A Doyle-thing to think about...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

There's something I've been wondering for a while, off and on, every time I read a fic that reminds me of it, and I'd love to hear what other people think about this. Can anyone tell me:

What is it about canon Doyle that has made fanfic writers portray him as:

a) incredibly selfish

b) incredibly tight with money

I'm really really curious - anyone got any ideas? Are there particular moments that stand out, where he behaves like that? Why do they stand out? Or is it some more general thing? How many people would agree with that portrayal?

It's not that I can't see what might make an author write Doyle like this, it's just that I can't see why he's so often portrayed that way. Whatcha think?

Comments

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Coming back over here, 'cos I hate that concertina-ing effect.....

So many interesting comments have been made, amongst which: Paris, you linked Doyle's persona to MS which I think is spot on 'cos I'm always confusing the two.

And loads of people have commented that Bodie carrying Doyle's bags is a form of flirting - which it probably is - but why it is always that way round? (I suppose it's also a long-standing joke and Bodie doing all the humping lies at the heart of it?)

And slantedlight, you've managed to express what I was trying to articulate:

Bodie seems to look after Doyle in a physical way, and Doyle looks after Bodie's health and well-being... oh, urrrrrgh, it's the old coming-home-to-the-wife thing! Nooooooo! But gosh, I wonder if it is, a bit...

That's *exactly* what I was thinking....as in Not a very civil, Civil Servant when three of them are queuing in the fish 'n chip shop and Doyle automatically hands Bodies his share as if it was the most natural thing in the world - to nurture and look after him; while on the other hand I can see Bodie being the big, glowering, butch protector of Doyle... but if I don't stop here I think I run the risk of beginning to slide down the slippery slope of the 'feminization of Doyle' debate.

And can we have a new page, please?

[squeeful.livejournal.com]

Bodie seems to look after Doyle in a physical way, and Doyle looks after Bodie's health and well-being... oh, urrrrrgh, it's the old coming-home-to-the-wife thing! Nooooooo! But gosh, I wonder if it is, a bit...

That's *exactly* what I was thinking....as in Not a very civil, Civil Servant when three of them are queuing in the fish 'n chip shop and Doyle automatically hands Bodies his share as if it was the most natural thing in the world - to nurture and look after him; while on the other hand I can see Bodie being the big, glowering, butch protector of Doyle... but if I don't stop here I think I run the risk of beginning to slide down the slippery slope of the 'feminization of Doyle' debate.

Ah, and there you have to be very very careful otherwise you run into something else prevalent in fandom: misogyny. (Yes, women can be misogynistic.) Doyle may be the more physically and emotionally nurturing one but that a) does not make him the weepy wifey or b) is not intrinsically a bad thing. The feminine is not evil. Just be careful not to slide either way into weepiness nor eliminate entirely more "feminine" characteristics.

I click on the "track this post" link and then every reply ends up in my inbox. Means I have a lot of mail to read, but I don't miss anything.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Doyle may be the more physically and emotionally nurturing one but that a) does not make him the weepy wifey or b) is not intrinsically a bad thing. The feminine is not evil. Just be careful not to slide either way into weepiness nor eliminate entirely more "feminine" characteristics.

That's exactly why I stopped and resisted moving into the feminization of Doyle debate - I was careful not to make any value judgements.

And I'm not sure what you mean by 'The Feminine'- if you mean that which is attributable to the female i.e. female characteristics, then I'd say females are individuals and, like the male, can be good *or* evil, depending on the individual (assuming human beings can be good or evil in the first place). But you might have meant something different by The Feminine, I'm not sure.