Entry Five: The One That Comes After Four

To begin, a summary of recent reading. The Hound of the Baskervilles is the next story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that I have chosen to read, and it's looking good so far. I'm hopeful for this one in particular since it is one of the few that have been adapted in the BBC's modern retelling, Sherlock. Quick editorial: watch Sherlock if you haven't already. seriously, stop reading right now, and go watch it! Alright, now that that's out of the way (for now), I'll get started with the summary. the story opens on Holmes and Watson discussing the owner of a walking stick they had discovered in their flat after arriving home. Holmes presses Watson to make several deductions of his own, but unfortunately for Watson's pride, they turn out to be incorrect. They soon uncover the identity of the stick's owner when the man returns to hire Holmes. Without getting to specific, the man is a doctor and one of his patients (an old man) has died. The patient believed that his family was cursed and the doctor has come to believe it was this very curse that was responsible for the old man's passing. Holmes is intrigued by the supernatural aspect of the case, and agrees to assist. The game--is on!

And now a word from my sponsors: "Contrast one round and one flat character."

Well you heard them readers, and since "they" are the ones that make this blog possible, I suppose I must comply. Here we go. When it comes to a round character, that is to say a character that is well-rounded or developed, look no further than the title character; mister Sherlock Holmes himself. Although Holmes displays qualities of a flat character to an unobservant eye, a keen reader will observe that he uses this flatness to distance himself from others and aid in his deductions. He would be the first to tell you that the moment you develop a personal attachment to something, you become compromised. Apart from this, we also glimpse Holmes' vulnerable side: through his addiction to opiates. Additionally, Holmes has developed a strong friendship with Watson, going against his own practices. Why does he do this? Because he's human. He may not like to remember it, but Sherlock Holmes is very much a human with emotions and feelings. And now, in accordance with the sponsors' wishes, I present to you a flat character: any of the "assisting" detectives. These so-called professionals are basically only good for calling in Sherlock Holmes for help. They have little to no back story and limited dialogue. And certainly no development to speak of, perfectly embodying the term "flat".
Sorry for all the colons, I don't know why I used so many: weird.
Do you see what I did there?