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The Hound of the Baskervilles

by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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How are Devonshire and London described in The Hound of the Baskervilles?

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The main use of description in the novel is to enhance the mood in the part of the novel set in Devonshire. London merely serves as a backdrop to the initial contact between Holmes and the Baskervilles needed to set the story in motion. The earliest chapters are set inside Holmes' rooms. We get a sense of a sophisticated metropolis in the account not only of the Northumberland Hotel, but also when it is mentioned that other hotels exist nearby. The brief mention of a gallery exhibiting Belgian paintings also gives one a sense of a sophisticated and large city, as does the rail station. Since most early readers of the work would have either visited London or been well acquainted with stories about London, no detailed description is needed. 

The main story is set in Devonshire. The description of the moors is essentially romantic, emphasizing their wildness, remoteness, sparse population, and potential for danger. Two important elements of this are the fog and the quicksand. The fog on Grimpen Moor is described in some detail in Chapter 14. The dangers of the quicksand are described in Chapter 7 in some detail and are also an important element of the resolution of the novel in Chapter 14 as well. 

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