Atmosphere in The Hound of the Baskervilles

The Hound of the Baskervilles

How does Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle develop and maintain an eerie

atmosphere throughout his novel The Hound of the Baskervilles?

Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle’s novel, the Hound of the Baskervilles, was

originally published as a novel in 1902. This was an age when many

people were interested in historical matters to do with things like

ancient documents and there ancestors. Many of the popular books were

in the supernatural and detective genres. These books were

particularly popular with male readers and this is often due to the

amount of main characters being male.

The Hound of the Baskervilles was originally published episodically in

the Strand magazine from August 1901 through to April 1902. Each month

the chapter would end with a cliff-hanger, this was mainly so people

would buy the next issue to find out what happens subsequently in the

story. After the serialised version of the story it was then published

as a novel buy George Newnes Ltd in London, 1902.

Not only was The Hound of the Baskervilles popular as book, it was

also popular as a film. In 1939 the Hound of the Baskervilles was

released for the first time as a film. The film was directed by Sidney

Lanfield and starred Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. It was then

filmed again and released in 1959 when it was directed by Terrence

Fisher with Peter Cushing and Andre Morell starring. Most recently the

story was filmed for the BBC as a ‘Christmas Special’ in 2002 for its

centenary year.

Even The Hound of the Baskervilles is over 100 years old it is still a

popular book, it is the only one of Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle’s books not

to be out of print and this is why it is regarded as his best novel.

In Chapter 2 the curse ...

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...his adds to the eeriness. When the

dog is finally unleashed Conan Doyle describes it as ‘In mere size and

strength it was a terrible creature which was lying stretched before

us. It was not a pure bloodhound and it was not a pure mastiff; but it

appeared to be a combination of the two -- gaunt, savage, and as large

as a small lioness. Even now in the stillness of death, the huge jaws

seemed to be dripping with a bluish flame and the small, deep-set,

cruel eyes were ringed with fire. I placed my hand upon the glowing

muzzle.’ This description and similar ones add to the eeriness.

To conclude Conan Doyle uses several features to maintain an eerie

feeling. He uses an ancient family ghost story, a mysterious house

inhabited by a strange butler and his wife, treacherous moorland with

‘living’ weather and an escaped convict along with the threat of the

hound.