Last week, Guinness World Records (GWR) announced a world record for the most portrayed literary human character in film and TV. Who is this mysterious literary character?
Hint #1: He once said, “I never guess. It is a shocking habit – destructive to the logical faculty.”
Hint #2: He is famous for saying, “Eliminate all factors, and the one which remains must be the truth.”
Hint #3: He lives on Baker Street...in London...with Watson...
You got it! (I think.) Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes received the GWR honor last Saturday at a World Record London event being held in the run-up to London’s 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. I love the Sherlock Holmes mysteries and highly recommend every story before, and including, The Final Problem.
Sherlock made his literary debut in 1887 and has been featured in four novels and 56 short stories. He has been portrayed in TV and film 254 times! Actors depicting the pipe-smoking detective include Charlton Heston, Peter O’Toole, Roger Moore, John Cleese, and everyone’s favorite, Robert Downey Jr. (Am I right?)
GWR stated, "Sherlock Holmes is a literary institution. This Guinness World Records title reflects his enduring appeal and demonstrates that his detective talents are as compelling today as they were 125 years ago."
I don’t think that I could narrow down my favorite Holmes short story, but my favorite novel would have to be The Sign of Four. The stories are engaging and it’s always fun to try and solve the cases before Holmes announces the solution. If you’re still building your Summer Reading List, consider adding a story or two to your compilation, you won’t be disappointed!
So who was the most portrayed literary character of all time? Hint: Read the first sentence of this post carefully.
(I’ll give you a minute to think about it...)
With a total of 272 TV and film portrayals, the illustrious Dracula is the most often character depicted on screen.
I love vampire fiction – Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Elizabeth Kostova’s The Historian, and Joss Whedon’s awesome series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, rank among my favorites. What are some of your favorite vampire tales? (Caution: Please do not post anything related to, or having to do with, Twilight, or any book within that series...I will weep.)
Happy reading and writing!
OK...You know I'm a sucker for Buffy but I admit...Twilight is a guitly pleasure of mine. The only Sherlock Holmes book I read was Hound of the Baskerville and it was alright. Didn't inspire me to read much more. I liked the last Sherlock movie with Robert Downy Jr though!
ReplyDeleteCheck out the short stories, I always thought them better than the novels. :)
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