Sherlock Holmes Was Wrong: Reopening the Case of the Hound of the Baskervilles (Hardcover)

by Pierre Bayard (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
French literature professor and psychoanalyst Bayard (How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read) returns to the close reading and iconoclastic analysis of classic detective fiction he did in Who Killed Roger Ackroyd? with this audacious revisionist view of one of the best-known mysteries of all time. As always, Bayard playfully counters the ways literary academics read with the way real people read as he explains his theory of detective criticism. Arguing that Sherlock Holmes often drew false conclusions, Bayard picks apart the apparently airtight case Holmes assembled in The Hound of the Baskervilles and offers an alternative solution. He goes a step further than with the Agatha Christie whodunit by suggesting that Holmes erred in his identification not only of the murderer but of the murder victim. Readers may be more impressed with Bayard's cleverness than his tongue-in-cheek arguments, but his logic will lead many to hope that his opinion on who really killed Hamlet's father (in Enquête sur Hamlet) will be translated into English as well. (Nov.)
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Review

“Bayard bases his conclusion that Holmes got it wrong on a close reading of the novel and a sharply reasoned appraisal of the characters’ actions and Holmes’s own interpretations of them. This is a fascinating approach to literature…Bayard rewards [readers] with a new appreciation of the story, its hero, and its creator.”—Booklist

“Close reading and iconoclastic analysis of classic detective fiction…[An] audacious revisionist view of one of the best-known mysteries of all time…Bayard picks apart the apparently airtight case Holmes assembled in The Hound of the Baskervilles and offers an alternative solution.”—Publishers Weekly

“Cultural gadfly Pierre Bayard returns to the genre of ‘detective criticism,’ which he invented fifteen years ago… The result is a new, startling way to think about one of Sherlock Holmes’s most famous cases.”—Very Short List

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

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Product Details Hardcover: 208 pages Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; 1 edition (October 28, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 1596916052 ISBN-13: 978-1596916050 Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #267,069 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #25 in  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Doyle, Arthur Conan #39 in  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Reference

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11 Reviews 5 star:  (5) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:  (2) 1 star:  (1)           Average Customer Review 3.7 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 8 of 8 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Another but deadlier "Irene Adler" tricked Sherlock Holmes, November 1, 2008 By  DorothyFan1 - See all my reviews Reading this book made me scramble back to my old copy of Sherlock Holmes mysteries. One particularly disturbing aspect of this stunning new analysis suggests Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had a vendetta not only against his creation...but also Sherlock Holmes fanatics. It warns the reader of an unorthodox way of understanding the complex interaction between fiction and reality. The cruel irony of realizing we as readers can be tricked into believing one conclusion when the real one is in plain view should be lost on no one. This book may end up becoming a classic in literary criticism. 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars A gem, December 2, 2008 By  Michael D. Colacino (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    If you are interested in semiotics, freudian analysis, and sherlock holmes (and I am sure most of you are) then this book is a brilliant find. In its frugal, non-franco-typical 188 pages, the author covers a very broad range of topics from contemporary lit-crit to cognitive psychology, while demonstrating a delightful command off Holmes and Holmes critical impedimentia. There are two central ideas. First, Bayard explores the relationship between literary characters and reality, which leads to a quick detour through our collective subconscious. Second, there is a meditation on positivism and pseudoscience, with a shout-out to freudian contributions to the scientific method. These two ideas are dialectically synthesized into the conclusion that Holmes' methods are fundamentally flawed and lead to a flawed outcome in the Hound of the Baskervilles, which quite simply Sherlock fouls up to a fair-the-well. Bayard, with a better understanding of the cognitive processes of real and fictional characters (Conan Doyle and Holmes, specifically) is able to utilize Holmes' techniques of close observation and deduction to discover the true culprit in the tale, which I won't spoil by revealing. His "solution" is analytically compelling and represents a coup de main for the new criticism ideas of close textual reading and multiple interpretations of texts. In fact, he makes those highly academic ideas quite fun while letting that poor doggy off the hook. 5 of 6 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars He May Have a Point, November 9, 2008 By  Deirdre NYC - See all my reviews A glowing beast stocks what is supposed to be the last of the rich and influential Baskerville family. At least two men seem to have been killed on the cold and desolate English moor by the bloody hound. All hopes for the future of the young Baskerville rest on the cunning of the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. But did he get his conclusion all wrong? Did the real murderer go free? According to French literature professor, Pierre Bayard, not only did Holmes make numerous mistakes, Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock's creator) hated the character so much that by the time he wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles he couldn't see who the real murderer was either. Bayard follows the story from the outcry that arose around the world when Conan Doyle killed Holmes in The Final Problem. The intensity of the opposition to Holmes' death proved to be more than Conan Doyle could handle. He grudgingly continued writing the stories despite his desire to move to other stories. Bayard's supposition, that evidence in the Baskerville case was overlooked and that Holmes repeatedly saw what he wanted to rather than what existed on the page, is intriguing and makes for an interesting and short read. The book opened up an entire world of literary theory that argues that characters in books can be as real as live human beings because of the impact they have on the everyday life. Humm... I'll have to think about that. The consequences are alarming, but then, so is reality. --		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 3.0 out of 5 stars Shaky Foundation Many biographers have painted a picture of Arthur Conan Doyle as neurotic especially in regards to his famous literary creation, Sherlock Holmes, and have accused Conan Doyle of... Read more Published 2 months ago by Kevin Killian 4.0 out of 5 stars Pierre Bayard is wrong too, still a great read First I must thank Arnie Perlstein, fellow member of Eighteenth Century Worlds, for bringing to my attention this essay, subtitled Reopening the Case of the Hound of the... Read more Published 4 months ago by Catherine Delors 2.0 out of 5 stars Revisionist Fiction Pierre Bayard is a professor of French literature at the University of Paris VIII and a psychoanalyst. Read more Published 5 months ago by Acute Observer 1.0 out of 5 stars A crummy book with built-in marketing problems There are two sorts of people who might consider buying this book -- Sherlock Holmes fans and mystery fans. Read more Published 5 months ago by Patrick W. Crabtree 2.0 out of 5 stars Tell us something we don't know The author stands upon the shoulders of giants declaring them midgets, increasing their standing not a whit and reducing his own height in the process. Read more Published 6 months ago by Tudza 5.0 out of 5 stars Committed contrarian makes his case First, to get out of the way the least interesting part of this book: yes, Bayard makes a convincing case that the great detective was wrong in nearly every detail in his most... Read more Published 6 months ago by Todd Stockslager 5.0 out of 5 stars Not your mother's literary criticism... "The main premise of detective criticism is this: many of the murders narrated in literature were not committed by the people accused by the text. Read more Published 6 months ago by M. Hooper 4.0 out of 5 stars Through the looking glass I thought that this was a lot of fun. According to this book, which adds no new facts or evidence to the original The Hound of the Baskervilles, that stupid limey bastard got the... Read more Published 6 months ago by Walrus Rex Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA; 1 edition (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596916052
• ISBN-13: 978-1596916050
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #267,069 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #25 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Doyle, Arthur Conan
  #39 in	Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Reference

