would this be a good time to bring up triangulation and the way it works as queer coding in literature?
For example, often in fiction the desire of a man for another man is triangulated via a woman who resembles that man. For example, Victorian lit couldn’t really have a dude being attracted to another man, so often an author would make him attracted to that man’s practically identical-looking sister (see: Lady Audley’s Secret). In the Study of Four, there’s a scene in which Watson is thinking about Mary and she literally turns into Holmes in his head.
So this scene, in which John points out the similarity between Sherlock and Mary, the same scene in which Sherlock points out that Mary’s like him because “you married her”? It’s kind of screaming, “yeah, you’re attracted to her because she’s like me.”
In short, it’s saying, what John saw, or wanted to see, in Mary - is Sherlock.
So yes this is my first meta contribution to TJLC enjoy.
“For example, Victorian lit couldn’t really have a dude being attracted to another man, so often an author would make him attracted to that man’s practically identical-looking sister“.
That is one of the many, many, many reasons why I believe Sherlock’s dad had an affair with Sherlock’s maternal uncle (Uncle Rudy), as I pointed out in my ‘Follow the dog’ meta (here: x), then just turned around and married the guy’s sister (Sherlock’s mother).
Needless to say there are lots of hints that Uncle Rudy and Sherlock’s mother mirror each other, as in: they’re both very hot and very intelligent (both are Sherlock!mirrors, after all).
wow, yes! and she won't thank me for tagging her in a sherlock post, so i will just mention that p l a i d a d d e r recently read and discussed lady audley's secret, and Noticed that particular bit of queer coding.