On the Necessity of Moriarty

Over time, I've accumulated a lot of old magazines, generally for the express purpose of having something interesting to read during my daily escapist fantasies where I indulge a hidden, but very real desire to aspire to royalty, at least in terms of functional furniture whose primary purpose is to support the regio glutealis. Anyway, I came across this interesting article in the August 11, 1997 issue of the New Yorker, where Alex Ross critiqued the book of Ben Macintyre, The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief. According to Ross, Macintyre (a distinguished British journalist who writes for the Times) claims in his book "that there really was a Professor Moriarty: a Victorian criminal on whom Conan Doyle's evil genius was based". Since I read historical fiction, or pseudo-historical fiction on a more or less regular basis, I was amused to hear of Worth. What caught my attention though was the rather curious relationship between the supposed archcriminal, Worth, and his nemesis, the famed William Pinkerton. Ross writes:

"In a chapter entitled 'Moriarty Confesses to Holmes,' Macintyre wrings romance from the friendship between the aging Pinkerton and the fallen Worth. But the episode also points to a pathetic crisis in Pinkerton's mind, of which Worth took material advantage. The detective, at this stage in his career, was known less as a wrangler of outlaws than as a brutal strikebreaker: the suppression of the Homestead strike of 1892 was his handiwork. Now he set about rescuing and immortalizing a worthier, more mythic foe, his own private Moriarty."

The rest of the article details how Pinkerton not only stage-managed Worth's so-called redemption (by returning a priceless painting to its rightful owners), but actively set out to cement Worth's reputation as "the most inventive and daring criminal of modern times" by producing a pamphlet published by the Pinkerton Agency offering glittering testimonials to Worth's supposed genius.

I suppose that this necessity, on Pinkerton's part, to create an archcriminal to validate his own legacy as a detective, could be viewed as some sort of cautionary tale regarding man's need for validation. But for me, the necessity, so to speak of Moriartys, is indicative of man's quest for meaning: there has to be some sort of fundamental operating principle, or fundamental organizing structure that allows us to make sense of everything. This is similar to how the late Canadian theorist Northrop Frye considered myths: as recurring themes, images or archetypes that allow us to delve into the supposed structure that links all stories together, and by extension, all of humanity.

One thing's for sure though: you must be incredibly lonely to invent myths just to make you feel better about yourself. That, more than anything, struck me the most.

Photo Credits:
Picture of The Napoleon of Crime: The Life and Times of Adam Worth, Master Thief comes courtesy of Abe Books.

Autobots...transform?!

I know that a lot of people are eagerly anticipating the summer release of Michael Bay's Transformers movie, so I couldn't help but dig around the Net and come up with this gorgeous shot of Optimus Prime. Usually, Michael Bay projects leave no room for apathy: either you really like his movies or you don't. Regardless of how Transformers turns out, it does signal, to some extent, the end of an era, particularly for children of the '80s. Come the 4th of July, we no longer have to wonder how cool it would have been to have a live-action Transformers movie, because for better or worse, we will get to see one. Still, the existence of a live-action Transformers movie is but another indication of the gradual sense of encroachment we feel whenever another previously unmapped section of our imagination is wrenched, sometimes brutally, into reality.

Which is precisely why I'm posting this snarkily self-indulgent Lil Transformers shot, courtesy of Matt Moylan over at Lil Formers. This ought to get the hearts of my geek readership all a-flutter: Autobots team up with the Green Lantern Corps! I would like to extend my thanks to Geek of All Trades for the wonderful link. He sent it over a couple of months ago, and it slipped through the cracks somehow. At any rate, enjoy!

Wonder at the Australian Open

The Australian Open celebrates some kind of a miracle, as Serena Williams wins the Women's Singles Crown with a resounding 6-1, 6-2 victory over Maria Sharapova. Regardless of how even the casual tennis fan would regard either Ms. Williams or Ms. Sharapova, I just love it when the underdog wins. Ms. Williams has served notice: she's back!

Photo Credits:
Picture of Serena Williams comes courtesy of English People's Daily Online

Acquired Tastes: The Onion Dispatch

Longtime readers of this blog would know that I love reading ESPN Page2 columnist Bill Simmons. Simmons might not always be astute in sporting matters, but he is always entertaining. Eerily enough, here's another sign that the Apocalypse is upon us: Bill Simmons, meet The Onion.

Confused Bill Simmons Picks The Departed To Win Super Bowl

Inner-City Teacher Inspires Students To Stab Him

And for all those people who were subjected to the dreary dreck that lazy inspirational teacher movies have degenerated into, here's one for the books. Enjoy!

Acquired Tastes: The Onion Dispatch

Many serious sports pundits have weighed in on the pros and cons of Beckham's move to the United States, but it should come as no surprise that it takes a website such as The Onion to sum up the situation so well. After all, the situation is slightly ridiculous. Enjoy!

MLS Signs David Beckham To 12-Team, $250 Million Deal

Thanksgiving!

I've been apologizing to my readers (and what a joy it is to realize, thanks to my StatCounter, that I can well and truly use the plural form to refer to my readership) for so long that it should come as no surprise that I'm doing it again: I'm sorry for the rather extended hiatus. The New Year ushered in some rather vicious viruses, and my time was divided between (1) getting well (as I had a brief run-in with a particularly sneaky cough, with accompanying colds), (2) taking care of Juan (who was hospitalized for some time), (3) taking care of Manuel (who developed a fever just as Juan was getting better), and (4) taking care of Tina (who, as of this writing, is still dealing with a nasty cough).

Still, I'm thankful for all that has happened. One of the joys of being down in the dumps is realizing, much to one's delight, that there are so many people who are more than willing to drag your sorry butt out of the dumpster. While my family and I might have had some difficulty getting better, we had no difficulty in terms of getting some much needed love and support from family and friends.

Thanks a lot guys!