Holmesslash posting re Watson before Holmes
Right, sorry about this, but as my wretched PC is apparently co-ordinating a mutiny as far as long posts to email lists goes*, here's the Sunday Discourse post. [I'm only putting it up because it's so bloody long, not because it's so brilliant I need to shout it to the world. ;-)]
*[ETA - entirely my fault, turns out I was tripping the spam filter. Sorry.]
N.B. I'm being super-careful re spoilers ;-), so will point out that this message contains a few quotes from/references to the following slashfics:
A Medical Man - Fabula Rasa
Prelude - Cress, aka Miss Roylott
That Which Gives Extras - Katie Forsythe
(Plus a tiny spoiler for Captain Corelli's Mandolin.)
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Since we speculated on Holmes: The Pre-Watson Years last week, it's only fair that we do the same for Watson.
Oh, good. :-D (This answer is overwhelmingly army-based, so apologies if this bores anyone to tears. ;-) It's also a bit disjointed - sorry.)
Right, then...
We know that Watson is a retired army surgeon, and that he served in Afghanistan. When he takes up the story in STUD, he's a thin as a lath, and as brown as a nut. (Pretty sexy to Holmes, I sure.) He has no kith nor kin in London, and is a bit low on funds.
So, what was he like before he met Holmes? How did being an army surgeon affect him?
I imagine him as initially pretty shell-shocked, which makes it rather ironic when he tells Holmes in STUD that "I object to rows because my nerves are shaken", and of course finds himself as the flatmate of a moody, awkward bugger, and one with a penchant for making small chemical explosions on a regular basis (you can practically hear the hollow laughter in retrospect as Watson sits drafting the manuscript of this). I'm also reminded of a very funny Friday Fives answer (sorry, can't recall who wrote it) which had Holmes terrifying a twitchy Watson by jumping out and yelling at him "in order to test whether a middle-aged man really can die of a heart attack from a sudden shock". XD
Seriously, whilst 19th-century warfare in itself is enough to render most participants into some degree of a quivering mass of nerves, the 66th Berkshires (Watson's lot) had a notoriously horrific time at Maiwand, making multiple last stands and being thoroughly decimated in the process. Have a look here for a concise description of the battle, with frequent mentions of the 66th. You can also find on that page the poem Rudyard Kipling wrote to commemorate the 66th's actions at Maiwand.
Basically, this is a battered, half-way broken man who's lost pretty much everything he thought he could rely on. Lost his position (invalided out on half-pay), his health to a certain degree (wound and some remnants of twitching shell-shock), and of course, this being a slashlist, lost love (more on Mr. Murray later). He sits around recuperating, and also feeling rather sorry for himself (somewhat justifiably). He's also got nothing to lose by throwing in his lot with Holmes - he's no aim left in life, he's floating through London alone, and finding it hard to adjust to civilian life again.
All that having been said...Watson's not daft, neither does he just flop about helplessly. Ultimately, he's pretty resilient - just needs some time to regroup and adjust. He admits in STUD that Holmes provides a fascinating diversion for him - brings him back to life, in a way.
[And I like the "Scottish Watson" idea, frankly for no other good reason than the "Hamish" speculation and the fact that I'm originally from the Border Region myself. The thought of Watson with a Scots accent is rather...nice. (Which is why I am a happy bunny that the brilliant Bill Paterson actually plays Watson in The Baker Street Irregulars, much as I'm not too fond of most of the rest of that programme).]
Seriously, given Watson's education and professional qualifications, I'd argue for a lower middle-class background, not too well-off - he mentions that his hotel lodgings strain his army pension in STUD, so either he's been cut off from a well-to-do family (you could speculate on why here...Watson seems the decent sort of chap who wouldn't leave a young lady "in trouble", for example, and in any case I'd be extremely surprised to come across a 19th-century upper-class family who considered that sufficient grounds for disowning the male culprit. Gambling? It's possible... Homosexual indiscretion? Again, possible); or there's no damn estate in the first place, and his family lived in genteel poverty. Given the alcoholic deceased brother, maybe the funds were drunk away...
