8 Ridiculously Inappropriate Phrases And Acts In Sherlock Holmes Stories

6. 'I Was Instantly Aroused' €“ The Musgrave Ritual

This one again comes from the Musgrave Ritual, and directly follows the 'no sign of the invalid' line. To be 'instantly aroused' in such circumstances is worthy of at the very least some form of scrutiny in this society. As innocent as this line was intended, it has such filthy connotations to it these days that it is hard not to read the line without questioning your own sanity. After checking three or four times, you clarify you have indeed read these lines and it's hard not to realise the immense change in our language in what is really a relatively short period of time. As the maid had gone missing in the middle of the night, the master of the house had been awoken from his slumber, and began procedures to ensure the wellbeing of his staff; this explains the use of the word aroused in an entirely innocent manner. While the word 'aroused' certainly conjures up visions of a form of rising, it definitely does not refer to awakening any more. The context in which this phrase is used, as well as the word itself, is where the offence lies in this example; this is quite possibly one of the most inappropriate formulation of words when read in a modern sense. So by contrast, the innocence and sincerity of its original use is startling; how is it that a pastoral and innocent act within the book can sound so morally objectionable in our own time? Our language seems to have radically departed from its original form, and examples such as this illustrates the tremendous extent to which immaturity of the readership can be of immense detriment to the literature.