![Sample our Geography journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5937/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Geography.jpg"})
ABSTRACT
Although literary geography has become an established subfield, to date, there are no in-depth geographical studies on literary groups that gather to celebrate a specific author and/or genre. To address this lacuna, my paper investigates Vancouver’s official Sherlock Holmes society, The Stormy Petrels of British Columbia (hereafter Petrels). Drawing on the methods of participant observation and semi-structured interviews, as well as Jacques Lacan’s concept of ‘le sinthome’ (hereafter sinthome), which defines how creative modes of (un)conscious enjoyment knot together psychical and social space, I explore three ways through which the Petrels’ enjoyment of Sherlock Holmes gives consistency to their individual and collective lives: first, through ‘nomination’ wherein the Petrels identify with Sherlockian characters and make names for themselves; second, through what Lacan refers to as ‘lalangue,’ that is, enigmatic meanings produced by the musical flows and babbles of speech; and third, through the surplus accumulation of memorabilia, what I call ‘sintholmes,’ which hold a powerful attraction as sublime objects of Sherlockiana. The article concludes by considering the political dimensions of the sinthome in terms of the changes in the Petrels’ demographics and the wider context of Sherlock Holmes fandom.
RESUMEN
Aunque la geografía literaria se ha convertido en un subcampo establecido, hasta la fecha, no existen estudios geográficos en profundidad sobre grupos literarios que se reúnan para celebrar un autor y/o género específico. Para abordar esta laguna, mi artículo investiga la sociedad oficial de Sherlock Holmes de Vancouver, ‘The Stormy Petrels of British Columbia’ (en adelante, Petrels). Basándome en los métodos de observación participante y entrevistas semiestructuradas, así como en el concepto de Jacques Lacan de ‘le sinthome’ (en adelante sinthome), que define cómo los modos creativos de disfrute (no) consciente anudan el espacio psíquico y social, exploro tres formas a través de las cuales el disfrute de Sherlock Holmes por parte de los Petrels da consistencia a sus vidas individuales y colectivas: primero, a través de una ‘nominación’ en la que los Petrels se identifican con los personajes de Sherlock Holmes y se hacen famosos; segundo, a través de lo que Lacan llama ‘lalangue’, es decir, significados enigmáticos producidos por los flujos musicales y balbuceos del habla; y tercero, a través de la acumulación excedente de recuerdos, lo que yo llamo ‘sintholmes’, que tienen una poderosa atracción como objetos sublimes de Sherlockiana. El artículo concluye considerando las dimensiones políticas del sinthome en términos de los cambios en la demografía de los Petrel y el contexto más amplio del fandom de Sherlock Holmes.
RÉSUMÉ
Bien que la géographie littéraire soit devenue un sous-domaine bien établi, il n’existe pas de recherches géographiques approfondies sur les fan-clubs littéraires qui se rassemblent pour célébrer un certain auteur ou genre. Dans le but de combler cette lacune, mon article recherche l’association officielle de Sherlock Holmes à Vancouver, The Stormy Petrels of British Columbia (ci-après dénommée les Petrels). En m’appuyant sur des méthodes d’observations de participants et d’entretiens semi-structurés, ainsi que sur le concept lacanien de « sinthome » (ci-après dénommé le sinthome), qui définit la manière dont les modes créatifs du plaisir conscient ou inconscient nouent ensemble l’espace psychique et social, j’explore trois façons par lesquelles le plaisir que Sherlock Holmes procure aux Petrels donne de la consistance à leurs vies individuelles autant que collectives: premièrement, à travers la « nomination » par laquelle les Petrels s’identifient à des personnages des romans de Sherlock Holmes et se font des noms ; deuxièmement, par ce que Lacan appelle la lalangue, c’est-à-dire des signifiants énigmatiques produits par les flots musicaux et les babillages de la parole ; et troisièmement, par l’excédent accumulé de souvenirs, que j’appelle « sinthomes », qui suscitent une puissante attraction en tant qu’objets subliminaux de la Sherlockophilie. Cet article conclut en contemplant les dimensions politiques du sinthome en termes de changement dans les démographies des Petrels et le contexte général des fans de Sherlock Holmes.
Acknowledgments
This paper is based on presentations delivered at the International Conference of Affiliated Psychoanalytic Workgroups, Vancouver, July 29-August 1, 2016, the Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, Vancouver, June 1-5, 2015, and the Association of American Geographers’ Annual Meeting, Chicago, April 21-25, 2015. I am grateful to all those who offered questions, comments, and suggestions, especially Clint Burnham, Hilda Fernandez-Alvarez, Heidi Nast, Steve Pile, and Jesse Proudfoot. I am also very grateful to Fran Martin and all The Stormy Petrels of BC for giving me permission to conduct the fieldwork and interviews, as well as Jamison Miller for his invaluable research assistance. Finally, I thank the three anonymous reviewers and editor David Bissell for helping me to significantly improve a previous version of this paper.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Correction Statement
This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.
Notes
1. See: <http://thestormypetrels.com/about/>
2. Following widespread Sherlockian practice, I use the capitalized word ‘Canon’.
6. It is worth noting here that the convention of translating jouissance as enjoyment dilutes the sexual, excessive, and traumatic connotations that are obvious in the original French term.
7. See also Sheila Hones’s (Citation2014, p. 8) tripartite categorization of literary space: ‘fictional space’, ‘intertextual literary space’, and the ‘sociospatial dimension of the collaboration of author, editor, publisher, critical, and reader’.
9. I owe these insights on the non-transgressive dimension of the imaginary and the role of the Sherlockian big Other to an astute referee.