I'm in love with Sherlock Holmes. Well I always was. He is the witty, observant, strictly logical, overtly rational and the exceptionally eccentric detective, everyone is bound to fall in love with. The new series (relatively new as compared to the books of 19th century), has put me in the re-reading mode, in an attempt to understand the mind of one of the most famous fictitious detective woven into the literary world.
My love for detective stories obviously started with the ever famous "Famous Five"s and "Secret Seven"s. As i grew up, i transitioned to "Nancy Drew", and even dreamed of being a successful detective one day.
Truth be told, which of us hasn't thought of such wonderfully exotic careers while we were growing up, right? All the books on detective stories lead me to believe, this was the best profession out there beyond the school years. Alas, what a child dreams are innocent and often forgotten as soon as a better prospect comes along (like being the 'ice-cream man'- unlimited access to ice-cream!!!). But amidst all dreams and hopes, stories remain etched into the memory and my thirst for detective stories remain grounded.
In an attempt to absorb the world in which these sleuths were born, i started revising up on the ever famous "Hercule Poirot", another poignant character in our world of crime, Agatha Christie gave us. And how can I forget "Miss Marple", the grandmotherly figure, ever so sweet, unraveling the most dangerous mysteries in the seemingly quiet villages of England.
As we grow, so does our thirst for variety and this brought "Jeeves" into my life. A seemingly simple butler with the mind of a detective, solving problems with satire. P.G. Wodehouse gave a humorous relief to the world of mystery by simplifying it to the level of simple mishaps and misunderstandings.
But why the obsession with "detectives", you ask?
The whole act of being a detective has a charm around it, an aura that appeals to a lot of people. To locate missing items, to find the culprit, to put pieces together is an inherent human tendency. An effort towards bringing about a sense of order to the world that is perhaps chaotic and different from its perceived natural vocabulary.
Kazuo Ishiguro (one of my favourite authors), gave a much deeper insight into what goes into the making of a detective in "When we were Orphans", opening a plethora of questions. My obsession with detectives is not my personal obsession at all. Most people have a detective inside of them and these authors just give personas to these "intrinsic" human feelings. More often than not, characters are merely exaggerated personification of our emotion. That is what i believe makes these characters believable and thus lovable.
Of-course this could all be in my head and maybe i'm just thinking out aloud. But did you not play some kind of "sleuth" game while you were growing up? What about the simple "hide 'n' seek"? Do you not have a curiosity rising within when you encounter unknown situations? A need to know more, a question which demands an answer. I believe as children we are inquisitive and thus stories from our childhood are so much more focussed towards finding an answer to the question. As adults we may have lost a little of the inquisitiveness, but, we haven't stopped asking questions yet. We still 'got' to know, 'have' to find out, 'want' that answer. But the answer isn't what we always 'need', its the journey that often enriches and entrances us.
My obsession with detective stories isn't about who did whatever it is being investigated. It is the why.
As we evolve into 20th century, our obsession has evolved too. The new "tech" driven generation, have their own "new age" detectives, with super powers beyond the human (read as Jessica Jones, Marvel) or have gadgets, evolved with us. No matter what the age, we never stop looking. Thats what makes us...
My love for detective stories obviously started with the ever famous "Famous Five"s and "Secret Seven"s. As i grew up, i transitioned to "Nancy Drew", and even dreamed of being a successful detective one day.
Truth be told, which of us hasn't thought of such wonderfully exotic careers while we were growing up, right? All the books on detective stories lead me to believe, this was the best profession out there beyond the school years. Alas, what a child dreams are innocent and often forgotten as soon as a better prospect comes along (like being the 'ice-cream man'- unlimited access to ice-cream!!!). But amidst all dreams and hopes, stories remain etched into the memory and my thirst for detective stories remain grounded.
In an attempt to absorb the world in which these sleuths were born, i started revising up on the ever famous "Hercule Poirot", another poignant character in our world of crime, Agatha Christie gave us. And how can I forget "Miss Marple", the grandmotherly figure, ever so sweet, unraveling the most dangerous mysteries in the seemingly quiet villages of England.
As we grow, so does our thirst for variety and this brought "Jeeves" into my life. A seemingly simple butler with the mind of a detective, solving problems with satire. P.G. Wodehouse gave a humorous relief to the world of mystery by simplifying it to the level of simple mishaps and misunderstandings.
But why the obsession with "detectives", you ask?
The whole act of being a detective has a charm around it, an aura that appeals to a lot of people. To locate missing items, to find the culprit, to put pieces together is an inherent human tendency. An effort towards bringing about a sense of order to the world that is perhaps chaotic and different from its perceived natural vocabulary.
Kazuo Ishiguro (one of my favourite authors), gave a much deeper insight into what goes into the making of a detective in "When we were Orphans", opening a plethora of questions. My obsession with detectives is not my personal obsession at all. Most people have a detective inside of them and these authors just give personas to these "intrinsic" human feelings. More often than not, characters are merely exaggerated personification of our emotion. That is what i believe makes these characters believable and thus lovable.
Of-course this could all be in my head and maybe i'm just thinking out aloud. But did you not play some kind of "sleuth" game while you were growing up? What about the simple "hide 'n' seek"? Do you not have a curiosity rising within when you encounter unknown situations? A need to know more, a question which demands an answer. I believe as children we are inquisitive and thus stories from our childhood are so much more focussed towards finding an answer to the question. As adults we may have lost a little of the inquisitiveness, but, we haven't stopped asking questions yet. We still 'got' to know, 'have' to find out, 'want' that answer. But the answer isn't what we always 'need', its the journey that often enriches and entrances us.
My obsession with detective stories isn't about who did whatever it is being investigated. It is the why.
As we evolve into 20th century, our obsession has evolved too. The new "tech" driven generation, have their own "new age" detectives, with super powers beyond the human (read as Jessica Jones, Marvel) or have gadgets, evolved with us. No matter what the age, we never stop looking. Thats what makes us...
To quote one of the most sophisticated sleuths of all times, James Bond,
"I don't stop when i'm tired, i stop when i'm done."
This is to us... for never giving up on our curiosity, to a lifetime of sleuthing and to questions that never stop coming! Cheers...
This is to us... for never giving up on our curiosity, to a lifetime of sleuthing and to questions that never stop coming! Cheers...
Well written ...
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
DeleteVery well written
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteWow ! Thisis so cool ! Gonna get myself a Kazuo Ishiguro book now ! :)
ReplyDeleteWow ! Thisis so cool ! Gonna get myself a Kazuo Ishiguro book now ! :)
ReplyDeletethanks Aarti! :)
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