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Sergio Medina
November 26, 2014
Writing 37
Professor Haas
Sherlock in the 21st Century
Sherlock Holmes has been a staple in entertainment for people across the globe. Conan
Doyles stories and characters have had makeovers and updates throughout the years but it still
stays true to being a recreational detective story. Conan Doyle has given his characters,
Sherlock, and his stories attributes which are still seen today, several years later. These
conventions, throughout the decades, have been updated to accommodate to the 21st century
wants. Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick, Watson, have been updated in many ways
today through movies like Sherlock Holmes. The Victorian Era detective Sherlock, was just that
a detective and nothing more as opposed to film where he was more of an action fighter. Not
only does the film change Sherlock Holmes but it takes it a step further and makes the Watson,
who in the Victorian version was a gentleman, into a crime fighting duo with Holmes. It is
important to realize that all these changes are made for the sake of relating in some way or
another to the modern audience. It is no lie that beliefs, cultures, and values have greatly
changed since the Victorian Era to now in modern time. With those changes comes a modified
audience, hence a different Sherlock Holmes story and characters.

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Sherlock Holmes is presented to the 21st Century audience as a much more action fighter
type character. Conan Doyles Sherlock was presented as an arrogant big headed detective and
nothing more. An excerpt from The Hound of the Baskervilles by Conan Doyle best exemplifies
it, It may be that you are not yourself luminous, but you are a conductor of light (Doyle loc.
870). Here Sherlock Holmes is shown as very witty and big headed while giving Watson a back
handed compliment at the same time. While Conan Doyle did want Sherlock to be aggressive in
his personality he did not intend for it to be that way at all in physical form. Now in the 21st
Century films such as Sherlock Holmes, directed by Guy Richie, portrays just that, a more
violent Sherlock. The crime fighting Holmes is shown towards the beginning of the film. In the
movie Holmes is in a brawl which is very fast pace and chaotic which is furthered shown
through cinematic elements such as whip pan and diegetic sound. Sherlock Holmes in the film is
seen as a detective and an action fighter (presented in the scene). His detective side is shown
when he uses his knowledge and his deduction skills to help him win the fight which stuns the
audience by carefully choreographing every single move in order to win the fight, which he does
effortlessly. So while were seeing the new physically aggressive Holmes in the contemporary
movie it still stays true to the detective he has always been. This change was due in part to the
new audience that had to be satisfied. The 21st century would become tired of constant dialogue
like in the Victorian novels and short stories. The new audience demands action and fighting
scenes, which has been popularized in the past couple of years. This 2009 film delivers just that:

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thrilling action and adventure. Panek, a multi author, in his scholarly book Beginnings, states
that the detective story by many other scholars have been classified as a recreational activity.
(Panek 11). This certainly holds true in that the Sherlock Holmes, while being a detective story,
is still seen as a fun thing to do. This can only be done now in the 21st century by adding action
scenes like the ones in the film Sherlock Holmes. So now with the added action and fights
scenes to the detective story it becomes a pass time to new audiences in the 21st century. So in
the end that is how a new Sherlock Holmes character flourishes from the Victorian Era and how
Conan Doyle had written him. While there are changes to Sherlock Holmess character there are
also bigger changes to main characters such as Watson.

Not only is Sherlock Holmes presented as a crime fighter so is Dr. Watson; and with both
it forms a crime fighting duo. This is a greater contrast and change in character because as
opposed to Sherlock who was already seen as arrogant in the Victorian Era Watson was a middle
class gentleman who was just a student of Sherlock Holmes. Now in the 21st century he is an
action fighter alongside with Sherlock Holmes. Conan Doyles Watson was seen as the relatable
middle class character who was who was your everyday person and a gentleman alongside that.
While he is still seen as that in comparison to Sherlock his character is definitely not how Conan
Doyles version was seen as by the audience compared to the new modern Watson. A clear
example of the new crime fighting Watson is in the movie Sherlock Holmes. In the middle of the

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film, Watson and Holmes are inspecting the midgets lab after his death. Out of nowhere three
men come in and begin to fight with the duo which is further shown and exemplified through
cinematic elements such as foley, whip pan, jump cut, and match on action. Now in this scene
both Sherlock as well as Watson are seen as a crime fighting duo which would never be seen in
Conan Doyles Sherlock in the Victorian Era. This turn right here is almost a complete one
hundred and eighty degree turn. As stated before these changes were made to satisfy the
contemporary audience and their needs. In this case it shows how much changes are needed in
order to fit the modern audience by even changing the once knows as gentleman man to a new
bad guy fighting hero. Dove in his chapter, The Different Story, says, As any reader of
contemporary private-eye fiction knows, this kind of story has introduced all sorts of new themes
but it is structurally detective fiction still (Dove 5). In other words the detective story can be
shaped and molded into any theme but it still holds true to its structure, such as the audience
always knows the solution to the case. In new adaptations of Sherlock Holmes such as the film
its new thematic story is that it now includes action and adventure but in the end still holds true
to certain parts of Conan Doyless conventions. This all leads to that certain themes are for
certain audiences such as Conan Doyles work being exclusively made for Victorian audience
while the new adaptations are made for contemporary audiences while still holding the original
structure throughout.
The modern version of Sherlock is a fitted version of Conan Doyles version, in order to
better connect to the 21st century audience. This is exemplifies the contemporary Sherlock being

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a crime fighting detective in films such as Sherlock Holmes. Changes come in as part of a
changing audience. Throughout the centuries audiences have changed in many aspect of life
which is why then changes are made in modern adaptations such as films like Sherlock Holmes
and television shows such as Elementary and Sherlock; which have all seen great success. Doyle
gave his characters in his books certain conventions which still hold true in many different ways.
Throughout the years the conventions have been altered and or changed in order to better fit and
relate to modern day audience. This is shown through characters such as Sherlock, who in the
Victorian Era was a detective, and Watson, who was just a gentleman under Sherlocks
mentorship, who are now a crime fighting duo. These modifications are brought together in
order to serve the always changing audience while still holding true to Conan Doyles characters .
As an audience continues to change throughout future years, we will always continue to see a
changing Sherlock Holmes story and characters.

Woks Cited.

Sherlock Holmes. Dir. Guy Ritchie. Perf. Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams,
Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly. Warner Brothers Entertainment, 2009. Film.
Dove, George N. The Different Story. The Reader and the Detective Story. Bowling Green,
OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1997. PDF File.
Panek, Leroy. Beginnings. An Introduction to the Detective Story. Bowling Green, OH:
Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1987. PDF File.