Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia

“You see, yet you do not observe” is a phrase to live by. Holmes and Watson encounter the mysterious Irene Adler in this short story, which then puts into question everything that Holmes is and represents. For one, he is often thought of as being a misogynist and/or gynophobic (something that I do not entirely agree with), but his meeting with “The Woman” changes that perception very quickly. While Irene Adler is an interesting character inasmuch as she helps the reader to see a different side of the detective-hero, she is not as spectacular as what a lot of critics make her out to be. The BBC TV series really expanded on her character and made her a true force to be reckoned with, but the original Irene is rather dull by comparison and does very little in ways of outwitting the great Sherlock Holmes. Overall, this little story is enjoyable just as much as the others, but it is not the most interesting of cases in the canon.