Date of Award
Spring 5-2017
Degree Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
English
First Advisor
Katherine Cochran
Advisor Department
English
Abstract
The characters Sherlock Holmes and Batman represent a Gothic archetype aimed at uncovering societal fears and tensions. The thesis analyzes four Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and four Batman-centered graphic novels from DC Comics. By looking at the two in conjunction with each other, this project develops a more comprehensive understanding of the Gothic detective hero in the historical contexts of Victorian England and modern United States of America. The two characters are first explained in terms of the Gothic and as archetypal figures before being examined in terms of their similar contemporary social contexts. Finally, the project uses the characters as a timeline of social anxiety in order to predict a trajectory for the archetype. The thesis also contemplates the reasons for the popularity and staying power of the characters. Altogether, the two characters reveal more about the readers themselves than any crime committed in the plot.
Copyright
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Recommended Citation
Reeves, Emma F., "The World’s Greatest Detectives: Analyzing the Relationship and Cultural Meaning of Sherlock Holmes and Batman" (2017). Honors Theses. 496.
https://aquila.usm.edu/honors_theses/496