Holmes' "Brain-Attic"

As I have eluded to in my previous blog posts, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original Sherlock Holmes has successfully created a cultural legacy.  I argue that Holmes' greatest cultural legacy is the mind attic.

Now, one might question:  "What about Holmes' deductive techniques, his distrust of women, his sheer intelligence, etc.?"  But, I believe that all of Holmes' relationships with others are associated with his "brain-attic."

Holmes' "brain-attic" illustrates both his ignorance and intelligence simultaneously.  In the canon, Holmes describes his brain like an attic.  And, Holmes deems this style of remembering information to be necessary because it allows him to block out all unnecessary information and remember only pertinent pieces of information to help solve cases.

Holmes says to Watson, "I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. [...] the skilful workman is very careful indeed as to what he takes into his brain-attic.  He will have nothing but the tools which may help in doing his work, but of these he has a large assortment, and all in the most perfect order." (Scarlet, 11-12).

In "A Study in Scarlet," Watson even rates the amount of knowledge Holmes has in certain areas of study.  The list is below and was also mentioned in my first blog post Who is the Real Sherlock Holmes?:

Information retrieved from Steven Doyle and David A. Crowder, Part 1:  Sherlock Holmes for Dummies.  Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis:  2010.  pp. 40.  Information also in "A Study in Scarlet" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, pp. 12-13. 

In adaptations, Holmes' "brain-attic" is apparent.  For example, in the BBC's Sherlock series, Holmes tells Watson that he has a "mind palace."  BBC Sherlock's Mind Palace.  Holmes uses this "mind palace" to solve every one of his cases.  Holmes' "mind palace" is a state of complete focus and attention to only those details that are relevant to the particular case that he is solving.  One of best examples of Holmes' mind palace in the BBC series is when he was forced to go into his "mind palace" in order to stay alive while the ambulance came after getting shot by Mary Watson.  Click here to watch it.

And, in another adaptation CBS's Elementary, Holmes compares his brain to an attic just like in the original canon.  Click here to watch it.

This idea of the "brain-attic" is shown in other contemporary detective fictions and crime dramas that are not specifically done to be an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes.  Special Agent Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds is a good example of a Sherlockian-style character who solves cases using techniques similar to the "brain-attic."  Check this out:  Reid's "brain-attic".  Other examples of the "brain-attic" can be found with Adrian Monk in Monk, Dr. Temperance Brennan in Bones, and Dr. Gregory House in House  

The "brain-attic" is Holmes' ultimate deductive technique.  It is a skill that very few people are characterized to have, like Charles Augustus Milverton in the BBC's Sherlock series and Irene Adler in the original canon.  It is what makes the characters nearly inhuman.  In this way, Holmes and other characters in detective and crime fictions are able to seem special, bordering on supernatural.  The intrigue and awe associated with the "brain-attic" are what keep a contemporary audience interested.

Furthermore, our society has adopted this "brain-attic" deductive technique in everyday life.  For example, as college students, we understand that we should be motivated to learn everything we can in our future career but that it is unnecessary to learn things that are not pertinent to things we enjoy or would like a career in later in life.  As a result, Holmes' "brain-attic" continues to reappear and play an important part of our culture.



Word count:  499 words (excluding picture with caption, links, and quote)

Works cited 
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan.  "A Study in Scarlet."  Sherlock Holmes:  The Complete Novels and Stories:  Volume 1.  Bantam Books, New York:  1986, pp. 3-103.
"Mind Palace."  Sherlock.   BBC 2010-2016.  24 July 2016.
"Reid searches his brain like Garcia's search engine."  Criminal Minds.  CBS.  13 Nov. 2010.
"Sherlock and Watson 'Brain-Attic'."  Elementary.  CBS.  29 Nov. 2017.
"Sherlock's Doomsday:  Mind Palace."  Sherlock.  BBC 2010-2016.  6 Apr. 2014.