The Dog of Devon : A Book Review on The Hound of the Baskervilles

It has been a long time...A time as long as it took the second triumvirate to fall and as long as it took Augustus and Antony to go from friends to enemies. 3 years. The blog needed a resurrection. 

What could be a better choice than  review of a book that itself served the job of being a part of the resurrection of the character to appease the  public outcry for the character's kill-off ?

The character of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle has intrigued me a lot. The Doyle books are a few of those that I cherish in all of fiction and this stands out as a pacy horror. Doyle got fed up with Holmes and killed him off in “The Final Problem”(1893) and focused on non-sherlockian works of his. This story, though published after it (serialized in The Strand Magazine in 1901-1902), takes place before the events of the former, for Holmes was revived a year later in “The Empty House”(1903). 

SETTING

The novel is set in Dartmoor, Devon in England’s West country for most parts and heavily borrows from the fable of Cabell, a notorious squire, who was rumored to have sold his soul to the devil and upon his death, black hounds appeared around his tomb. The titular hound is another motif of the ghostly hound and this along with a curse upon a noble family sets the novel up as an intriguing Gothic mystery.

SUMMARY

The plot starts off with a casual deduction of a visitor by Holmes to Watson. Then the visitor, a doctor, explains his reason of approach- a close friend, the aging Sir Charles Baskerville has died under mysterious circumstances. This further leads to him telling the aged fable of an ancestor of Baskerville and the curse and later reveals the only other footprint seen at the place of crime was that of a gigantic hound, which alludes to the curse.

Then Henry, a relative and the heir arrives, many more subplots happen: Henry's multiple boots are stolen and returned, a warning letter arrives, a mysterious follower had also been on their trail. Soon enough, for Henry's protection and to continue the investigation, surprisingly Holmes steps back and sends Dr.Watson to Devon, asking Watson to report all the leading there.

Soon enter characters:Barrymore and his wife, Stapleton, his sister, and Frankland. Also Selden, an escaped ruthless convict, is reported to be around the moor in Devon. Further then stormy nights, ghostly calls of hound and the moor add to the grimness of the place.

Then happen a few expeditions into the moor, the meetings of Ms. Stapleton(who at all times is upset and tries her best to warn Henry to go back to London i.e. leave Devon) and Sir Henry, who happens to like the former, much to the dismay of Stapleton. Soon Watson suspects Barrymore, sights Selden, who is then revealed to be Mrs.Barrymore’s brother and Barrymore’s suspicious actions were just offering food to Selden. Soon Watson and Henry follow Selden, only for Watson discovers another man to be residing in the moor and the chiller unravels.

Soon enough it is revealed that, the mysterious man is none other than Holmes, who stayed in the tor, bearing all the harsh thunderstorms, with Cartwright supplying necessities like food. He had already come to a conclusion and reveals that Stapleton is the culprit, a clever one at it, though his motivations are found to be much stronger later as Holmes soon meets up with Henry, sees his family portraits to see the uncanny resemblance between Rodger Baskerville, who had gone to South America and apparently died childless, and Stapleton. This reveals Stapleton to be the son of Rodger and Ms.Stapleton is also found out to be not his sister but his wife. Soon enough the tale of Ms. Laura Lyons is revealed, who is the ill-fated, estranged daughter of Frankland.

Then soon enough the hound attacks, only to cause the death of Selden, who wore the clothes of Henry, given to him by Barrymore, to whom Henry gifted it. This is followed by Stapleton discovering that Selden was the one who dies but brilliantly covering the shock in his face. Soon enough the climax is reached, Holmes’s plans of deception work, and beyond the murky fog, the hound is slayed and Stapleton, who on his way to escape the place, gets caught in the mire and meets his fate.

ANALYSIS

The tone of the novel is set as a grim thriller and the pace is set right from the start. For the most part it happens in the Gothic arena of Dartmoor with old Baskerville Hall, curse, fable, stormy nights, moor, and the hound. 

The novel also has multiple letters, messages and a diary extract in it; which are plot devices that further elevate the writing style of the novel, which are rarely seen in present times. This includes the message of warning, message from telegram offices, two letters of Watson to Holmes and the diary of Watson.
The titular hound itself is an important motif in the novel. It is presented as just how long like a ghost in the moor until the very end when the narrator, Watson sees it for the first time, with fiery eyes, the very demonic hellish hound pouncing out of the fog. This "black dog" is a popular motif, as a demonic apparition in multiple folklores and symbolises hell or death itself. It is the grim, the ghost hound, the hellhound that is often linked to the devil itself. In the novel it is a cross between a mastiff and a bloodhound this a large dog whose appearance as fiery and glowing was due to phosphorus compounds applied on it by the antagonist.

Unlike most novels of mystery or thrills, it doesn't take time to set its pace; whereas the pace takes off from the first few scenes. The place where Dr. Mortimer replies to Holmes question of whose footprints were they, a man's or woman's, as, "Mr Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!" proves to be one of the best instances of crime introductions.

Also, unlike other Sherlock Holmes novels [which are rare examples of second person narratives in all of literature] with Watson following Holmes and narrating everything for most parts, here Holmes is absent for a considerably large portion and Watson proves his mettle as a capable investigator of his own accord.

This might have risen out of the fact that Doyle wanted to introduce Holmes as a Deus Ex Machina but later didn't follow it but still the plot has a few semblances to it.

Still in the parts he is present, he is in his prime. The introduction itself is Holmes and Watson taking turns at deducing Dr. Mortimer, clearly portraying Holmes schooling Watson in it.

It is also a case where Holmes multiple times states the antagonist is smart and the case is really good, such as:"There is nothing more stimulating than a case where everything goes against you." The gradual unravelling of the mystery of Sir Charles Baskerville’s death is carried out in a spaced out yet gripping manner. The new entrants into the plot prove to be worthy characters with clear arcs who move the plot forward without causing any drags, though backstories are mentioned, as in the cases of Mrs.Barrymore and Mrs.Laura Lyons.
The moor plays an important role in setting up the eerie atmosphere and the occasional groans and howls of the hound which Watson notes adds to it. The tor is also noted multiple times, to have ‘Neolithic caves’ with ‘ancient tombs’ and Watson observing mysterious people living in that place adds to the tenebrosity of the tor.
Stapleton (or Rodger Baskerville jr.) proves to be one of the most cunning and brilliant antagonists Holmes has ever met. Infact, the subplots of a following man and missing boots were his plans and the way he dressed up as a bearded man( to resemble Barrymore) and gave his name as “Sherlock Holmes” to the cabdriver to mislead the detective are examples of his cleverness. He also came up with the phosphorus compound idea to give the hound an otherworldly, hellish appearance like an apparition, to instill the fear in his victim highly fascinated Holmes. Hence, the old adage of the story or the hero being good depends on the greatness of the villain, is proven true in this novel.
The novel shows Holmes in his prime: he , at most times, is in complete control of the situation and displays overflowing cleverness and also at times of offsets, he is calm and collected, which is even further shown when he compliments the antagonist for his ingenuities. It can be said that his composed demeanour is an important aid to his sleuthing abilities, lest he would have not had clarity in his thoughts.

Thus, this piece of art, twelve decades after its publication,stands as a golden standard in detective fiction and as the finest Sherlock Holmes story of all times.


SSV