The Woes of Irene Adler

[vtsuion]

Starting this summer, I have been watching Agatha Christie’s Poirot. In the episode ”The Double Clue,” Hercule Poirot falls in love with a Russian countess who is essentially a cross between Catwoman and A.J. Raffles. I haven’t read the story it’s based on, but just from the summary on wikipedia, which describes Poirot as “very impressed with her,” I get the impression that the story was also going for a romantic undertone.

 

And now I think I understand why Sir Arthur Conan Doyle felt the need to put that long disclaimer at the beginning of A Scandal in Bohemia. I’ve always thought that it was a bit excessive and that it was the disclaimer that sparked all the speculation about Holmes being interested in Irene Adler, but now I understand that Doyle was making an honest attempt to dissuade an audience that would inevitably assume any admiration Holmes may have had for “the woman” could only have been romantic. It hardly succeeded, but I appreciate the effort.