YOU SAY THAT WE GO ROUND THE SUN

'But the Solar System!' I protested.
'What the deuce is it to me?' he interrupted impatiently: 'you say that we go round the sun. If we went round the moon it would not make a penny-worth of difference to me or to my work.'
--Dr Watson & Sherlock Holmes, A Study in Scarlet

That may be true for you, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, but perhaps not quite true for me.  A case in point:

My patient friends have listened to me go on about Arthur Conan Doyle for months as I try to understand his personality and possible motivations behind his writings. During our monthly lunches in the wee British Tea Shop near her office (real Brits baking British food and serving good tea!) my friend C. listens to me go on about it with far more courtesy and interest than I deserve. C. is an expert in several things, including commercial banking, the life of Richard III, and astrology. 

At our lunch in April, she explained to me that in the study of astrology, the where and when of birth matters, and when expands beyond the date to include what time of the day. In other words: where was the place Doyle was born in relation to the stars when he made his appearance?

The where and date are easily known:  Arthur Conan Doyle was born on 22 may 1859, at Picardy Place, Edinburgh, Scotland. Knowing the actual time proved to be a problem; I couldn't find it well-documented anywhere. After some chats on twitter last May with folks I know to be knowledgeable (who were also not sure) I landed at the National Records of Scotland web site which includes a scan of Doyle's birth record.

 

The scan is not easy to read. The handwriting is not clear. After much fretting over the second column, I settled on 4:55 am (4h.55m a.m.)  The scan is offered in black and white at the ACD Encylopedia and it might be a tad easier to read. 

 

 

(A bit of serendipity: The topic came up again this week on twitter. The brilliant Phil Bergem joined the discussion this time. He posted: "The source is the birth registration book for Scotland. Registration District 685 2, entry 367. I make the time recorded as 4:55 am." If Phil says it is 4:55, I believe him.)

 

When C. and I met in May, she  surprised me with a list of traits that might be expected in a person born under the same circumstances as Doyle. From what I've read about him, the list seemed to be a good fit:

 

Sun/Ascendant in Gemini: Intellectual curiosity, sharp mind, quick wit. Enjoys socializing with different types of people. Adaptable and flexible. Excels in communication and convincing people of his own ideas. Once he believes there's nothing left to learn of a situation, boredom sets in and he can become restless.

 

Sun in 1st House: Strong-willed, independent, self-motivated.

 

Moon in Aquarius: Emotionally detached, intelligent, original, independent. Friends are important. Intellect may override feelings.

 

Moon in 9th House:  Yearns to experience different cultures and his worldview (including religious, ethic, moral and philosophical beliefs) is influenced by travel. Emotional well-being tied to educational and intellectual achievements.

Mercury in Taurus: Commonsense approach to situation and values practical ideas.

Mercury in 12th House: Able to get in touch with unconsciousness--may be psychic or intuitive. Has a richly creative imagination, excels in make-believe. Talent in writing fiction or fantasy.

Venus in Aries: Falls in love at first sight. Impatient romantically. Needs a mate who respects his independence.

Venus in 11th House: Love and friendship are of equal importance. Loves intellectual companionship.

Mars in Gemini: Can easily express himself assertively but avoids real conflict. Combines intellect with action. Active and restless mind.

Mars in 1st House: Fiery temperament. Tremendous energy. Impatient.

 

C. explained to me about the influences in some depth. I had to laugh when she said that Doyle may have not always been strongly empathetic and may have been, as one old adage goes, "a mile wide but only inches deep."  I'm not sure about that part but it made me laugh (and think) to hear it. C. is a great lunch companion. 

Doyle might have described his nature in the best possible way in the autobiographical The Stark Munro Letters when he wrote, as Stark:

My father says that I seem to look upon the universe as if it were my property and can't be happy until I know that all is right with it. Well, it does send a glow through me when I seem to catch a glimpse of the light behind the clouds.

I wonder if Doyle's father actually said that to him? I like to think that he did. 

 

(A digression: I'm currently reading a 1928 edition of the book published by John Murray which I quoted here. The emphasis on the word 'does'  caught my eye--it seems unusual for the Doyle works I've read. I also have an 1895 edition published by D. Appleton and Company. There is no emphasis on the word in that printing. Did Doyle actually put an emphasis on it? Argh! I wish I could see the manuscript. Another rabbit hole...)

