Holmes and Watson trope in ATWQ
Aug 19, 2022 15:37:38 GMT -5
Gregor Anwhistle, the panopticountolaf, and 4 more like this
Post by R. on Aug 19, 2022 15:37:38 GMT -5
Lemony’s relationships with Theodora and Moxie are both subversions of the ‘Holmes and Watson’ trope as it is traditionally found, in which a highly intelligent but arrogant and somewhat manipulative detective is accompanied by a close friend who admires them greatly and narrates the story.
First: Lemony and Theodora. Lemony is Theodora’s apprentice, and is therefore technically in a position of lower status to her. From Theodora’s perspective, this makes her the Holmes figure, and him the Watson, which is backed up by the fact that Lemony is the one to narrate the story. However, although Theodora has the almost narcissistic self-confidence and the tendency to keep Lemony in the dark, she lacks the academic intelligence and detective skills of a true Holmes figure, and Lemony does the vast majority of the work, mainly without her. It is quite possible that Theodora deliberately opts out of cases and lets Lemony take care of them due to the insecurity she hides behind her arrogant exterior, subverting the arrogant part of the Holmes archetype and adding a creative edge to the aspect of manipulation.
Secondly, Lemony and Moxie. They have a far more traditional Holmes and Watson relationship, with all the traditional aspects. They are good friends, Moxie admires Lemony greatly, he quite often uses her and keeps her in the dark about things but she stays loyal nonetheless, they have vague romantic subtext, and the scene where they meet at Handkerchief Heights in ?1 is even a homage to Sherlock Holmes story The Hound Of The Baskervilles, which interestingly enough also features a villainous naturalist and local legends regarding monsters being used by the villain to frighten people and conceal his scheme. One of the main things that sets them apart from traditional incarnations of the trope is that despite the fact that she constantly writes everything down, she does not in fact narrate the story. In other words, she fulfils the role of a classic Watson figure in every way except for the most important one.
First: Lemony and Theodora. Lemony is Theodora’s apprentice, and is therefore technically in a position of lower status to her. From Theodora’s perspective, this makes her the Holmes figure, and him the Watson, which is backed up by the fact that Lemony is the one to narrate the story. However, although Theodora has the almost narcissistic self-confidence and the tendency to keep Lemony in the dark, she lacks the academic intelligence and detective skills of a true Holmes figure, and Lemony does the vast majority of the work, mainly without her. It is quite possible that Theodora deliberately opts out of cases and lets Lemony take care of them due to the insecurity she hides behind her arrogant exterior, subverting the arrogant part of the Holmes archetype and adding a creative edge to the aspect of manipulation.
Secondly, Lemony and Moxie. They have a far more traditional Holmes and Watson relationship, with all the traditional aspects. They are good friends, Moxie admires Lemony greatly, he quite often uses her and keeps her in the dark about things but she stays loyal nonetheless, they have vague romantic subtext, and the scene where they meet at Handkerchief Heights in ?1 is even a homage to Sherlock Holmes story The Hound Of The Baskervilles, which interestingly enough also features a villainous naturalist and local legends regarding monsters being used by the villain to frighten people and conceal his scheme. One of the main things that sets them apart from traditional incarnations of the trope is that despite the fact that she constantly writes everything down, she does not in fact narrate the story. In other words, she fulfils the role of a classic Watson figure in every way except for the most important one.