The Hound of the Baskervilles
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The Hound of the Baskervilles, one of the best known of the Sherlock Holmes novels, written by Arthur Conan Doyle in 1901. The novel was serialized in The Strand Magazine (1901–02) and was published in book form in 1902. It was the first Sherlock Holmes tale since the detective’s shocking “death” in the story “The Final Problem” (1893) but was set prior to his demise. The popularity of The Hound of the Baskervilles helped pave the way for Holmes’s appearance in later works.
Based on a local legend of a spectral hound that haunted Dartmoor in Devonshire, England, the story is set in the moors at Baskerville Hall and the nearby Grimpen Mire, and the action takes place mostly at night, when the terrifying hound howls for blood. After Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead with his face twisted in stark terror, Holmes is called upon to protect his heir, Sir Henry Baskerville. Narrating the story is Holmes’s assistant, Dr. Watson, who is sent to Dartmoor while the busy Holmes remains in London. Upon his arrival, Watson learns that an escaped convict is on the loose. More unsettling events occur, including the appearance of an unknown figure on the moor. Watson later discovers that the mysterious person is Holmes, who has been conducting his own investigation. Holmes deduces that the killer is Jack Stapleton, a neighbour who is actually Rodger Baskerville. Hoping to inherit the family estate, he has plotted to kill his relatives using a vicious hound that he has painted with phosphorous to appear sinister. The superstitious Charles suffered a heart attack after being frightened by the animal. Stapleton also hopes to kill Henry Baskerville but is thwarted by Holmes. Afterward Stapleton flees and is believed to have died, swallowed by Grimpen Mire.
In The Hound of the Baskervilles Conan Doyle uncharacteristically emphasized the eerie setting and mysterious atmosphere rather than the hero’s deductive ingenuity. One of the all-time classic mysteries, the novel was hugely popular as readers rejoiced at the return of Sherlock Holmes. (His death in “The Final Problem” had enraged fans, causing thousands to cancel their subscriptions to The Strand.) Although Conan Doyle had previously claimed to have grown “weary” of Sherlock’s name, he subsequently revived the character after negotiating a large payment from publishers. A series of short stories were published in 1903–04 and later collected in The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905). The Hound of the Baskervilles was adapted for film numerous times, beginning with a silent German production in 1914.
