Classics Club August Meme: Favourite Classic

This is a meme held by The Classics Club, an awesome club dedicated to classic literature. As you may see from my blog, I love detective stories, adventure, and poetic works. “To love only one would be cruel to others,” for me, as Don Giovanni says in Mozart's opera. Difference is, he talks about women, I about authors. So let's see what I can do.

Favourite Adventure:

Look at my authors list, and you will see Dumas triumphs over others. Why? Simply because I love The Count of Monte Cristo so much. I read the simplified version first, when I was in Senior High, but because I love Faria so much I dashed to my computer and downloaded the ebook. I read it during my holiday and cried. I re-read it and re-read it again, just because I love how Monte Cristo speaks. Definitely my favourite this far.

Favourite Detective Story:

My favourite is the one and only Sherlock Holmes. As I have stated somewhere, he's my first contact with the past, I mean, with classics. His personality is so unique, or perhaps, annoying, that I can't help laughing everytime he mocks other people's stupidity. Among SH's novels, my favourite is perhaps The Valley of Fear, not only because it's thrilling, but perhaps because Sherlock finds himself a worthy collegue, Mr Douglas.

Favourite Children Story:

Does Christmas Carol counts as children story? If it is, then it is my favourite. It moves me to tears. I like to travel with Scrooge and observe as he remembers his past, reflects upon his present, and thinks about his future. The change that comes into his personality reminds us that somewhere inside everybody, there's good, that sometimes slumbers. We only need to shake the soul to wake it up.

Favourite Fantasy Story:

Lord of the Rings, of course. I can't find the right word to express how I feel about it. The details, the legends inside legends, the complexity of the story, the appendix, the languages, each with its own characteristics and alphabeth. I am almost convinced that the Middle-Earth really does exist somewhere here on earth. Once I even studied Sindarin just because I want to appreciate the effort Tolkien exerted to make it.

Favourite Romance:

Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera. It's a beautiful story that makes me cry. I watched the movie first, and lately read the novel for the Classics Club Challenge. I forget whether I cried or not the first time I watched the movie, but I cried the first time I read the novel, and then cried like a baby when I watched the musical. I know it doesn't end happily, but I love it.

Favourite Poem:

I am torn between Shakespeare's Sonnets, Venus and Adonis, Milton's Paradise Lost, and Neruda's 20 Love Poems and a Song of Despair. But I think I will take Shakespeare. His sonnets inspire the Muse in my heart, and only after reading his I was able to write my own sonnets. His vocabulary is unmatched. Perhaps his motto in writing is, “If you can't find the word, make it.”

Favourite non-Fiction Prose:

Milton's Areopagitica. You can find me babbling passionately about this work in the related review. Beautiful and strong language that expresses his thoughts precisely. I always envy those who can write in charming way, because I can't, naturally.

So, instead of choosing one, I have seven favourites here. Haha. Can't wait to read yours. 

Shorty July: The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Aha! It has been a while since I wrote anything about Sherlock Holmes, right? I mean, I love him so much, and yet I don't talk much about him. But today, for the Shorty July and Short Stories on Wednesday this week, I'd like to write about The Adventure of the Dying Detective, which is Sherlock Holmes, by Conan Doyle. As usual I will write in two languages, so here we go.

In Bahasa:

“Ia sekarat, Dr. Watson.”

Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes

Hanya dengan kalimat sederhana itu Mrs. Hudson membuat panik para Sherlockian yang membaca cerita ini untuk pertama kalinya. Bagaimana bisa kita membayangkan Sherlock Holmes, terbaring pasrah di ranjangnya, sekarat, menit demi menit menanti ajal menjemput? Tidak terbayangkan. Namun itulah yang Watson dapati terjadi pagi itu.

Kisah ini diawali dengan deskripsi singkat mengenai Sherlock Holmes sebagai “anak kos terburuk” di seluruh Inggris. Bagaimana tidak? Holmes memiliki berbagai kebiasaan-kebiasaan aneh nan menyebalkan, seperti menembaki pintu dan dinding kamar, melakukan eksperimen-eksperimen aneh (yang seharusnya dilakukan di laboratorium) di dalam kamar, dan main biola subuh-subuh. Tapi, bukankah keanehannya ini yang membuat banyak orang menyukainya?

