Irene Adler in Sherlock Holmes Adaptations

[thebiballerina]

If I ever had to design a Jigsaw-style trap, it would be for Sherlock Holmes adaptation writers when they create their version of Irene Adler.

Hello, Sherlock Holmes adaptation writer. I have trapped you in this room. It is fully furnished and comfortable. On the table, there is a copy of A Scandal in Bohemia by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, of which redistribution is perfectly legal, as the work is in the public domain. You will notice it is rather thin. You have 24 hours to read the approximately 8,550 words in this story. To exit this room, all you must do is summarize the plot of the story without referring to Irene Adler as a seductress or implying she is attracted to Sherlock Holmes. Good luck.

If you want to see what Sherlock Holmes adaptation writers are missing, A Scandal in Bohemia is in the public domain in the United States and many other countries, so it can easily be found online, legally, at no cost.

I have listed some free e-book and audiobook options below the cut. I'm sure you could find many more with a little searching.

Free E-books

• Chapter I in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1661
• Chapter I in Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (illustrated) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48320
• Pages 167-200 in The sign of the four, A scandal in Bohemia, and other stories - https://openlibrary.org/works/OL20630338W/, https://archive.org/details/signoffourscanda00doyl
• Pages 189-222 in A Study in Scarlet: And Other Stories - https://openlibrary.org/works/OL28614492W/, https://archive.org/details/conandoylesbestb00doyl/

Free Audiobooks

• Mike Eschman: Tracks 01-02 (0:51:08) in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9551
• Bellona Times: Track 02 (1:00:55) in 1891 Collection - https://librivox.org/1891-collection-by-various/
• Ralph Snelson: Track 10 (0:52:36) in Short Mystery Story Collection 001 - https://librivox.org/librivox-short-mystery-story-collection-vol-001/
• SaPaSing: Track 01 (1:06:07) in Short Mystery Story Collection 005 - https://librivox.org/short-mystery-story-collection-005/
• Richard Reiman: Track 15 (0:55:03) in Short Story Collection Vol. 094 - https://librivox.org/short-story-collection-vol-094-by-various/
• Arielle Lipshaw: Tracks 07-08 (0:46:14) in Library of the World's Best Mystery and Detective Stories, Volume 2 - https://librivox.org/library-of-the-worlds-best-mystery-and-detective-stories-volume-2-by-julian-hawthorne-ed/
• TBOL3: Track 01 (1:05:06) in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - https://librivox.org/the-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes/
• Ruth Golding: Tracks 01-02 (1:00:07) in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (version 2) - https://librivox.org/the-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-by-sir-arthur-conan-doyle/
• Mark F. Smith: Track 01 (0:57:04) in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (version 3) - https://librivox.org/the-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-by-sir-arthur-conan-doyle-2/
• David Clarke: Track 01 (0:55:13) in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (version 4) - https://librivox.org/the-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-version-4-by-sir-arthur-conan-doyle/
• StudioMike: Tracks 01-03 (0:48:09) in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (version 5) - https://librivox.org/the-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-version-5-by-sir-arthur-conan-doyle/
• Group including Peter Yearslet, johnnyenglish, and Tomas Peter: Track 01 (0:47:07) in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (version 6 dramatic reading) - https://librivox.org/the-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-version-6-dramatic-reading-by-sir-arthur-conan-doyle/
• Phil Chenevert: A Scandal in Bohemia (0:56:23) - https://librivox.org/a-scandal-in-bohemia-by-sir-arthur-conan-doyle/

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