Although the trailer does seem to entice viewers to watch the full episode of Sherlock “The Abominable Bride” by giving promises and asking questions there are also other techniques used to gain viewers attention. In the essay, “Yesterday's Women: The Female Presence in Neo-Victorian Television Detective Programs” by Claire Meldrum she looks at three relatively new detective shows based in the victorian age. The genre and time period of the three shows are precisely the same of Sherlock “The Abominable Bride.” In her essay, she analyzes the role of women in the shows. According to Meldrum “[...], the depiction of the female characters in these neo-Victorian settings is one in which feminine agency and influence are marginalized…” (Meldrum,
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In the essay by Erica Scharrer, “More Than “Just the Facts”?: Portrayals of Masculinity in Police and Detective Programs Over Time,” Scharrer looks at how men have been represented in police and detective shows since the 1950’s to the end of 1990’s. She constructs an interesting observation about the decline of hypermasculinity through the decades but that in the 90’s the trend was reversed. She found that the number of sensitive emotions and the degree of emotional control exhibited by men in the shows had been increasing but a reversal occurred in the 90s (Scharrer, 100). Stoicism had long been an element of masculinity which television shows had been modeling and advertising less and less until the 90’s during which stoicism and general masculinity rose. In the trailer for Sherlock “The abominable Bride”, the creators seem to be promoting the same idea of masculinity. Sherlock, the protagonist, is incredibly stoic. He displays little emotion in the trailer. Upon first glance, the trailer is adopting this form of masculinity. However, there is another element in the trailer that differs. The man who is held up at gunpoint by the bride is later seen weeping in fear saying to someone “[i]t was the bride.” He displays strong emotions which begs the question why would the trailer exhibit a man showing emotions if it was promoting the idea of hypermasculinity and stoicism? The answer lies in the differences between Sherlock and the other man. Sherlock is a likable character who fans adore. The other character is a man shown sweating and shaking, appearing weak and pathetic. He is not likable nor least admirable. Is the trailer suggesting that men who show their emotions are fragile and pitiful? There is one more observation to be made. Earlier in the trailer, that same man is seen holding his arms out in submission to the ghostly bride, therefore giving her power over him. It appears that the trailer
In the essay by Erica Scharrer, “More Than “Just the Facts”?: Portrayals of Masculinity in Police and Detective Programs Over Time,” Scharrer looks at how men have been represented in police and detective shows since the 1950’s to the end of 1990’s. She constructs an interesting observation about the decline of hypermasculinity through the decades but that in the 90’s the trend was reversed. She found that the number of sensitive emotions and the degree of emotional control exhibited by men in the shows had been increasing but a reversal occurred in the 90s (Scharrer, 100). Stoicism had long been an element of masculinity which television shows had been modeling and advertising less and less until the 90’s during which stoicism and general masculinity rose. In the trailer for Sherlock “The abominable Bride”, the creators seem to be promoting the same idea of masculinity. Sherlock, the protagonist, is incredibly stoic. He displays little emotion in the trailer. Upon first glance, the trailer is adopting this form of masculinity. However, there is another element in the trailer that differs. The man who is held up at gunpoint by the bride is later seen weeping in fear saying to someone “[i]t was the bride.” He displays strong emotions which begs the question why would the trailer exhibit a man showing emotions if it was promoting the idea of hypermasculinity and stoicism? The answer lies in the differences between Sherlock and the other man. Sherlock is a likable character who fans adore. The other character is a man shown sweating and shaking, appearing weak and pathetic. He is not likable nor least admirable. Is the trailer suggesting that men who show their emotions are fragile and pitiful? There is one more observation to be made. Earlier in the trailer, that same man is seen holding his arms out in submission to the ghostly bride, therefore giving her power over him. It appears that the trailer