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The Hound of the Baskervilles | Reading Pointers for Sharper Insights

Reading Pointers for Sharper Insights

To make the reading of this novel more enjoyable, readers should consider the following:

  1. How Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's use of supernatural elements contradicts with Sherlock Holmes’ belief in logical, realistic solutions.

  2. The manner in which Doyle uses goodness and purity, and how he intertwines it with evil

    • using love from a relative to escape the law

    • manipulating good characters and leading them to their destruction or insanity

  3. Doyle's borrowing Gothic characteristics of literature, including:

    • the mystery of the hound has many characters wondering whether it is an occult creature.

    • the ancient family curse is another supernatural element that has characters questioning their beliefs.

    • the setting is dark and gloomy around Baskerville Hall.

  4. A popular literary device that Doyle incorporates is his use of a character, event, or other element in the story that detracts from the central issue, which leads to a false assumption—a red herring.

  5. Pay close attention to Sherlock's scientific method:

    • observation

    • speculation

    • deduction

    • inference

    • hypothesis

    • conclusion

  6. The portrayal of social classes is apparent in Doyle's writing. Doyle, who came from a well-to-do family, tends to portray commoners as gullible because they fully believe in the Baskerville curse.

  7. Doyle's use of character:

    • Dr. Watson is not only the narrator, but he is a foil as well, serving as an opposite to the main character. Watson, as the foil, strengthens Holmes’ character by emphasizing their contrasts.

    • Watson is the more developed and rounded character of the two.

    • Holmes’ reliance on intellect, rather than strength

    • the static characters who surround the main two