Name: The Hound of the Baskervilles
Author: Arthur Conan Doyle
ISBN: 9780192572073

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Arthur Conan Doyle

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Author Description

'Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!' The mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville brings Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson to Dartmoor in the most famous of all of Arthur Conan Doyle's books. Is Sir Charles the latest victim of the ancestral Curse of the Baskervilles, which summons a demonic hound to stalk the moor and exact vengeance for a past misdeed, or is there a more modern, more prosaic explanation for the sudden death? In The Hound of the Baskervilles, the modern, rational world, and the ancient, supernatural world collide in the novel which brought Sherlock Holmes back from the dead. This new edition of Conan Doyle's classic mystery is part of a series of new editions of the Sherlock Holmes stories published in Oxford World's Classics. Darryl Jones's Introduction explores the competing worlds of the supernatural and the scientific in the novel and in Arthur Conan Doyle's life, the novel's colonial background and origins, and the role of landscape, folklore, and folk horror in the novel.

Menrva's Summary

THE PULSE

The sudden, mysterious death of Sir Charles Baskerville on the desolate Dartmoor moors triggers an investigation into a legendary ancestral curse involving a spectral hound. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson arrive to determine if the death is the result of supernatural vengeance or a calculated human crime. The narrative unfolds primarily through Dr. Watson's perspective, utilizing a mix of first-person journal entries and reports to document the investigation. The protagonists must navigate the treacherous, fog-laden landscape while contending with local folklore and the psychological pressure of a looming, unseen threat.

INSIDE THE PAGES

Atmospheric setting of the Dartmoor moors
Epistolary elements through Watson's reports
Contrast between rational deduction and supernatural superstition
Exploration of ancestral trauma and family secrets
Pacing driven by mounting tension and isolation
Use of red herrings to obscure the culprit
Detailed characterization of the Holmes-Watson dynamic
Integration of Victorian-era social and scientific themes

THE COLLECTIVE ECHO

Readers and critics frequently identify this work as the definitive example of the detective genre blended with gothic horror elements. Discussion often centers on the effectiveness of the moor as a character in its own right, providing a claustrophobic atmosphere that heightens the sense of dread. Many highlight the balance between Holmes's cold, analytical approach and the visceral fear experienced by those living under the shadow of the Baskerville curse. The pacing is widely praised for its steady escalation, moving from a London drawing room to the wild, untamed landscape of Devon. Critics often note that the novel serves as a pivotal moment in the series, successfully reintroducing the protagonist while testing the limits of his scientific worldview against the backdrop of ancient folklore.

Page Count:
336

Publication Date:
2023-01-01

Publisher:
OUP Oxford

ISBN-10:
0192572075

ISBN-13:
9780192572073

Mystery

Crime

Fairy Tales

Gothic

classic

Detective