In the beginning of this tale, Watson gives us a brief summary of Holmes’s physical abilities (as strong as can be) and his training regimen (non-existent). Why does Watson feel he needs to explain this one and not any before it? If a story has “features of interest,” as he says, shouldn’t his readers be able to pick that up on their own? Was Watson showing signs that he thought this was a poorer quality story over all? The good doctor had published tales of Holmes failing before now ( A Scandal in Bohemia and Speckled Band come quickly to mind), but with this one he feels he needs to warn the reader of Holmes’s impending failure. The bracketed paragraph that introduces this story is an interesting commentary on what Watson thought of this story. – Illustration by Sidney Paget in The Strand Magazine, February 1893 Seventeen thoughts for further ponderance of the case at hand – The Yellow Face ( YELL ) Our visitor sprang from his chair.
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