his upper-body. For the next three seconds of real-time (this portion of the
scene takes about two minutes screen time), we get enter Sherlocks mind palaceinside of
his thoughtsand we get a glimpse of just how quickly the magician can think. How the
question that frames this scene is: how are they able to create a sense of being inside of the mind
of Sherlock? The answer rests in one of the essential elements of editing continuity.
Throughout the shots, a continuous line of thought, at least in terms of an objective, is achieved.
Yet, even though the objective of the thought process is achieved, the way the frames, and shots,
are edited together reflect something of a stream-of-consciousness, which, in essence, is chaotic.
Think about how the mind works. A humans mind is continuously connected in a strain of
thoughts, yet, in this strains comes an element of randomness. Without going into the biology
behind this, the mind, while focusing on one particular element, can move to another because of
the first element, and so forthseemingly, and perhaps indeed, randomly. This particular form
of thinking is reflected in the idea of a stream of consciousness in literature or, a depiction of
the wanderings of the mind. This stream of consciousness is evident in the way that the shots
are constructed, and allows the reader to relatively naturally see the progression of thought by
Sherlock and to see the delineation of speed at which his mind runs. This chaotic nature is
reflected by the rapid shifting in the sequence of the shots. The viewer is taken from room, to
morgue, to room, to Mycrofts office, to room, to morgue- etc., within a very limited amount of
time; simultaneously, the characters shiftincluding the character of Sherlock between
childhood and adulthood several timesreflecting a fast-moving thought process and stream of
consciousness which is quickly processing everything that it needs to reach its objective. How in
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this is there continuity, then? The answer is in, predominantly, that there is order in chaos.
Although the characters and scenes shift, seldom to both change at the same time- that is, there is
almost always one element of continuity from the last shot within each location. The frames,
then, have been set such that they reflect a near seamless transition between the two elements-
thus, we have order and chaos co-existing; thus, they achieve a form of stream of consciousness
which allows the viewer to see how quickly Sherlock can use the chaos of his fast-moving mind
to his advantage.
Moreover, the shots in the scene have been edited in a way such that there is a continuity
of lighting within the shots which only further reflects the mind of Sherlock and reflects the
relation between what is occurring outside and inside of his head. As Sherlock slips close and
closer to death, we see a parallel shift in the lighting of the scenes. Moving in the ambulance to
the hospital, the scene shifts from within his headtalking to the straight-jacket contained
Moriarty (perhaps meant to represent the recessed pits of the mind of Sherlock)to hospital, and
back. Throughout this sequence, a particular pattern can be seen in the lighting; a blue haze has
settled over the scene. From the more obvious blue of the surgeons coat, to the heart-beat
monitor, the sheetsto the more subtle blue tint within his mind-palace, the lighting reflects the
somber, sterile nature that Sherlock is currently in. The continuity, then, allows the audience to
see the clear parallels between the real-world and Sherlocks mind. This continuity becomes
even more apparent through the juxtaposition of death and life sets in the form of under-exposure
(in terms of light) and over-exposure. As Sherlocks heartbeat fades and he falls to the ground in
his mind at Moriartys feetthe scene has become dark, the music dim, and the lighting an
increasingly dark and hazy brown. The world, and his chances as his eyes close looking up at
Moriarty (reflecting inferiority and submission, in this case to a symbol of death), seem dim.
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This scene, reflecting deathboth in the physical, through the lack of the heartbeat, and the
mental, in the submission to Moriartyis juxtaposed with his returning to life. The
parallelism between the scenes, as with his death, similarly reflects his return to health. The most
obvious reflection is that as he beats his arm into the ground, a reverberation goes through his
thoughts that, after a jump-cut, is mirrored in the heart-beat monitor. Perhaps less apparent,
however, is the increasing light in the scene. From the dreary and black-pits of death, the
increasing heart-beat is paralleled by an increase in the intensity of light that echoes him getting
