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Arthur Conan Doyle explored men’s mental health through Sherlock Holmes

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Re: Arthur Conan Doyle explored men’s mental health through Sherlock Holmes

#21

Post by donkey_brains »

How did this make it to the top of HN? It’s an extremely facile work and reads exactly like a high school essay: “In having his character consider execution to protect his and his family’s reputation, Doyle explored the societal expectations of Victorian masculinity and how men struggled with such pressures.”

It’s an interesting topic, but the paper makes no revelatory statements and provides a very superficial analysis of Doyle’s work. Hell, it doesn’t even provide a single quote from Holmes to illustrate the mental anguish or “battles with drug addiction” which the author claims that he experiences in the books. Holmes’ 7% “solution of cocaine” usage was never presented as rising to the level of addiction in the books, by the way. Nor does the paper delve into the repressive nature of the Victorian society in which these stories were written and released to show us what was so novel about Doyle allegedly tackling these subjects and why he might have had to merely allude to them rather than discussing them frankly.

All in all, this essay is a poor showing and would have earned the author a C at best in high school English for failing to provide adequate supporting evidence for her assertions.

Re: Arthur Conan Doyle explored men’s mental health through Sherlock Holmes

#22

Post by akimbostrawman »

ben_w wrote: post #17
mewpmewp2 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess the question is -> why do we need that guard in the first place? Is this about other people being immature or looking to abuse us? Is this something that generally goes beyond school?

> Is this about other people being immature or looking to abuse us? Is this something that generally goes beyond school? Yes to both. Psychopaths do to everyone what everyone does to out-groups, and we're all someone else's out-group.

You really don't need to reach that far. As a man if you are too often vulnerable, too much, for the wrong reasons or at the wrong time you will loose the respect of your partner and soon after there love.

Re: Arthur Conan Doyle explored men’s mental health through Sherlock Holmes

#24

Post by dmos62 »

paganel wrote: post #12
tossandthrow wrote: post #2

> One of those taboo subjects was male vulnerability and mental health problems. (emphasis is mine) I would argue that still in 2025 this is an extreme and institutionalized taboo.

[flagged]

I'd be surprised if the people I worked with would think twice before working with someone that's been in psychiatric care, though I can't be sure, because I don't know that any of them did. I know that I wouldn't care. I have friends that stayed in hospitals for psychiatric reasons: they'd be great to work with, I think.

Re: Arthur Conan Doyle explored men’s mental health through Sherlock Holmes

#25

Post by squigz »

akimbostrawman wrote: post #22
ben_w wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is this about other people being immature or looking to abuse us? Is this something that generally goes beyond school? Yes to both. Psychopaths do to everyone what everyone does to out-groups, and we're all someone else's out-group.

You really don't need to reach that far. As a man if you are too often vulnerable, too much, for the wrong reasons or at the wrong time you will loose the respect of your partner and soon after there love.

Not everyone's partner is that shallow.

Re: Arthur Conan Doyle explored men’s mental health through Sherlock Holmes

#26

Post by messe »

dmos62 wrote: post #24
paganel wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I'd be surprised if the people I worked with would think twice before working with someone that's been in psychiatric care, though I can't be sure, because I don't know that any of them did. I know that I wouldn't care. I have friends that stayed in hospitals for psychiatric reasons: they'd be great to work with, I think.

Yeah, I have a number of coworkers that have shared with me that they are on psychiatric medications, and have discussed mental health with. It's becoming normalized, and that's a good thing.

Re: Arthur Conan Doyle explored men’s mental health through Sherlock Holmes

#27

Post by andersonpico »

akimbostrawman wrote: post #22
ben_w wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Is this about other people being immature or looking to abuse us? Is this something that generally goes beyond school? Yes to both. Psychopaths do to everyone what everyone does to out-groups, and we're all someone else's out-group.

You really don't need to reach that far. As a man if you are too often vulnerable, too much, for the wrong reasons or at the wrong time you will loose the respect of your partner and soon after there love.

divorced dad take

Re: Arthur Conan Doyle explored men’s mental health through Sherlock Holmes

#28

Post by Aromasin »

donkey_brains wrote: post #21

How did this make it to the top of HN? It’s an extremely facile work and reads exactly like a high school essay: “In having his character consider execution to protect his and his family’s reputation, Doyle explored the societal expectations of Victorian masculinity and how men struggled with such pressures.” It’s an interesting topic, but the paper makes no revelatory statements and provides a very superficial analy…

I wouldn't be surprised if many of those who upvoted this did so because the agree with the sentiment in principle, not because they read the article and appreciated the contents.

Re: Arthur Conan Doyle explored men’s mental health through Sherlock Holmes

#29

Post by JKCalhoun »

Not from Doyle, but the film, "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution", presents Holmes as very vulnerable. Especially given the amazing cast, it is an excellent portrayal.

That Holmes would encounter Sigmund Freud seemed to me at the time as a wild use of artistic license. Since then though I have come to believe that there were a lot fewer people on the Earth in general than I could really appreciate at the time, and some of these luminaries may well have shared a drink together. (So why not a fictional luminary as well?)

Re: Arthur Conan Doyle explored men’s mental health through Sherlock Holmes

#30

Post by akimbostrawman »

squigz wrote: post #25
akimbostrawman wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You really don't need to reach that far. As a man if you are too often vulnerable, too much, for the wrong reasons or at the wrong time you will loose the respect of your partner and soon after there love.

Not everyone's partner is that shallow.

Exceptions don't invalidate the rule. Everybody thinks there partner isn't right until they are.
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