Review:Tout ce que vous avez voulu savoir sur Sherlock Holmes/Christopher Roden
This review of the book "Tout ce que vous avez voulu savoir sur Sherlock Holmes sans jamais l'avoir rencontré", by Pierre Nordon was written by Christopher Roden and published in the The Parish Magazine (No. 11, august 1994).
This review praises Pierre Nordon's concise French study of Sherlock Holmes for treating both the Holmes myth and its historical, literary, and social context with intelligence and seriousness. Though necessarily less comprehensive than larger reference works, it is valued as an insightful and distinctive contribution that deserves an English translation.
Review
- Tout ce que vous avez voulu savoir sur Sherlock Holmes sans jamais l'avoir rencontré
- by Pierre Nordon
- Le Livre de poche (Librairie Generale Française, 6 rue Pierre-Sarrazin, 75006 Paris), 1994; 124pp + index; c.£5.00; ISBN: 2-253-94199-9
Reviewed by Christopher Roden
The works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle have always been popular in France, none more so than the Sherlock Holmes stories. The emergence of a new Sherlockian group in that country in recent months is confirmation that the fascination with Holmes is set to continue for many years to come. It is appropriate, therefore, that a new study of Sherlock Holmes should now be made available to French readers, and no less appropriate that the author of this short but fascinating work should be Pierre Nordon.
Nordon's approach is to break the study of Sherlock Holmes into two distinct topics — the myth, and the context examining each in the serious literary manner which is the hallmark of the French. The topics covered under the heading 'Le Mythe' therefore include a brief study of ACD and his family background, and give mention of several of ACD's other works and involvements in public life. To conclude the first section, there is a detailed examination of both Holmes and Watson.
The second section, 'Le Contexte', looks closely at the times in which the Sherlock Holmes stories were set, at society, at women, and at London. Finally, in his conclusion, Nordon examines the various adaptations of Holmes, pastiche, literary influences, Holmesian studies, and the various Holmesian societies. There are strong words of praise here, too, for our own Society, which are particularly pleasing to read, with Nordon recognising the approach we adopt in treating Holmes in the overall context of Conan Doyle's output. The volume closes with a brief chronology and bibliography.
A small paperback cannot hope to provide all the information to be found in a volume as extensive as, say, Chris Redmond's Sherlock Holmes Handbook, but, looking at the subject from a somewhat different viewpoint, it can supplement such works. We are unaware of any plans to publish an English version of Nordon's book at the present time, but understand that he has reserved translation rights in English in case an interested Sherlockian publisher can be found. We may only hope that such a publisher steps forward.
We are unable to give an exact price for the volume as Livre de Poche books are price coded. This book carries a price code LP7 which is meaningless in Britain. However, similar size volumes appear to be available for approximately £5.
CR
- Article courtesy Christopher Roden, founder of The Arthur Conan Doyle Society (1989-2003).
