AN ANOMALY IN THE HOLMESIAN CANON: “THE ADVENTURE OF THE ENGINEER’S THUMB”

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 4 Sayı: 2, 210 - 226, 28.12.2024

Arda Bade Şenli

Öz

This article investigates the cryptic narrative of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb” (1892) and argues that this particular tale is a striking anomaly within the broader Holmesian canon. Unlike the quintessential Sherlock Holmes stories where justice often prevails in the end, this anomaly unfolds as Holmes fails to capture the criminals, thus deviating from the established and satisfactory resolution seen in the famous detective’s other investigations. The study claims that the atypical narrative of “The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb” serves as a reflection of the prevailing collective anxieties during the time of its creation. By dissecting the narrative elements of this particular story, especially Sherlock Holmes' failure to re-establish order, and the principles of Victorian detective fiction at large, the article aims to shed light on the underlying tensions and anxieties regarding the perceived threats to the British Empire and English masculinity during the late Victorian era.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb, Detective fiction, Imperial anxiety

HOLMES KANONUNDA BİR ANOMALİ: “MÜHENDİSİN BAŞPARMAĞI”

Öz

Bu makale, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle'un “Mühendisin Başparmağı” adlı eserinin gizemli anlatısını derinlemesine incelemekte ve bu hikâyenin Holmesian kanonu içinde önemli bir anormallik teşkil ettiğini savunmaktadır. Hikâyenin sonunda adaletin yerine getirildiği tipik Sherlock Holmes anlatılarının aksine bu hikâye, Holmes'un suçluları yakalayamaması ile öne çıkmakta ve ünlü dedektifin soruşturmalarında görülen alışılagelmiş ve tatmin edici sonlardan sapmaktadır. Bu çalışma, “Mühendisin Başparmağı” hikâyesinin alışılmadık anlatısının, yazıldığı döneme ait kaygıların bir yansıması olarak işlev gördüğünü ileri sürmektedir. Bu sebeple, bu makale Viktorya dönemi dedektif kurgusunun prensiplerini ve başta Sherlock Holmes’un adaleti sağlamadaki başarısızlığı olmak üzere bu tuhaf hikâyede kullanılan anlatı bileşenlerini derinlemesine inceleyerek Viktorya döneminin sonlarına doğru hem Britanya İmparatorluğu’na hem de İngiliz erkekliğine yönelik olduğu hissedilen tehditlerin sebep olduğu derin kaygıları aydınlatmayı amaçlamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes, Mühendisin Başparmağı, Dedektif kurgusu

Kaynakça

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