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Maybe he was a struggling med student, and engaged to some girl from his town, but had to study army medicine because he couldn't afford to set up a respectable practice.
Having said all that, I subscribe to a lower-middle-class background, possibly genteel poverty, with a starry-eyed Watson absolutely convinced of the virtue of Empire and incidentally also keenly partial to getting away from it all and going out the far-flung corners of the globe for some adventure and travel - tempered, however, with perhaps a degree of romantic idealism on using his skills and doing some good by patching the poor buggers up.
Also, there's a long tradition of the army functioning as an escape from personal problems or penury (or both); though this mindset is generally held to be instrumental regarding a mass of recruitment from the working-class (including convicted criminals being offered a choice between the gibbet or enlisting), the forces have also always served as a handy escape route amidst the upper echelons of society - the officers and what have you - especially for the unfortunate non-heir second or third sons.
Watson should have been able to practice medicine as soon as he earned his Bachelor's, and it is unusual for someone to work for the higher Doctor's degree unless one's intention is to do pure research. Watson always seemed inclined to actively practice medicine, whether in the army or in civilian life, so the only reason I can think of for him to earn the extra degree would be his anxiety about having to go get a practice and get married, as his family expected of him. - Prelude
I find this to be a very interesting speculation...
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"I entered Netley and then the Army in hopes that either I'd be disciplined into overcoming my weakness or else that some soldier would make me his own." - Prelude
This last is absolutely bang on, IMO. Witness how the army has for centuries been regarded as a means of "straightening out" [pun fully intended] errant young men. Of course, it's also a profession where you're thrown into close contact with absolutely hundreds of other lovely young men...yes, quite. Captain Corelli's Mandolin includes a similar rationale on the part of Carlo.
There's a little analysis of Watson in Afghanistan here. Interestingly, according to this, Watson could never have joined the 5th Northumberland Fusiliers at Kandahar as he claimed, so feel free to let your speculation run wild as to what he was getting up to instead and why he felt the need to hide it...)
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Do you see him as the type to meet up with the surviving members of the regiment (or just Murray) and reminisce, even though his abbreviated tour was wrought with misfortune and disaster?
I would think so. The references to him popping down to his unnamed "club" do, to me, suggest a military social establishment. He's put himself slightly outside the mainstream of polite society by associating himself with Holmes, even more so if you take Watson's queerness into account, and the company of former comrades might be the one place he feels almost completely at home. I can imagine him as having major problems adjusting to civilian life once more, and missing the camaraderie and familiar structure of other former or present army men. I mean, it's not easy to build a social life upon hopping round assisting Holmes on cases; most people he gets to meet by virtue of this end up being either dead, criminals, or policemen. (Or Mary Morstan, but I won't go there. ;-))
Plus, after the horrors the 66th went through at Maiwand, I can frankly see the whole lot of the survivors of that battle (what's left of them) needing occasionally to retreat to somewhere (this club, perhaps) where everybody just...well, silently understands. Platonic homosocial bonding within the military is also a very well-known phenomenon. So, strong (non-sexual) ties could have been forged between Watson and others in the service.
Jumping off from the whole homosocial thing, it's interesting to speculate upon homosexual activity in the army. It's still forbidden; but frankly, anywhere you have several hundred men crammed together in intense conditions, with a general feeling of "live for the moment, 'cause tomorrow you may be dead", you're going to get at least a bit of this.
There's a cracking book, the title of which I cannot for the life of me remember, about the real-life experiences of gay/bisexual service men and -women during World War II, and one thing which constantly recurs is the fact that, occasionally, the general feeling of "normal service has been suspended" can translate to temporary toleration of homosexual conduct between others; people are more willing to turn a blind eye, perhaps ascribing the odd outbreak of deviance to the pressures of the current situation. It's still illegal, and disgraceful if you're caught, but you can get away with it perhaps a little more easily than in a civilian, peacetime situation.
