Your personal Tumblr journey starts here
Re-reading Sherlock Holmes and it strikes me all over again that the main draw of this man is not his intelligence but his kindness and courteousness towards his distressed clients, most especially women. I was like ten when I read my Dad's copy of Adventures and so fascinated and attached to him immediately. It could never be replicated by modern interpretations, especially Moffat's Sherlock. *soul deep shudder* I hated the series from the get-go and couldn't figure out why until I saw that Tumblr post that pointed it out.
Also? Irene Adler's sexualisation is obviously gross and so much less progressive and agentive than the version this Victorian man wrote, but I'm also repulsed by the sexualisation of Sherlock Holmes. The man hasn't had a boner in his life. It's canon that he's never had any interest in women and his only close relationship with a man was Watson, and all power to slash fans, but there's absolutely nothing in canon that hints at anything but a friendship of, get this, mutual respect and admiration. This is the most aroace character in the English canon is what I'm saying, and the most generous interpretation of his relationship with Watson is a queerplatonic connection.
TL;DR: Perpetually flabbergasted how we got from a very gentlemanly, deeply compassionate, grown-ass adult who never talks down to Watson nor burdens anyone, to this entitled misogynistic manbaby with the social skills of a hornet.