Sherlock

T.V shows, these days, as I see it, are beginning to get too monotonous, with the same love stories and problems of complexed people, who have nothing better to do other than think about their lovers, because they seem to have been relieved of all responsibilities that may concern them with the actual world and its problems. Either its this or, its going to be silly vampire or zombie shows. I’m not exactly the type of

person who you would find following shows on T.V religiously, but I can surely appreciate a good one. Even the comedy these days seems to have lost the touch it used to have. But criticizing contemporary T.V shows is not the aim of this post.

I’m sure many of you are already aware of the British T.V series, ‘Sherlock’, that have been airing since 2010, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as the renowned detective and Martin Freeman as his faithful companion, Dr.Watson. It is usually the case that one watches the motion picture only after being inspired by the book. But  in my case, it was quite the opposite. A cousin of mine introduced me to this drama, and from there I decided venture reading the 1600 page novel, although I must admit, I have not yet finished the book. It is pleasing to see that the official E-Book, of the Sherlock Holmes detective series is available on the internet, completely free of charge.

The drama is actually a depiction of the 19th century Sherlock Holmes, moulded spectacularly into a 21st century ‘consulting detective’ who solves crimes with his partner Dr.Watson. He refers to himself as  a consulting detective as he prefers not to be associated with the local police force, which he does not think very highly of. The Scotland Yard, when perplexed by a crime to the extent that no solution seems to be present, seeks his help which he provides only when he finds the case ‘interesting’ enough.

Benedict Cumberbatch is the the sort of figure one might have on mind when thinking of Sherlock. A tall and lean body with hawk like facial features comprising of a sharp nose and bright, curios eyes, which cease to neglect any detail in the surroundings. He lives at 221 Baker  Street in a modest flat with Dr.Watson, who blogs about Sherlock’s experiences as a detective in solving intricate cases, when all other sources fail to be of any use. Martin Freeman, too, is the sort of person one would have in mind when thinking of Dr.Watson. Or maybe watching the drama makes the mind think that these figures accurately depict  the character, whatever the case may be, it is without doubt that all leading actors have remarkable talent in acting.

The way in which the whole story line has been transformed from a 19th century to a 21st century scenario, is phenomenal. Although the basic theme of every episode is in harmony with the one that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle himself  created, several aspects have been altered to compensate for the change in the era in which the actual story was based. This has been done in a manner that has made no compromise on the quality of the story, and the viewer ceases to lose interest. For example, in the book Dr.Watson writes memoirs of his experiences with Sherlock in his complex crime cases, while in the drama he blogs about it. Instead of letters, there are text messages. In the book, Sherlock is depicted as a drug addict, as he finds his mind under excessive pressure when nothing to challenge

it is at hand, thus he drugs himself to escape the suffering, however in the T.V series, he makes use of nicotine patches, for the same purpose (however they may have been other reasons for making this change as well 😉  )
The drama comes in seasons which comprise of three episodes, each about 90 minutes long, in which one case is solved. Up till now there have been two seasons and the third one is expected to be released next year. I will not go on to spoil the drama for my readers but I will strongly recommend watching this series. Do watch it and let me know if you share my enthusiasm!

Light Reading

Often comes the time when one does not wish to burden the mind with heavy books containing intricate plots and backgrounds that require a keen concentration by the reader, rather something to ease the mind and sooth the nerves. Such an objective cannot be achieved by reading a Tom Clancy action novel, or perhaps even a Dan Brown thriller, but something that goes slowly, brightens one up with lively yet subtle humor and never fails to lose the interest of the reader. Reading a book of this sort, is what is usually called Light Reading. Now, everyone has their own preference in light reading, because the requirement of nerves and mind to relax differs from person to person, but I think I will be doing a disfavor to my readers by not letting them know of my personal favorite light reading material. This material happens to be the work of the renowned British writer, P.G Wodehouse. Now, I’m sure many of you must already have heard this name and read many of his literary masterpieces, but for those who have yet to discover the wonders that his books have to offer, I will simply say that his books are based on typical British humor, and they never fail to cheer me up, even on a rainy day.

The expressions that the writer makes use of, his singular tone, full of sarcasm and vigor, and the amusing interaction between his cleverly made characters are sure to bring a smile to the face of even the grimmest of people. In contrast to today’s comedy, many a times wrongfully called so, P.G Wodehouse’s books go on to show that one need not necessarily slip off a banana peel on the pavement to entertain an audience but that the subtle humor which is hidden in every sentence easily serves the purpose, rather in manner much more praiseworthy.

