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Sherlock: a British symbol

Jhonier Hernán Sarasty

British Cultural Studies

March 25th, 2019

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Sherlock: a British symbol

“I’m a consulting detective. The only one in the world. I invented the job”— said

Sherlock while Dr. Watson tried to put in order his thoughts. (Doyle & Hultenberg, 1930,

p.11). At the end of the XIX century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brought to life the cleverest

and sagacious detective in history: Sherlock Holmes. His way of evaluating every detail in

the most unexplainable situations made him get the reputation of a genius of deduction. Over

the years, the symbol of Sherlock Holmes has turned into an iconic representation of the

British culture; so much so that, in 2013, BBC released a TV show based in the story of this

eccentric detective. The pilot episode, A study in pink, the adaptation to a study in scarlet

(1887), portraits the idea of British identity in factors such as cultural artifacts, rituals, and

language.

Firstly, among the social artifacts, Sherlock displays certain symbols of great value

for British people. Cultural artifacts that represent people’s identity can be found in coins,

stamps, flags, anthems, festivals, parades, passports, war memorials, folk songs, museums,

national heroes, and heroines (Storey, pg. 21). Through this episode, some of them are

presented. Places such as Baker Street, Lexington Street, Northumberland Street, and London

Eye; emblems such as the badge of the Royal Army Medical Corps, the national flag, black

cabs, double-decker buses, and red telephone boxes. Those are elements which portray the

idea of what it means to be British.

Secondly, as well as cultural artifacts, rituals are also a relevant aspect of British identity.

According to Storey (2010) “National identities are made from a complex mix of rituals,

symbols, and stories”. Drinking tea, going to the pub, ordering fish and chips, and watching

the Queen’s speech on Christmas day are just some examples of customs that can represent a
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British person. Mrs. Hudson offering a cup of tea to her guests, or people driving to the left

side of the street proves how well British identity is portrayed in Sherlock.

Finally, one of the elements that make the British community noticeable is its

language, which they are very proud of. In 2017, Pew Research Center ran a study in 14

countries about that sense which defines the national identity. To no one’s great surprise, the

survey in the study showed language as the most representative item to create the British

name. (as cited in Taylor, 2017). In this regard, Sherlock is not lagging behind. Says and

expressions such as “wasn’t that difficult a leap”, “gotta dash”, “the game is afoot” or the

archaic term “shall we?” along with its unique accent, make from this TV show an authentic

and illustrative representation of language as one of the biggest reasons of the British proud.

In conclusion, Sherlock Holmes is the closest idea that the United Kingdom has of a

superhero. BBC has known how to extend the life of this character who without any doubt

portraits perfectly what being British means. The flag of United Kingdom printed in a

cushion, a cup of tea in the afternoon and a spotless accent create an adequate environment

for someone who wants to learn about the British identity and for someone who wants to

remember that “the name's Sherlock Holmes and the address is 221B Baker Street”(Devere,

2012).

Read more at: http://transcripts.foreverdreaming.org/viewtopic.php?f=51&t=7715

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References

Devere, A. (2012, August 28) Sherlock Transcript: "A Study in Pink" (part 1). [blog spot]

Retrieved from https://arianedevere.livejournal.com/43794.html

Doyle, A. C., & Hultenberg, H. (1930). A study in scarlet. Readers' League of America.

Retrieved from

http://www.vnsgulibrary.org/Free_Ebooks/0051%20A%20Study%20in%20Scarlet.pdf

Higgins, M., Smith, C., & Storey, J. (2010). The Cambridge Companion to Modern

British Culture. United States of America, Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from

Taylor, A. (2017, February 1) How do people define their national identity? By speaking the

language, study says. The Washington Post, p. 4 Retrieved from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/02/01/when-it-comes-to-

national-identity-language-trumps-religion-culture-and-place-of-birth-study-

finds/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.1efe98f4be12