Victorians! discussion

Please use this thread to post any background and resources. Links are encouraged.

I know I'm probably opening this a bit early but I'm nervous about being late. :o

This is a novel where setting is key. Conan Doyle decided to use Dartmoor as his backdrop for Holmes' and Watson's adventure due to its barren, rugged landscape and the many already-existing folk tales of terror associated with the wild and lonely moor.

You can find detailed info on Dartmoor here:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dartmoor (Geology fans will have a field day!)

and photos here:
http://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/visiting/i...

You can find the official tourist site here:
http://www.visitdartmoor.co.uk

It's worth checking out the links if you're not familiar with the place, as Dartmoor is almost a character in itself.

As you will see, it is famous for its "tors", its prehistoric standing stones or menhirs, its native ponies and the prison at Princetown - all of which make an appearance in the novel.

Quick question before we start: is there anyone here who has NOT read this before and has NO idea of the plot? I'm concerned about spoilers, this being a mystery and all...

In the first paragraph, we find Holmes and Watson analysing a walking stick which has been left behind by a visitor.

"It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is known as a "Penang lawyer." Just under the head was a broad silver band nearly an inch across. "To James Mortimer, M.R.C.S., from his friends of the C.C.H.," was engraved upon it, with the date "1884." It was just such a stick as the old-fashioned family practitioner used to carry -- dignified, solid, and reassuring.

In case you've been wondering what a Penang Lawyer was:

"“Another specific type of cane is the heavy, hard Penang Lawyer made in Penang (Malaysia) and Singapore. It comes from the stem of a miniature palm (Licuala acutifida). The young stem is scraped with glass to carefully remove only the outer skin. The stick is then straightened by fire and polished. The name undoubtedly originated with a local expression, most likely pinang liyar (wild areca) or pinang layor (fire-dried areca). English-speaking Europeans assumed this to be "Penang Lawyer," and so the myth that it was so-called because of its usefulness in settling disputes in Penang arose."

(Source: http://www.jadedcompass.com/ocular_he...)

Pip wrote: "In the first paragraph, we find Holmes and Watson analysing a walking stick which has been left behind by a visitor.

"It was a fine, thick piece of wood, bulbous-headed, of the sort which is know..."

Aw, shucks. And here I thought English lawyers had a special cane, as they have special robes and wigs.