The Exceptional Women In Bohemia And The Beekeeper's

The Exceptional Women

Throughout history and even today, women have been portrayed in literature and in society as being inferior to men, putting limitations on women that stunt their ability to achieve their full potential. However, the characters Irene Adler and Mary Russel, from Arthur Conan Doyle’s “A Scandal in Bohemia” and Laurie R. King’s The Beekeeper’s Apprentice respectively, represent strong, independent women that are recognized by Holmes as equals and challenge the misconception that women are subordinate to men.

In contrast to the strictly servile roles of women in households during Victorian England, where the majority of Sherlock Holmes novels took place, The Beekeeper’s Apprentice illustrates a modern adaption of the original

When asked to name male figures in popular culture that “are characterized by their inherent gifts of genius,” one might think of “Sherlock Holmes, Dr. House, or Will Hunting” (Meyer, Cimpian, and Leslie 1). In contrast, when given the same thought experiment but with female figures instead of male figures, one will most likely have a much more difficult time. The “[widespread belief] that men tend to possess more intellectual ability than women” is a factor contributing to the cultural dissociation of women with brilliance (Meyer, Cimpian, and Leslie 2). The reason behind this misconception can be traced back to the traditional exclusion of female characters in literature, in order to “[remove] the male protagonist from female influence”, thus limiting the influence of women in culture and society (Çubukcu 2). Sherlock Holmes even exhibits this trend with its mostly male cast and plethora of male villains. Although “A Scandal in Bohemia” is the only text that Irene Adler appears in out of all of the Sherlock Holmes stories, she still has a significant impact on both Sherlock Holmes as a character and as a franchise. Holmes recognizes Adler as “the

Both Irene Adler and Mary Russell challenge that trope, and are presented not as love interests but as intellectual equals to Sherlock. Victorian women were perceived “as either a housewife or harlot”, and since Adler is not the typical subservient, obedient woman, she “belongs to the second category” (Krumm, Pascale 194). Adler is the first and last person to allow “the best plans of Mr. Sherlock Holmes [to be] beaten by a woman's wit” (Doyle 13) and the only woman that Holmes accepts as his equal, at least canonically. She is referred to as having “the face of the most beautiful of women, and the mind of the most resolute of men” (Doyle 6), but also “freely crosses gender barriers by wearing men’s clothing” (Krumm, Pascale 194), demonstrating the effectiveness of her character not just an equal opponent but someone Holmes finds “complex and incomprehensible” (195). Irene Adler proves her intelligence With the Similarly, Mary Russell is a character that is brave and intelligent enough to challenge Holmes’s ideas. Upon their first meeting, she surprises Holmes in her explanation for her disinterest in bees, comparing the bee microcosm to human society since both involve “females [doing] all the work,” “males [doing]…