closer to recovery. Through all of thisthe juxtaposition of life and death, the parallel
light/scene editing, all leads the audience to witness the power of Sherlocks mind. It becomes
evident in this sceneby relating the real-world to Sherlocks mind that Sherlock almost
literally willed himself back to life. It almost seems as if, through this brilliant usage of parallel
editing, that Sherlock is able to accomplish anythingeven defeating deathwith the power of
his mind. Both of these parts construct a modern image of the mindand are then used to
reinforce to the audience a modernized version of the intelligence of Sherlock.
Although the intelligence and rationality of Sherlock are evident within the BBC version,
changes have been made in order to make his character, particularly with his near-romantic
relationships, more universally appealing. More specifically, as evidenced by the Scandal in
Belgravia, Sherlock is capable of putting on a guise of romantic entanglement with Irene Adler.
The scene at his apartment and then the flashback at the end of the episode are essentially the
same scenehowever, different camera angles and perspectives allow the viewer to see
contrasting forms of Sherlock. The first is the romantic Sherlock. Initially, without the aid of
the cameras and the contrasting perspectives offered in the flashback, the audience is meant to
see something that is, perhaps, a mere faade; that is, a Sherlock that can have romantic
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attachments. This, of course, is very much contrary to the original conventions of Sherlock, as
the cold, calculating and rational machine of the Victorian era. Although he maintains this, this
new element of Sherlockthe romanticis contrary to his original characters specifications,
and has been created to match the audience of modern society; a society that desires such
romantic encounters. Whereas romance might not have had much of a place in the classical
stories, with a new medium and a new audience, the re-imagined stories adage of a romantic
layer adds more intrigue for the current audience. This layer, however, does not last long. We
see again, at the end of the episode, the cold-calculating machine that Doyle created, comments
quite dramatically, sentiment is a chemical defect found in the losing sideI always assumed
that love was a dangerous disadvantage, thank you for the final proof (Sherlock). Throughout
the scene, the shots are predominantly looking down upon Sherlock, in close-up form, up
looking up at Irene from a medium distance (medium shot); however, this paradigm shifts when
Sherlock says, Because I took your pulse. Immediately, the viewer is shot to a differently
edited scene this time portraying, using a close-up high angle shot, what really happened.
From this point on when viewing Irene, the camera looks down upon her, while now looking
up upon Sherlock, demonstrating the shift in power. Additionally, this shift can also be seen to
represent the characteristic shift in the persona of Sherlock. What was once perceived as
romance, from a distance (the audience does not have a clear view of what is really happening),
is now seen for what it truly isdeduction, when the close-up is used. Not all is as it seems
although the character of Sherlock has been adopted to fit the modern audience in that it is hoped
that his potential proclivity towards romance would give him a broader appeal, it is ultimately
seen that Sherlock is still the rational intellectual that he had been in the classic texts. Yet, the
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adaptation also leaves room for the belief that Sherlock is capable of attachmentthe viewer has
to decide for themselves if they believe this to be the case, adding to Sherlocks appeal.
In the end, it is Sherlocks intelligence that makes him an appealing character. Strip away
his intelligence, and you lose his observational skills, his deduction, his reasoning, and the
magic trick that makes him appealing as a character. Coupled with a modern medium, the
adapted character of Sherlock is able to appeal to a modern audience on a broad scale.
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Works Cited
Conan Doyle, Arthur. The Sign of the Four. Seattle: Amazon Digital Services, 2013.
Kindle eBook. Online.

Doyle, A. (1892). Adventure 1: A Scandal in Bohemia. The Adventures of Sherlock
Holmes (Lit2Go Edition). Retrieved May 19, 2014,
fromhttp://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/32/the-adventures-of-sherlock-
holmes/345/adventure-1-a-scandal-in-bohemia/

Dove, George N. The Reader and the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling
Green State University Popular Press, 1997. Print.

Panek, Leroy. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling
Green State University Popular Press, 1987. Print.