The Hound of the Baskervilles
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Published in 1902
Summary
The great
detective Sherlock Holmes and his trusty partner Dr. James Watson are called
upon again to solve a mystery. This mystery brings the brilliant
detective duo to the foggy moors of England to solve what could be a
supernatural threat going back generations against the Baskerville family.
The
mystery begins in typical Holmes fashion with the men relaxing at home until a
strange walking stick is left in the foyer of their famous 221b Baker Street
residence. As Holmes and Watson carefully dissect even the smallest
details of this stick, James Mortimer, arrives to claim his property. He
used his walking stick as a calling card of sorts to hire the
detective. James tells them the story of how the late Hugo
Baskerville kidnapped a fair maiden of a local manor house with the intent to
marry her. She does not want to marry this scoundrel and escapes the
Baskerville manor running into the moors. Hugo is drunk and enraged
so, he and his friends chase her into the moors only to come face to face with
a giant glowing hound with brilliant green eyes. The beast attacks Hugo ripping
out his throat as the others escape.
As a man
of science Holmes is far from impressed by this supernatural story and in his
snarky way dismisses James for wasting his time. However, James
explains that there is more to the story. Charles Baskerville had moved into
the Baskerville Estate and was fixing up the old manor. Then when he went for
his nightly walk on the moors James heard the savage howl of the beast and
found Charles dead with giant dog prints near the body. James then
produces a letter sent to Henry Baskerville, who is believed to be the last of
the Baskervilles, warning him to stay away from the estate. Now,
with multiple murders involved this story intrigues Holmes as he agrees to the case.
With
great detail Holmes examines the letter and concludes which newspaper the words
were cut from. He informs James to go back to Baskerville Estate to
meet with Henry. Watson will join the men there later and will stay
for a few days observing the place.
From here
the adventure is afoot. Holmes and Watson decipher many clues as they meet the
strange characters from the manor like the housekeepers John and Eliza
Barrymore. The local quirky neighbors Jack Stapleton & his
sister, and Mr. Frankland & his daughter Laura all add intrigue into this
story. The moors is a spooky place by itself, but hiding in the
moors is an escaped convict, a strange man with a beard, and of course the
giant vicious hound.
With many
clues, places, people, supernatural element, and a bit of romance Holmes and
Watson have their hands filled in this atmospheric story. Of course,
the great detective will use his superior skills to find and explain even the
most confusing clues to solve this strange mystery.
Elements of Mystery
Characters: The world renowned detective Sherlock Holmes is
represented here wonderfully with his brilliant ability of observation to
deduce not only clues but human body language and
characteristics. His snarky demeanor and his dislike of wasting time
and energy on trivial matters shine through.
Dr. John
Watson is the ever lovable opposite to Holmes’ rigid mannerisms. As
the narrator of this story he observes the actions of his partner while
bringing an element of humility to the story.
As a team
the two work wonderful off of each other. Through the childish
bickering and playful ribbing between them is respect, care, and a deep friendship.
The rest
of the characters add different attributes of emotions and intrigue to the
story. The mysterious hound, convict, and the bearded man add a
sense or terror. Mr. and Mrs. Barrymore add a sense of
strangeness. Jack Stapleton adds mistrust. Laura Lyons adds a sense
of pity. Henry and Beryl add a touch of forbidden romance. And Mr.
Franklin adds a bit of humor.
Settings: The settings is used to
great effect. 221 Baker St., the residence of Holmes and Watson is
world renown in mystery fiction. In a way their residence gives a
familiar feel in comparison to the rest of the locations in the story.
The moors
are eerie and spooky. The words used to describe it brings up images of foggy nights amidst the tall grass and ancient stones. Baskerville
manor gives the impression of great wealth, power, and greed
which describes Hugo Baskerville. However, this contradicts the characteristics
of Henry Baskerville which add to his disconnect to the
Baskerville history since he spent a lot of his time working in Africa.
Tone/Mood: The mood varies a bit in
this story. It starts out light hearted as Holmes and Watson examine
the walking stick. This light heartedness can be seen when Watson
and Henry are relaxing at the Baskerville estate. There is a mood of
suspense, spookiness, and danger when the scenes are in the foggy dank moors
and with the giant hound. Naturally, there is a mysterious tone
throughout the story.
Style/Language: Written in the typical Sherlock Holmes style this story is written from
Dr. Watson’s point of view. He narrates the story giving great details
to actions, body language, and
atmosphere. The characters in the story and locations are
distinct.
Pacing: The pacing of the
story is fast and smooth. There are a lot of clues and details,
however this does not slow down the pacing. The transition from
locations feel smooth and natural.
Read-Alikes
The Sussex Vampire by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Originally published in 1927.
Fer-de-Lance by Rex Stout. Originally published 1914.
The Beekeeper's Apprentice: or, On the
Segregation of the Queen by Laurie
King. Originally published in 1994
Whose Body?: A Lord Peter Wimsey Novel by Dorthy L. Sayers. Originally published in 1923.
Hercule Poirot: The Complete Short Stories: A Hercule Poirot Collection by Agatha Christie. Collection published in 2013.
Reviews
GoodReads gives it 4 ½ stars out of 5.
BookieCookie from the Guardian News and Media describes it as “The story
was very good; gripping with a good sense of mystery'
This is probably my favorite of the Sherlock Holmes novels! I have read all of the novels and short stories. These are definitely books you need to be in the mood to read, though. Doyle's stories take a lot of focus. There is definitely the character dynamic at play here. What I find a bit different for this novel (and all of the Sherlock Holmes novels), is that the main character/narrator isn't actually the main investigator. With Holmes personality, it is no wonder why he doesn't narrate. It definitely makes the book a better read to look at things from Watson's point of view. Watson also does a good job of making Holme's much more endearing that Sherlock does for himself. I think it is uncommon for there to be a difference between the narrator and investigator, though. I never thought of it before. Even thought it contains a lot of back story, The Valley of Fear is probably my second favorite Sherlock Holmes novel. If you like being immersed in the setting, though, if I remember correctly, the back story takes place in early western America.
ReplyDeleteHi Paige,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about Watson. The personality of Sherlock Holmes reminds me of Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory television show. He is brilliant and having Leonard, Penny, and the rest of the group together makes his eccentric behavior funny. However, I could only take Holmes aka Sheldon as a friend in real life in short doses. Watson has the patients of a saint.
It is funny to think that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did not have as much appreciation for Sherlock Holmes as the rest of the world. His iconic character is still very much apart of the modern mainstream a hundred plus years later. I recently started reading the Sherlock Holmes series after being influenced by the current BBC version.
ReplyDeleteCynthia,
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are played my Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. They played the magnificent detective duo in a bunch of films and over 200 radio shows in the 1930s and 1940s. They had great chemistry together.
Hello Robert! Like Cynthia, I have been influenced by BBC's "Sherlock," so I am interested in going back to read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original stories. Even though this novel was originally published back in 1902, it is still enjoyable for new generations. I like how you described the different settings in the novel. 221B Baker Street is familiar to many readers, so I can definitely see how this would feel comfortable and homey while other locations, such as the Baskerville estate and the moors, would feel dangerous and foreboding in comparison.
ReplyDeleteExcellent annotation! Your summaries and appeals are on point and well written. Full points.
ReplyDelete