Oh, I have no regard whatever for authorial intent, even mine. If I didn't get something into the text of one of my stories, or at least very very strongly imply it, then I have absolutely no right to expect a reader to interpret it a certain way. The fact that ACD would likely have flipped his shit over slashy interpretations doesn't bother me in the slightest, because he wrote Holmes and Watson in such a way as to make that interpretation possible within the Canon--in fact, so as to make it MORE Canonical than any other pairing for Holmes (I'm sure some people would argue, but I needen't spell out the talking points as you know 'em very well already). But what I'm saying is, I don't think interpretations need to have authorial intent in mind, so long as they fit within the Canon, or, at very least, in the case of this particular Canon, explain why Watson/ACD would have chosen to falsify certain details. It's an odd case, our fandom, because of The Game, but yeah, I think interpretations are free to wander whithersoever they wilt.
That may be why the new movie bothers me less than it could. It bugged the hell out of me when Holmes didn't have grey eyes (yay new poster!), but on the other hand I have no problem with the focus on fighting and action because yes, those are THERE in the Canon, no matter how relatively minor a part they play. The Holmes/Irene bothers me more as Watson SAYS "It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler," and how much more explicit does it get? But on the flipside, as much as I'm not at ALL fond of their Lestrade from what I've seen so far, I have to admit he's not a completely uncanonical portrayal. Those aren't the Canon traits I choose to focus on in MY interpretation of the character, but they're there.
I think my big point about interpretations and originals, though, is that it bugs me a lot that our culture doesn't do more to stress the difference. Both are valid, both are wonderful, but they're not the SAME. I suppose I'm temperamentally inclined to view the original as the "true" character, though I think there's some reason for that, but I can't view someone who's seen the movie three dozen times but never cracked one of the books as a Sherlock Holmes fan. They're a fan of "Sherlock Holmes" the movie, and yes, that's a good thing, but it's not the same thing. BUT, I think you're absolutely right that the movie will drive new people to the books, and that's wonderful. And even if it didn't, the existence of the movie would still be wonderful. Just not as much for our corner of the fandom.
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That may be why the new movie bothers me less than it could. It bugged the hell out of me when Holmes didn't have grey eyes (yay new poster!), but on the other hand I have no problem with the focus on fighting and action because yes, those are THERE in the Canon, no matter how relatively minor a part they play. The Holmes/Irene bothers me more as Watson SAYS "It was not that he felt any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler," and how much more explicit does it get? But on the flipside, as much as I'm not at ALL fond of their Lestrade from what I've seen so far, I have to admit he's not a completely uncanonical portrayal. Those aren't the Canon traits I choose to focus on in MY interpretation of the character, but they're there.
I think my big point about interpretations and originals, though, is that it bugs me a lot that our culture doesn't do more to stress the difference. Both are valid, both are wonderful, but they're not the SAME. I suppose I'm temperamentally inclined to view the original as the "true" character, though I think there's some reason for that, but I can't view someone who's seen the movie three dozen times but never cracked one of the books as a Sherlock Holmes fan. They're a fan of "Sherlock Holmes" the movie, and yes, that's a good thing, but it's not the same thing. BUT, I think you're absolutely right that the movie will drive new people to the books, and that's wonderful. And even if it didn't, the existence of the movie would still be wonderful. Just not as much for our corner of the fandom.