In what ways could the hound of the baskervilles be described as a gothic novel Essay Example For Students

In what ways could the hound of the baskervilles be described as a gothic novel? Essay In what ways could the Hound of the Baskervilles be described as a gothic novel? A gothic novel is thought to be a novel of horrors and mysteries, it has a theme and a philosophy of the worlds evil, a representation of something supernatural and mysterious. Its plot is bound up with secret murders. There are various obvious characteristics of a gothic novel and I have to investigate each other them in detail to establish the genre of The Hound of the Baskervilles. Sir Arthur Connan Doyle was a qualified doctor of medicine. He published his first Sherlock Homes novel in Beetons Christmas Annual in 1887, when he was aged 27. Sherlock Homes stories were then published in The Strand with worldwide success. The Hound of the Baskervilles was published in 1902. This was after great public uproar when Holmes was killed off by Conan Doyle in The Final Solution Sherlock Holmes novels where primarily written in the detective genre but in The Hound of the Baskervilles Conan Doyle not only uses his practised method of detective writing, but also manages to incorporate many features of a gothic novel. The book is set in Baskerville Hall, a place surrounded in mystery. It is described when Sir Henry first sees his family home. In the fading light I could see that the centre was a heavy block of building from which a porch projected. The whole front was draped in ivy, with a patch clipped bare here and there where a window or a coat-of-arms broke through the dark veil. From this central bloke rose the twin towers, ancient, crenellated, and pierced with many loopholes. To right and left of the turrets where many more modern wings of black granite. A dim light shone through heavy mullioned windows, and from the high chimneys which rose from the steep, high angled roof there sprang a single black column of smoke. This is a description of the house on a dark, rain soaked evening when Sir Henry and Watson were weary after a long journey. This is the only description of the house in the whole book. I feel that this is a very dark description of the house, words like dark and black all portray the house as an evil one. This makes you think that something dark and black has happened at the house. You think it would be the perfect place for murder. Gothic novels are always set in a certain atmosphere of darkness with a moaning and howling wind. The Hound of the Baskervilles is no exception. When Sir Henry and Watson first arrive on the cold windswept night the moor is described as a Barren waste, the chilling wind, and the darkening sky Again Conan Doyle has described a negative view of the moor in the opening part of the book. This puts a sense of foreboding into the reader. Like a gothic novel it makes you think this  is part of the world where some great evil could take place. Holmes even says after studying a map of the area. The setting is a worthy one, if the devil did decide to have a hand in the affairs of men Not only does this build up the evil element of the setting but also makes the reader wonder if the murder was in fact supernatural. There are three characters that occur in the majority of gothic novels, A knave Stapleton, a young lady Miss Stapleton and a young man who is struggling with an evil Sir Henry. The first mention of Mr Stapleton is when Dr Mortimer is describing the case to Holmes and Watson. He is very simply said to be, A Rose For Emily Theme EssayThe morality of the Hound is revealed in chapter 12 death on the moor when the escaped convict Selden is attacked and killed by the Hound. This reveals for the first time that the Hound it actually real and capable of killing. It isnt in fact until the penultimate chapter, The Hound of the Baskervilles that the Hound is first seen by Homes and Watson and therefore described to the reader. On this one and only sighting of the Hound Watson describes his feelings towards the Hound. Never in the delirious dream of a disordered brain could anything more savage, more appalling, more hellish, be conceived than that dark form and savage face. This once and for all reveals the identity of the hound as the terrible beast that it really is. Like a detective novel the answer to the great mystery is revealed at the dÃÆ' ©nouement of the novel but this is also very much like a gothic novel where there is usually a mystery which runs all the way through the book  and then revels itself at the dÃÆ' ©nouement. therefore this characteristics isnt as useful to use in trying to distinguish the genre of The Hound of the Baskervilles because it is a characteristics which crosses genres. The story for a Gothic Novel is usually introduced very early in the novel. The story, which is the basis for the mystery, is sometimes taken from an ancient manuscript, like The Hound of the Baskervilles. Also like The Hound of the Baskervilles Connan Doyle has used Mortimer telling Holmes and Watson the story and an introduction to the novel. Dr Mortimer comes to see Holmes and tells him the story of Sir Charless death and the whole ancient story surrounding the Hound. He tells of Sir Hugos death and how the Hound came to being. I think that this is a very good way to set up a novel because the reader can immediately start to place together their own theories and what has happened. It is also an easy way to quickly get across background information to the reader. In conclusion I feel that The Hound of the Baskervilles manages to for fill many characteristics of a gothic novel, it has naves, heroines, castles and most of all a deep sense of evil, but it is fundamentally a detective novel. Connan Doyle has written many books it the detective genre using Sherlock Holmes before. I think this book it just another slant on the detective genre. It includes murders and mysteries but these would be equally and home in both genres. I feel Connan Doyles biggest swing towards a gothic novel is his setting for the novel. Setting it on a barren wasteland with swirling mists and dangerous moor land is a fundamental characteristic of a gothic novel and Connan Doyle achieves this feel perfectly.