Operational Adaptability: Sherlock Holmes at West Point, or, More Fun With Government Publications

[nitesongofafish]

Comments

[rhiannonredwulf]

One of the things I had forgotten about Holme's "method" that I noticed this year when I reread some of the early stories, is his complete refusal to learn things that don't have to do with London or crime. He subscribes to the idea that too much trivial information clutters the mind. -- I'm never sure what I think of that. As that does seem to go against the idea of "operational flexibility."

Holmes

[nitesongofafish]

I remember that too. In fact, Samet writes that, early on, Conan Doyle had Watson jot down Holmes' areas of knowledge vs. ignorance -- but as the stories increased and the character grew, Holmes' idea that "too much trivial knowledge clutters the mind" went by the wayside.

Re: Holmes

[rhiannonredwulf]

That's really interesting.
I can see that it would eventually just prove unworkable as the stories started encompassing more exotic criminals.

Re: Holmes

[nitesongofafish]

Yes -- as I grew older and more educated, I began to wonder when Holmes would reach the point of being merely stuffed with esoterica and, being the best tool for a hundred jobs that came up so very rarely, slide into uselessness -- or paranoia.