there will be a fish

For some reason, at one point I seem to have amassed a bunch of links related to the Victorian Era and/or Sherlock Holmes. Let me now post them in one big chunk. You're welcome.

1. Merlin fic rec: Drawn To Any Good (Merlin/Arthur)
This story is actually somewhat ridiculously romantic. I would call it over-the-top, if not for the fact that it actually works for me for once, because it totally matches the Victorian sensibilities the POV character (Arthur) would have. It's also set very early in the Victorian Era (one line refers to the "new queen"; Victoria was crowned in 1837), so there are touches of Regency romance in there as well -- best of both worlds! There is courting, okay. And wooing, and waltzing, and flowers, and writing letters. It's incredibly endearing and I very much enjoyed it. I was a bit uncertain about it at first, because I find that most fic where a mutual declaration comes early (as it quickly is clear that it will in this one) rapidly devolve into rambling pointlessness without the trusty romantic plot to fall back on, but this one manages to avoid that pitfall. I may be a somewhat biased, though, as there is an entire chapter comprised only of letters, and I am the world's biggest sucker for epistolary romance. The salutations alone were enough to win me over. :D

2. Poetry about Sherlock Holmes: 221B, by Vincent Starrett. It is always 1895. ♥

3. It is hard to read Sherlock Holmes (or watch Sherlock) without running into a London cab or fourteen, whether the modern version or the kind featuring horsepower in the literal sense. Reading on their history, and on The Knowledge (the incredibly rigorous tests that London cabbies have had to pass ever since 1851, to prove they know London streets inside and out, something which I find fascinating as an American and former New Yorker):
- BBC article "The History of the London Black Taxi Trade"
- article on The Knowledge
- PBS article
- Wikipedia article
- Official PDF for The Knowledge applicants
- Excerpt from book on Victorian and Edwardian horse cabs
- List of principles of policing held by various commissioners of the Metropolitan Police (including Sir Richard Mayne, who instituted The Knowledge, and thus tangentially relevant)
- A Handy Book of the Law of London Cabs and Omnibuses from 1867. Thank you, Google Books. :)

4. The Language of Flowers, sortable by flower or by meaning. I've mostly heard about this Victorian practice in context of the romantic meanings, like red roses mean "I love you". I find the platonic ones much more interesting – like "ambition of a scholar" (hollyhock) or "I mourn your absence" (zinnia; I would be lying if I said this didn't make me think of Holmes and Watson during the Great Hiatus). It's loads of fun in the same way that astrology is fun. The site is additionally interesting for the way it uses several different Victorian-era sources and shows the slight changes in meanings over time.

5. Poverty Map of London, 1898-99. This map is so cool. It depicts color-coded levels of poverty in different areas of London just before the turn of the century. *nerds*

6. A Study In Motherfucking Scarlet. AHAHAHAHA. katieupsidedown linked me to this ages ago, and I practically busted a rib laughing. It basically takes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's A Study In Scarlet and paraphrases/modernizes it. Plus vigorous cursing. And acknowledgment of how much of a motherfucking badass John Watson is (I concur!). And completely overturning the politeness of the Victorian prose/subtext in favor of contemporary bluntness. Plus art. I giggle madly. :D

7. Not a link, but...I wonder sometimes about 221*A* Baker Street. I mean, who the hell lives there? What do they think of Holmes and Watson? Do they get people mistakenly knocking at their door all the time, making them wonder why the heck is up with the weirdos in London? Are they friends with Mrs. Hudson? Anyway. I'm just curious.