Holmes vs. Poirot

Sherlock Holmes. Hercule Poirot.

Two legendary detectives, created by two great authors. I am more fully acquainted with the latter, having read all of his adventures, so may obviously be biased, but I honestly think Agatha Christie's writing is better than Arthur Conan Doyle's. The stories are more interesting to me, and the protagonist easier to like.

The two are very similar however, both with a great respect for logic, and both with a talent for spotting clues that elude others, using their powers of observation and deduction to perform great mental feats.

Both are very odd, and not easy to get along with due to to their eccentric lifestyles, and distinction from the rest of society due to their intellect. Both are also very much aware of their talents, leading to a certain arrogance. Although this can be understood as an honest appraisal, it also alienates them from other people, who they can often see as beneath them.

Yet Poirot is also kind. While both detectives obviously care for, and are extremely loyal to their respective companions, Poirot is also kind to strangers he encounters during his cases, something I have found no evidence of yet with Holmes.

They are very different in a number of ways, including most obviously, their nationality. Poirot represents the quirky oddity found in foreigners, and the understanding that although people may differ superficially, fundamentally we are driven by the same motives, and humanity can be evaluated in the same way. Sherlock Holmes instead is the essence of Englishness, and of a certain time where men were gentlemen, and criminals were villains.

Which is your favourite?