Kalau pembaca menganggap bahwa berurusan dengan Sherlock Holmes yang sehat sudah cukup menguji kesabaran, silakan coba berurusan dengan pria ini sewaktu sedang sakit. Dijamin, pengalaman itu akan menjadi uji kesabaran yang tidak terlupakan. Detektif sekarat itu, bukannya menerima kebaikan hati temannya, malah menolak semua nasihat medis yang Watson berikan, bahkan meragukan kecakapan sang dokter dalam bidangnya tersebut. Bukan itu saja, dia malah memberikan perintah ini itu pada sang dokter, sambil mengoceh tidak jelas tentang koin, kerang, dan hal-hal lain. Seolah belum cukup, dia juga sempat membentak Watson hanya gara-gara perkara sebuah kotak kecil.

Ya sudahlah. Cerita ini pada dasarnya menonjolkan kualitas-kualitas seorang teman yang sangat baik dalam diri Watson. Dia sabar, perhatian, dan rela melakukan apa yang diminta Sherlock tidak soal seberapa menjengkelkannya temannya itu. Dan soal penyakit Sherlock Holmes, dapatkah Watson menemukan “obat” yang cocok bagi temannya?

In English:

“He’s dying, Dr. Watson.”

Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke
as Holmes and Watson

Alright. Those words are enough to make any Sherlockian tremble in fear when he reads it for the first time. To think about Sherlock Holmes, lying on his bed, half-dead, counting his last minutes on earth would be terrifying. But that was exactly how Watson found Holmes that day.

I don't want to give any spoiler, because perhaps some of the readers have this story as a part of their to-read list, but let me tell you this: this is a beautiful story. In this story we can see how irritating Holmes could be, and how patient, kind and loyal Watson was to him.

Even at the beginning of the story, Sherlock is described as the “worst tenant in London” with his mad, annoying habits (note that I'm using plural) such as shooting the wall, playing the violin at dawn, and doing scientific experiments in his room, while such thing should be done in laboratory. And yet, that's exactly what we love about him.

The doctor, on the other hand, is perhaps the best and kindest man anyone could find in London. Sometimes I pity him being so close to Sherlock Holmes instead of some less eccentric being. But he loved the thrill of adventures that surrounded the sleuth, and had proven every now and then that he was a valuable partner and a loyal companion of him.

And in this short story, Watson proves himself to be a great, kind, and long-suffering friend. How so? Well, just imagine. If you think dealing with a healthy Holmes is trying enough, you should never consider getting near the house when he's ill. Being almost dead, Holmes became so absurd. He wouldn't let Watson touch him, and refused any kind of medication, even doubting Watson's medical capability. He talked about oysters, coins, and other crazy stuff, while giving Watson specific instruction about the man he wanted to come to cure him. And to add on more thing on the list of his oddity, he even got mad over just a little box.

Would he die? Or would Watson find the sole remedy for his illness?

Weekend Quote #4

“I never make exceptions. An exception disproves the rule.” - Sherlock Holmes, Sign of Four

I'm back again with the quote of the week. It's from Sherlock Holmes, my classic literature first crush. The genius detective always has strong opinions about things, and he says it frankly, sometimes – or rather, most of the times – without even thinking about other's feelings.

Sherlock Holmes played by
Jeremy Brett

The above statement, I think, is reasonable when it comes to logical matters. In Sherlock's world of 'right or wrong' he doesn't have place for anything between. He wants the solid truth, based on evidence. No wonder, he doesn't believe in exceptions.

In the context, Watson was talking to him about Mary Morstan as being an attractive woman and Holmes as a machine not to realise it. Holmes calmly replied that for him a client was “a mere unit”, or factor, in a case. He then related his experience with people, that one should never judge people from the impression they give you. How true!

Watson, however, suggested that “in this case” Sherlock must make exception. He replied with the words above. He doesn't make exceptions. “Hello effect” could be deadly for a detective. Sherlock himself tasted the consequence when dealing with Irene Adler. Listening her voice and looking at her calm, gentle gesture planted the wrong impression on Sherlock's head – that she was just an ordinary woman.

That's all from me. Let's hope I can find the time to write a quote again next week, since I have to go out of town. But I'll do my best.