The Case Study of Sherlock Holmes (2009) - Scholarly Commons ...

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Acknowledgements Firstly, I would like to thank my amazing supervisor, Gregory Treadwell. I most certainly would not have gotten nearly this far without his encouragement and support. Secondly, I thank my family and friends for their enthusiasm, and thirdly, I must thank Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for creating The Great Detective, Sherlock Holmes (2009) for introducing me to him, and finally, Jeremy Brett for allowing me to meet him. 2
Abstract This study investigates a consumer‟s relationship with mass media and the cultivation of the consumer‟s consequent state of fandom. The scope of this study encompasses the commercialisation of storytelling‟s social functions, the media‟s ability to manipulate both viewers and scholars, and an examination into the practice of cultivation theory and its relationship with culture. Within this study, the definition and application of the term “fan” is questioned, and both the theoretical and commercial value of studying this particular part of the audience is examined. Both the objective and scope of this study is inspired by Abercrombie and Longhurst‟s audience continuum (1998) and by Bourdieu‟s economic class system (as cited in Hills, 2002). Abercrombie and Longhurst (1998) place fans along a five-stage continuum, which includes the consumer, the cultist, enthusiast, and petty producer. Bourdieu, from a cultural studies perspective, defines fandom as a working class interaction with a text, and places them last on his own scale after the dominant bourgeoisie, the dominated bourgeoisie and the petit bourgeoisie (as cited in Hills, 2002). The practical objective of this study is to expand upon these theories and to construct a working model of the fan cultivation process. In terms of methodology, this study is an instrumental and collective case study about a consumer‟s cultivated response to the movie Sherlock Holmes (2009). It is designed to be a qualitative humanistic examination of fan cultivation, adopting pure participant observation and variation of observant participation ethnography as its primary method of research. The researcher undertakes the ethnographic position of the cultivated consumer and documents her journey in an ethnographic journal divided into three sections: substantive, analytic and thick description field notes. The researcher, while on her ethnographic journey, engages with various franchise-related products. These products are divided into categories: the primary product, original products, and official secondary and unofficial secondary products. The field notes collected undergo a reflexive examination and a cultivation analysis. As a result, the researcher is subsequently cultivated to the degree of an educated academic-fan, revealing that consumption coupled with consistency cultivates a consumer‟s investment and loyalty towards a product and ultimately fandom, and that fandom is the emotional consumption of consistent enchantment. In turn, a consumer-to-fan cultivation continuum and model is designed, and a creative component critique is constructed to exemplify the model. This case study therefore answers the question: When does a consumer become a fan, and what happens next? 3
Page 1 and 2: The Case Study of Sherlock Holmes (
Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Attestation of Au
Page 5 and 6: List of Figures Figure 1. Abercromb
Page 7: Attestation of Authorship I hereby
Page 11 and 12: Abercrombie and Longhurst‟s audie
Page 13 and 14: and Morgan‟s (1990) and Shanahan
Page 15 and 16: two and turn them into action” (G
Page 17 and 18: Jenkins (1992), however, would disa
Page 19 and 20: that to be a secondary phase, a res
Page 21 and 22: they designed their continuum, were
Page 23 and 24: economistic theory, alongside Aberc
Page 25 and 26: informs us that we take our communi
Page 27 and 28: Methodology This chapter explains t
Page 29 and 30: albeit in Sherlock Holmes for Dummi
Page 31 and 32: Figure 2. Original model from Maste
Page 33 and 34: and like many, have a stereotypical
Page 35 and 36: Drawing from Shanahan and Morgan (1
Page 37 and 38: Model My research advocates the the
Page 39 and 40: Creative component Critiques Regard
Page 41 and 42: ethnographic position is made on tw
Page 43 and 44: Table 2. Ethnographic order of prod
Page 45 and 46: Good Doctor to placate any qualms t
Page 47 and 48: preconception was derived from its
Page 49 and 50: and Watson in defeating Lord Blackw
Page 51 and 52: The common picture of Holmes is of
Page 53 and 54: “embrace of fiction” (p. 606) a
Page 55 and 56: was lost. Therefore, Doyle‟s orig
Page 57 and 58: this was the only Holmes novel the
Page 59 and 60:
9). While the tale and its quick pu
Page 61 and 62:
his feet with a cry of pleasure.
Page 63 and 64:
Cultivation analysis: Official seco
Page 65 and 66:
their flaws and their frailties, in
Page 67 and 68:
may suggest, this film is not a dir
Page 69 and 70:
Holmes in the role of supporting ac
Page 71 and 72:
have endeavoured to intertwine and
Page 73 and 74:
Official secondary products: The Pr
Page 75 and 76:
245). Redmond‟s (2009) statement,
Page 77 and 78:
“shocking affair of the Dutch ste
Page 79 and 80:
cited in Jenkins, 1992, p. 32). In
Page 81 and 82:
The fan Sandvoss (2005) believes th
Page 83 and 84:
emotional, or cognitive); they tres
Page 85 and 86:
knowledgeable fans [who] may . . .
Page 87 and 88:
negative connotation, for it no lon
Page 89 and 90:
Figure 6, the consumer-to-fan culti
Page 91 and 92:
Creative Component Introduction Fan
Page 93 and 94:
esponsible, Lord Blackwood, played
Page 95 and 96:
short and are exposed as fraudulent
Page 97 and 98:
Conclusion We take our communicatio
Page 99 and 100:
References Abercrombie, N., & Longh
Page 101 and 102:
Davies, D. S. (2009). The further a
Page 103 and 104:
Doyle, A. C. (2005k). The case-book
Page 105 and 106:
Jenkins, H. (2007). Afterword: The
Page 107 and 108:
Signorielli, N., & Morgan, M. (1990
Page 109 and 110:
Bibliography Ackroyd, P. (2001). In
Page 111:
Miller, P. V. (1994). Made-to-order
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