27th Annual Student Research Conference
What's the Final Problem: Genre and Intertextuality of Sherlock's "The Reichenbach Fall"
Danielle A. Waldron
Dr. Mark Smith, Faculty Mentor
Genre studies suggest media texts can seldom be categorized as belonging to one genre, even suggesting some media texts construct genres exclusive to the text. This critical study examines the BBC original television drama Sherlock with special attention to the series two finale, "The Reichenbach Fall" to illustrate how intertextual links to classic and contemporary multimedia texts, as well as the episodes utilization and rejection of traditional genre themes shape meaning and create new genre categories. This study examines the use of classic literary works beyond Conan Doyle to underscore the alternative meanings in the media text that highlight the varying genre elements the text makes use of. With the modernization of Victorian-era characters, a close reading of this text explores the complexity of the world of Sherlock Holmes and how his resurrection has changed genre.
Keywords: Sherlock, BBC, Genre, Intertextuality, multimedia, Arthur Conan Doyle
Topic(s):Communication
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 402-1
Location: VH 1010
Time: 2:30