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another but deadlier "Irene Adler" tricked Sherlock Holmes, November 1, 2008

By	DorothyFan1 - See all my reviews

Reading this book made me scramble back to my old copy of Sherlock Holmes mysteries. One particularly disturbing aspect of this stunning new analysis suggests Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had a vendetta not only against his creation...but also Sherlock Holmes fanatics. It warns the reader of an unorthodox way of understanding the complex interaction between fiction and reality. The cruel irony of realizing we as readers can be tricked into believing one conclusion when the real one is in plain view should be lost on no one. This book may end up becoming a classic in literary criticism.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem, December 2, 2008

By	Michael D. Colacino (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are interested in semiotics, freudian analysis, and sherlock holmes (and I am sure most of you are) then this book is a brilliant find. In its frugal, non-franco-typical 188 pages, the author covers a very broad range of topics from contemporary lit-crit to cognitive psychology, while demonstrating a delightful command off Holmes and Holmes critical impedimentia.

There are two central ideas. First, Bayard explores the relationship between literary characters and reality, which leads to a quick detour through our collective subconscious. Second, there is a meditation on positivism and pseudoscience, with a shout-out to freudian contributions to the scientific method. These two ideas are dialectically synthesized into the conclusion that Holmes' methods are fundamentally flawed and lead to a flawed outcome in the Hound of the Baskervilles, which quite simply Sherlock fouls up to a fair-the-well.

Bayard, with a better understanding of the cognitive processes of real and fictional characters (Conan Doyle and Holmes, specifically) is able to utilize Holmes' techniques of close observation and deduction to discover the true culprit in the tale, which I won't spoil by revealing. His "solution" is analytically compelling and represents a coup de main for the new criticism ideas of close textual reading and multiple interpretations of texts. In fact, he makes those highly academic ideas quite fun while letting that poor doggy off the hook.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He May Have a Point, November 9, 2008

By	Deirdre NYC - See all my reviews

A glowing beast stocks what is supposed to be the last of the rich and influential Baskerville family. At least two men seem to have been killed on the cold and desolate English moor by the bloody hound. All hopes for the future of the young Baskerville rest on the cunning of the world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. But did he get his conclusion all wrong? Did the real murderer go free?

According to French literature professor, Pierre Bayard, not only did Holmes make numerous mistakes, Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock's creator) hated the character so much that by the time he wrote The Hound of the Baskervilles he couldn't see who the real murderer was either.

Bayard follows the story from the outcry that arose around the world when Conan Doyle killed Holmes in The Final Problem. The intensity of the opposition to Holmes' death proved to be more than Conan Doyle could handle. He grudgingly continued writing the stories despite his desire to move to other stories.

Bayard's supposition, that evidence in the Baskerville case was overlooked and that Holmes repeatedly saw what he wanted to rather than what existed on the page, is intriguing and makes for an interesting and short read. The book opened up an entire world of literary theory that argues that characters in books can be as real as live human beings because of the impact they have on the everyday life.

Humm... I'll have to think about that. The consequences are alarming, but then, so is reality.

--