 P.G Wodehouse was brought up by aunts and butlers in his childhood, so any reader of his works will not fail to notice the major part these characters play in his novels. My personal favorite is the Jeeves-Wooster series, in which Bertram Wooster narrates many of his experiences with his faithful and highly intellectual butler, Jeeves. Wooster is depicted as a person who is not much appreciated in society as he is not considered to be the among the brightest of people, and often finds himself amidst a problem to which no solution is clear. In all such situation his Butler, whose mental capacities are much in contrast to those of Mr.Wooster, never fails to come up with a brilliant plan to solve the problem. The novels contain a narration of Mr.Wooster’s experiences

 in such problems, and as I mentioned before the singular tone in which he narrates it never fails to brighten me up.

Another aspect of these books, that I find rather amusing is the difference in taste of clothing between Mr.Wooster and his butler. Mr.Wooster often gets piqued at his butler for not appreciating his taste in clothing, but in the end always has to accept defeat when Jeeves brilliantly solves another problem and Mr.Wooster realizes that he owes him this much. And the story often ends up with those articles of clothing either burned or given away somehow. Bertram’s relation with his aunts is rather interesting as well, considering how they look down upon him as a dim witted, fathead, other that one of his aunts, who happens to be his favorite, Aunt Dahlia. There are many other things that I admire about these books, but finding them out on your own will serve as a greater enjoyment. My favorite novels include The Inimitable Jeeves, Carry On Jeeves, Frozen Assets and many others. Do give his books a read and let me know if you like them, which I’m sure you will.

Happy Reading!

Why The Classics are Being Neglected

In today’s fast paced world, everybody wants to hurry to the conclusions, nobody really has the time to sit back and enjoy the beauty that life has to offer. I’ve realised that the case is similar regarding the reading of books. Classics for today’s generation have proven to be a bit ‘slow’. The writer goes nice and slowly, scrutinizing upon every single detail and works his way up to the end of the chapter when you realise that the character has only walked only a few steps up to the door of the room of his dying mother, and it took him forty pages to ‘aptly’ describe the scenario. The plot of the book may not be too long but the painfully long details stretch the length of the novel quite a bit. What this generation wants are conclusions. They want results and they want them now. An exceptional quality that I’ve noticed in one of my favourite writers, Dan Brown, is that he has the ability to go on with the story at a fast pace but this doesn’t make his stories short because, side by side he is always narrating events with conclusions that hold great significance in the plot and and the story keeps changing. Thus, he is able to provide what today’s generation demands from books. They want steep gradients in the story, and they want them to be good. Another thing is that when we get bored with a book, we don’t hesitate in quitting on it. Who has the time to read a book he/she doesn’t like? But I believe quitting so easily is an imprudent decision. The things these books have to offer, cannot be found in books about vampires. There must be a reason why these books are called Classics, and thus with an inquisitive approach to find that reason we should definitely peruse these books.
Happy Reading!

Modern Fiction : A Waste of Time?

Much of today’s youth is attracted to fiction books written by modern writers, which have an unconventional and perhaps, a more creative, approach towards the readers. Many say that with the advancement of technology fiction writing has changed , with all the indulgence of high-tech stuff, many think that the taste which today’s youth exercises, has become more childish whereas others beleive these books are all bollocks and claim they’re a waste of time. I use to hold the opinion mentioned last, a while ago as well, but being a Dan Brown fan I cannot include myself in this category, and I have changed my views.

I’d like to clarify the misconception in the minds of all those who think these books are a ‘waste’ of time, in as few words possible. When they refer to people ‘wasting’ their time reading such literature, they suggest that the reader is not gaining anything ‘useful’ out of these books and thus is not ‘benefiting’ in any way. This brings us straight to the point that books are mostly read for pleasure and not for benefits. ‘Benefits’ which books provide include enhanced vocabulary and better expression, and these are present in the contents of modern books as well. So what remains is the actual content, and that depends upon taste. Claiming that a book is ‘useless’ if it does not match one’s taste is not a justified statement.
Taste is individual and unique for many people so we should respect that. However these books are not to be compared with the classics. Giving preference to Vampire Diaries or Hunger Games over Charles Dickens would definitely be injudicious. These books are here today and will be gone tomorrow, but the classics will remain unmatched. So, while having the liberty of exercising our own taste, we should not ignore the literature that has not dulled even with the passage of time and shines ever so brightly.

Respect everyone’s taste and Happy Reading!