 

I'm not sure of Doyle's thoughts on Astrology; I've not researched it.  I don't know how he would view this list of possible traits determined from the location of the stars at a point in time. He certainly considered the stars because he told us, again as Stark Munro:

Are you conscious of the restful influence which the stars exert? To me they are the most soothing things in Nature. I am proud to say that I don't know the name of one of them. The glamour and romance would pass away from them if they were all classified and ticketed in one's brain. But when a man is hot and flurried, and full of his own little ruffled dignities and infinitesimal misfortunes, then a star bath is the finest thing in the world.

We have, then, two parts of Doyle: the part that is Sherlock Holmes will not give up precious brain space to store scientific information about the stars as it doesn't help him work, and the part that is Doctor Stark Munro (Doctor Watson?) will not store scientific information about the stars because it robs him of their glamour and romance. 

Well, as C. would tell you, Geminis are known for their dual nature.

 

 

 

 "I DESIRE NO DISTRACTIONS..." BUT THIS HAPPENED

Raymond Pallier in Le Petit Journal illustré

'I am very busy just now, and I desire no distractions,' my friend answered.
--"The Adventure of the Three Students"

I've been working (in theory) on a new story inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Sealed Room" for two weeks now. I've written a total of 730 words. I've stayed very busy with other things-- the news, idly doom-scrolling on Twitter, drinking tea, experimenting with non traditional flours in baking, reading Doyle's The Stark Munro Letters, reading John Lithgow's Poet's Corner, having coffee and book discussions twice with Sherlockian friends, arranging possibilities for a program for the Sound of the Baskervilles in December, and a few other things.  In other words: procrastination fueled by distraction. Today, I acknowedged my failings and had the goal of accomplishing a hopefully interesting blog post about Doyle's gift with writing memorable lines.

I had the pleasure recently of listening to Bob Katz lead a discussion for The Crew of the Barque Lone Star on this topic. Bob noted that Doyle could not only write the brilliant lines that are unforgettable ("'Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!'") but he could also write about mundane things in a way that made them memorable ("'It is a lovely evening, my dear Watson,' said a well-known voice.  'I really think that you will be more comfortable outside than in.'") 

One of the best examples I could think of is coal-tar derivatives. ("'Returning to France, I spent some months in a research into the coal-tar derivatives, which I conducted in a laboratory at Montpelier, in the south of France.'") I haven't the faintest idea what a coal-tar derivative is but I never forget that line. 

So, this morning, early, I started a list of the brilliant lines no one ever forgets and a few of the more mundane ones that are not quite as well-remembered but are still great ("'...but I confess that I covet your skull.'") That several hour process led me to the idea that perhaps I should limit my listing to quotes from The Hound of the Baskervilles as Doyle was particularly on fire with great phrasing in that novel. That idea reminded me of a project another Bob (Coghill) did about all the different covers used for HOUN over the years. I stopped what I was doing with the quotes to reread Bob's paper which reminded me that the Arthur Conan Doyle encyclopedia has a section about HOUN covers. I then spent some time looking through those pages.

While there, I came across a set of illustrations for HOUN that I have never paid much attention to, the work of  Raymond Pallier in Le Petit Journal illustré. At that point, all hope I had for seriously accomplishing very much today vanished. These drawings are so different than what I'm accustomed to for HOUN, I got lost in trying to match the illustrations to the specific parts of the tale. This one befuddled me for a minute as I thought it was an execution:

I then realized, of course, it was this: "In the centre of this room there was an upright beam, which had been placed at some period as a support for the old worm-eaten balk of timber which spanned the roof. To this post a figure was tied, so swathed and muffled in sheets which had been used to secure it that one could not for the moment tell whether it was that of a man or a woman.  One towel passed round the throat, and was secured at the back of the pillar."  I had never pictured the moment as being quite like this drawing. If this is accurate, how did Beryl Stapleton survive until rescued? I think her feet need to be on the floor.

Our hero doesn't look at all like I normally imagine him. Holmes's first coat is a bit ill-fitting and unflattering, and he does not wear a deerstalker, but he is quite handsome in his dinner attire. He apparently has a different coat for mucking about in the mire for Stapleton's boot.

It is now three in the afternoon and here I am wondering why my story still only has 730 words. I shall walk a dog and then begin again. I hope I manage to write a memorable line somewhere along the way, perhaps even in this sad tale of a father and son and too many secrets that I will eventually finish. One thing for sure: it will not have anything to do with coal-tar derivatives.