A Medical Man has Watson recalling how a comrade of his would indulge in homosexual activity during service, and whilst at this point in the fic Watson isn't particularly approving of this, nevertheless he (and presumably most of his compatriots) still refrained from landing the officer in a deal of trouble by exposing his proclivities at the time.
I also believe aspects of a military mentality permeate Watson's day-to-day interactions, to a greater or lesser degree. Holmes mentions in one story (no idea which, sorry) the way Watson still tucks his handkerchief into his sleeve, in the fashion of a soldier; and in 'The Engineer's Thumb', the fact that Watson's very first reaction is to admire and praise Hatherley's resourcefulness in constructing an improvised dressing and brace is very indicative of a man accustomed to ad-libbed, spit-and-string medicine where actual medical supplies are low or non-existent - i.e. army campaigning. (The back-and-forth praise-fest "You should have been a surgeon"/"It is a question of hydraulics, you see..." is rather sweet, if slightly alarming to the reader, taking place as it does before Watson embarks upon any treatment for this urgent injury at all. ;-))
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How did being wounded affect him emotionally?
Hmmm. Watsons's attitude to Holmes' drug abuse is one which I believe stems largely from his army experience. As a surgeon, it's likely he would have seen plenty of questionable drug use in service - soldiers using substances, where they could charm themout of the medical staff, to cope with the strains of war. I can see a conscientious Surgeon Watson realising he'd been duped thus, and subsequently becoming pretty rabid on the subject of using them for their intended purpposes only.
It's possible Watson may have also become temporarily addicted to morphine himself, as a result of being dosed with it after sustaining his injuries at Maiwand and the resultant fever - perhaps that's why he's so unforgiving regarding Holmes' partaking of substances. If the loss of control and physical unpleasantness associated with being addicted to/weaning oneself off the drug were particularly hellish for Watson, his vehement criticisms of Holmes' indulgences in narcotics make sense.
Much as I'd love to portray a Watson with modern liberal views, I think he's still conventional in a number of aspects. Though certainly his self-admitted "Bohemianism of disposition" makes me inclined to put him more to the left of centre as regards Victorian social/political views, nevertheless, I don't see him as especially socialist or anti-Empire, for example; and certain liberal impulses would (I imagine) seem to spring more from his witnessing deprivation and poverty, etc. first-hand, rather than abstract political reasoning.
And whilst I've no doubt he deplores and regrets the intense suffering he's seen, and regards many deeds committed in the name of Queen and Country as pointless (as will even the most true-blue soldier on occasion), especially after the rout at Maiwand, I don't think it made him completely anti-war: he still seems to retain a fascination with the perceived romanticism of military life, despite having suffered from it first-hand. The opening of CARD, where he muses on the American Civil War, is fascinating - his "eyes sparkled" at the thought of the "gallantry which was shown by both sides", but he also dwelt upon the "useless waste of life".
Incidentally, this passage also references his acquisition of a portrait of Henry Ward Beecher, whom Watson must therefore admire - and Beecher was an advocate of female suffrage, Darwin's theories of evolution, and abolishing slavery. (Beecher was also anti-Catholic, pro-temperance and strongly disapproving of homosexuality, but then nobody's perfect. ;-) )
Watson's wounding might also have fed into the previous speculation about him returning in a rather sorry state to London, post-Afghanistan - he might have felt he'd failed in his efforts to serve his country.
(An excellent slashfic based around Watson's war wound is Susannah Shepherd's Hidden Depths.)
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Was Holmes his first male lover? Though I lean toward a 'no' answer, it's entirely possible, 17 continents of women aside, that is... *g*
Hah, oh no. XD
Most people make mention of Murray as Watson's ex on the basis of his name being mentioned in STUD, and the heroic act of saving Watson's life.
