Who IS Sherlock Holmes - Neil McCaw

譯者: Wei Chang 審譯者: Dan Wang

More than a century after first emerging

超過一世紀前，初次登場於

into the fog-bound, gas-lit streets of Victorian London,

維多利亞時期濃霧籠罩、 煤氣燈光搖曳的倫敦街道

Sherlock Holmes is universally recognizable.

夏洛克‧福爾摩斯 成為了家喻戶曉的人物

Even his wardrobe and accessories are iconic:

就連他的衣著與隨身物品 也極具代表性

the Inverness cape,

披肩大衣

deerstalker hat,

獵鹿帽

and calabash pipe,

以及葫蘆菸斗

and figures such as his best friend and housemate Doctor Watson,

還有其它人物， 如他的摯友兼室友，華生醫生

arch-nemesis Moriarty,

勢均力敵的對手，莫里亞蒂

and housekeeper Mrs. Hudson

和房東，哈德遜夫人

have become part of the popular consciousness,

都成為他知名形象的一部份

as have his extraordinary, infallible powers of deduction

同時還有他那為法律之名所運用的

utilized in the name of the law,

過人的、毫無缺失的推論能力

his notorious drug use,

他那眾所皆知的藥癮

and his popular catchphrase, "Elementary, my dear Watson."

以及他受歡迎的名言： 「這是基本的，我親愛的華生。」

And yet many of these most recognizable features of Holmes

然而，福爾摩斯這些 最令人印象深刻的形象

don't appear in Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories.

大多沒有出現在 亞瑟‧柯南‧道爾的原著中

Doyle's great detective solves crimes in all sorts of ways,

道爾筆下的名偵探 用許多種方式解開罪案

not just using deduction.

而非僅僅推論

He speculates, and at times even guesses, and regularly makes false assumptions.

他會推測，偶爾甚至用猜的， 也經常做出錯誤的假設

Furthermore, Mrs. Hudson is barely mentioned,

此外，哈德遜夫人很少被提及

no one says, "Elementary, my dear Watson,"

沒人說過 「這是基本的，我親愛的華生。」

and the detective and his sidekick live apart for much of the time.

而且偵探和他的助手大多時候分居

Moriarty, the grand villain, only appears in two stories,

莫里亞蒂，這名強大的反派 只現身在兩個故事中

the detective's drug use is infrequent after the first two novels,

偵探的藥癮在 前兩集小說後就很少見了

and Holmes is rarely enthralled to the English legal system;

福爾摩斯也不信服 英國司法系統

He much prefers enacting his own form of natural justice

他偏好用自己 自然公義的原則來行事

to sticking to the letter of the law.

而非死守法律的表面文字

Finally, many of the most iconic elements of the Holmesian legend

最後，福爾摩斯傳奇中的許多標誌

aren't Doyle's either.

也非出於道爾之手

The deerstalker cap and cape were first imagined by Sidney Paget,

獵鹿帽和大衣是由 Sidney Paget 發想的

the story's initial illustrator.

他是這故事最初的插畫家

the curved pipe was chosen by American actor William Gillette

彎曲的煙斗由美國演員 William Gillette 所挑選

so that audiences could more clearly see his face on stage,

如此一來，觀眾能更清楚 看見舞台上他的臉龐

and the phrase, "Elementary, my dear Watson,"

而那句名言： 「這是基本的，我親愛的華生。」

was coined by author and humorist P.G. Wodehouse.

則由作家兼幽默家 P.G. Wodehouse 創造出來

So who exactly is Sherlock Holmes?

所以，到底誰是夏洛克‧福爾摩斯？

Who's the real great detective, and where do we find him?

誰是真正的名偵探？ 哪裡可以找到他？

Purists might answer that the original Sherlock

正統主義者也許會回答，原版的夏洛克

inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle's university mentor Dr. Joseph Bell

靈感來源是亞瑟‧柯南‧道爾的 大學導師 Joseph Bell 博士

is the real one.

就是真正的他

But the fact remains that that version of Sherlock has been largely eclipsed

但事實是，該版本的夏洛克已經被

一定數量的演繹版本大量掩蓋

by the sheer volume of interpretation,

leaving Doyle's detective largely unrecognizable.

使得道爾筆下的偵探難以辨別

So there's another, more complex,

因此，有另一個複雜一些

but perhaps more satisfying answer to the question,

但也許更能令人信服的答案

but to get there, we must first consider the vast body of interpretations

可是要得到答案， 我們必須先來想想這位名偵探

of the great detective.

繁多的演繹版本

Since Conan Doyle's first story in 1887,

自從柯南·道爾在 1887 年 寫出第一個故事後

there have been thousands of adaptations of Holmes,

福爾摩斯經過了數千次的演變

making him perhaps the most adapted fictional character in the world.

或許使他成為了世界上 最多改寫版本的虛構角色

That process began with Victorian stage adaptations,

這過程從維多利亞時期 舞台劇改寫開始

and accelerated with the emergence of film.

因電影崛起而加速進展

There were more than 100 film adaptations of Holmes

光是在 20 世紀的前二十年間

in the first two decades of the 20th century alone.

就有超過 100 部的 福爾摩斯改編電影

And since then, there have many thousands more in print,

並且，自此，還有好幾千種出版品

and on film,

或電影

television,

電視劇

stage,

and radio.

舞台劇

或廣播劇

Holmes has been reinterpreted by people everywhere,

福爾摩斯被世界各地的人們

in remarkably different, and often contradictory ways.

用各種明顯不同， 還常常相反的方式重新詮釋

These adaptations demonstrate both Holmes's popularity

這些改寫版本顯現出 福爾摩斯的人氣

and his malleability.

和可塑性

For instance, he featured in a number of allied anti-Nazi propaganda films

舉例而言，他在一些二戰時期 盟軍反納粹宣傳影片中

during World War II.

參與演出

And both Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt

溫斯頓·邱吉爾與 富蘭克林·德拉諾·羅斯福

were avid enthusiasts,

都是他的狂熱支持者

the latter even joining the Baker Street Irregulars,

後者甚至加入了「貝克街小分隊」

a Holmesian appreciation society,

那是一個福爾摩斯研究學會

and nicknaming one secret service hideout Baker Street.

還將一個特務基地暱稱為「貝克街」

And yet, at the very same time,

然而，同一時間

Holmes also appeared in various German-language film adaptations,

福爾摩斯也出現在 許多德語的改編電影中

some of which were said to have been much-loved favorites of Adolf Hitler.

其中一些據說還是 阿道夫·希特勒的最愛

So let's return to our question.

回到我們的問題吧

Would the real Sherlock Holmes please stand up?

可以請真正的 夏洛克·福爾摩斯起身嗎？

The truth is that this world of adaptation has made him into a palimpsest.

事實是，所有的改寫 使他成為了複寫人物

Sherlock is a cultural text,

夏洛克是文化文本

repeatedly altered over time as each new interpretation becomes superimposed

隨著時間快速變化，每個新版本都又

over those that proceed it.

疊加在過去演進的版本上

This means that Sherlock continually evolves,

這表示夏洛克仍在繼續發展

embodying ideas and values often far removed

展現常常與柯南·道爾原作

from those found in Conan Doyle.

相去甚遠的思想與價值觀

And after each particular story ends, Sherlock rises again,

而在每一個特定故事結束後， 夏洛克再次甦醒

a little changed, perhaps,

或許帶有一些變化

with a new face and fresh mannerisms or turns of phrase,

有著新面孔和 新鮮的行為態度或語詞

but still essentially Sherlock, our Sherlock.

但基本上仍是夏洛克，我們的夏洛克