Prelude has a rather promiscuous Murray ("he had very many partners"), and also an unfaithful one ("He was no doubt chasing some other man already").
That Which Gives Extras refers to a Watson let down to some degree by a previous partner ("I knew my own weakness all too well. I had made the same mistake once in Afghanistan, and time had not granted me wisdom, for it was all easy comradeship and sultry physicality on Holmes' side of the equation, and all love upon mine") though the partner's name (or their gender) isn't specifically mentioned.
I find it very interesting that fanfic references to Watson/Murray usually refer to Murray as A Bit of A Cad, even in light of the fact that it was he who saved Watson's life. (This is something I subscribe to myself, BTW - to me, Murray is something of a bisexual Flashman; an untrustworthy Casanova, a cad, and with a healthy sense of self-preservation [read: a wee bit of a coward]. What can I say? It's fun to draw twirly Cad-'Taches. ;-).) He'll also fleece you before abandoning you. If Watson goes out to the East slightly naive and trusting, looking for affection as well as interesting sex with bandages ;-), he's a prime target for Murray and his ilk.
As mentioned, Watson is also incredibly loyal, and seems the type, when younger, to have put up with a good deal of callous treatment whilst desperately convincing himself it's all somehow alright and he's loved, in contrast to his (somewhat wiser) rolled-eyes exasperated tolerance of Holmes' cavalier treatment of him later in life.
It's also extremely interesting that Watson doesn't mention Murray again in canon. One sentence in STUD isn't a great deal of fulsome thanks for having your life saved, after all. That, of course, invites speculation as to why Watson deals with him so very briefly in writing STUD, and fuels the fire for both slashy imaginings and the Cad!Murray idea.
Murray might not have been the first sexual partner, but I do think there's scope for making him the first (doomed) love. The affair with Murray (and its crashing in flames) probably left a wounded and wiser Watson in matters of the heart. We certainly all seem to adore Watson, and therefore for a past love affair to have ended unhappily, it simply must have been the other chap's fault.
Now, Holmes doesn't show or dispense intimate emotion lightly. So for him to express any feelings of love or affection towards Watson is extremely significant; if Watson is fearful of being let down so drastically again, as with Murray, to realise Holmes harbours affectionate feelings for him would be incredibly reassuring: Holmes may be mercurial in many respects, but you (I) can't imagine him embarking on a casual liaison with his friend and Boswell (apologies for playing armchair psychologist here).
I can also quite happily conceive of a bisexual, as opposed to gay, Watson - he certainly seems to genuinely like women, in addition to admiring them. Hell, Watson likes people. He seems pretty social, comparatively egalitarian (within the standards of the period), and certainly is in possession of a singularly soothing manner, which no doubt contributes to making him a very good physician.
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Do you think there are boxes of writings of his experiences in Afghanistan?
Oh, yes. Almost certainly. Watson writing reams of stuff about suddenly being plunged into a new and frightening situation, in order to rationalise it, makes sense. (I really want to write that fic!)
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Is there an ex-Mrs. Watson in America?
Nope. ;-)
OTHER BITS AND BOBS
I have been amassing a few scraps of information and helpful links re Watson/Afghanistan (and they are scrappy, sorry; I lost quite a few links and portions of information when my PC crashed in flames last year :-S), and have put some up at Holmesian.net here if anyone's interested in having a look. Includes links to a couple of essays on Watson, army surgeons, and a little info on (and pic of) Francis Preston, the man ACD apparently based Watson upon. (The other links I've referenced are on here too.)
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(The idea of him wearing full military dress is intriguing...)
Insert completely gratuitous and shamelessly self-promoting links to WolfieSara's Army!Watson pictures, even though most of you have already had these inflicted upon you. :-P ;-)
Holmes/Watson with army uniform
Watson/Murray cartoon
The hw_snake! pic (based on an old Fives answer) is in the Homesslash Files section
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Cheers,
Sara :o)