The Hound of Baskervilles: A Mysterious Conflict between Fiction, Reality and Legend

The Hound of Baskervilles

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

👉 The Hound of Baskervilles: A Mysterious Conflict between Fiction, Reality and Legend

While this is an old novel, the reader's fascination with the Sherlock Holmes character may never diminish. This is the third novel written about the detective character Sherlock Holmes. Like the previous ones, it is the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who first chose writing as a profession, although he was first in the medical profession. He is called the 'Father of Crime Fiction'. It was first published in series in 1901 in The Strand Magazine. The following year it was published in England in the form of a novel by George Nuance Limited. In the following years, the novel was published in different languages in different countries of the world from different publications. It's about The Hound of Baskervilles, one of Doyle's best-selling books.

👉 Who is this Sherlock Holmes?

It goes without saying that there are no people or readers who have not heard of Sherlock Holmes. Even then I am writing briefly for those who have not heard or want to know a little more.

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character, inspired by a flesh-and-blood man. The famous forensic scientist at the University of Edinburgh, Doyle studied under the tutelage of Joseph Bell. Inspired by him, he created Holmes. Doyle first introduced Holmes to readers in 1887. And since then, Holmes has been destined to become the world's most popular detective. Doyle has written 4 novels and 75 short stories about Holmes. Guinness World Records lists Holmes as the ‘Most Portrayed Literary Human Character in Film & TV’ in history. Although Holmes is not a flesh-and-blood character, his popularity soared that his existence surpassed the imagination of readers.

👉 The fact inside the novel

Doyle wrote the novel after returning from the Boer War in South Africa. Like other novels written about Holmes, its narrator or commentator is Holmes's friend-collaborator Dr. Watson. Although it begins and ends at 221B Baker Street, London, the events of the novel take place in Devonshire. The time is shown in 1889.

The novel begins with the mystery of the death of Sir Charles Baskerville. Charles died before the beginning of the novel, and it is believed that an old curse from the Baskerville dynasty was the cause of his death. Dr. Charles's friend, Mortimer brings the case to Holmes. He believes a hound (a species of hunting dog) was involved in the death, with footprints found near the body. Besides, there was the matter of curse. After the death of Charles, the Baskerville property was inherited in the name of Sir Henry, who would soon arrive in Devonshire. Dr. Mortimer was apprehensive of Sir Henry's safety, lest the curse befell him, and his fate would be like that of Sir Charles, so he came to Holmes.

Ever since Sir Henry arrived in London, strange things had happened to him. Holmes sent Watson to Baskerville Hall with Sir Henry for his safety because he could have guessed something. Holmes stayed in London to finish some work.

The funny thing about the novel is that this is the first time Holmes has left Watson alone. In other novels, Watson is seen as a commentator, but he is also seen as a good detective. As soon as he arrives at Baskerville Hall, he reveals some mysterious things. Fugitive defendants roaming the vast land around Baskerville Hall, barricading lights in the middle of the night in Barrymore, Mrs. Barrymore often breaking down in tears - nothing escaped Watson's eyes. Sitting in Baskerville Hall, he heard the sound of a supernatural hound coming down from hell, like a long groan coming from afar. From the locals he can learn about the legend of the horrible hound that is prevalent about that mysterious call. In it, he is introduced to the Stapleton siblings in the neighborhood, about whom Watson found something strange.

Meanwhile, when so much is happening, there is a dramatic arrival of Holmes. Although Watson has been spying so far, Holmes has taken over. They were joined by Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade. Holmes concludes the Baskerville chapter by rescuing Sir Henry from the hellish attack of that hellish hound and unraveling the mystery of the supernatural hound.

If the reader is looking for Holmes throughout the novel, he must be a little dissatisfied. For, it goes without saying that Holmes is not mentioned from the sixth to twelfth chapters of the novel. There's a lot of Watson's exploration and other character activities going on. However, most of the readers who are stuck in mystery avoid the subject.

👉 Inspiration of the story

The main aim of The Hound of Baskervilles, set in a Victorian context, is to tell a Gothic story. The hound mentioned in the novel is based on a western rural legend. It is said that Hound's party used to surround the tomb of that legend. Doyle's original idea came from the legend of Richard Cable. The legend was the main inspiration for the story of the infernal hounds and cursed landlords of Baskerville. Cable's tomb is still visible in Buckfastleyh's Devonshire. There is also a reference to a supernatural hound called ‘Yeth Hound’ in the folklore of the city of Devon, which Doyle may have heard. Everything else was a reflection of his imagination.

👉 Influence of the novel on movies, plays and more

The novel is so popular that several movies and TV series have been made about it. It was the first film made in 1914 in the German Empire, which was a silent film. Some films were made in the German Empire as well as in the Weimar Republic. Although the events of the novel were based in the United Kingdom, the first film based on the novel was made there in 1921 and was named after the novel. It has also made movies and TV series in the Soviet Union, Italy, Australia, Canada, the United States, and Japan. Even in neighboring India, two films have been made, the first, Jighangsa in 1951 in Bengali and the second, Bis Saal Bad in 1962 in Hindi.

Not only movies and TV series have been made about the novel, but also stage dramas and radio dramas. BBC Radio first aired it as a drama in 1997.

Sherlock Holmes has many fans around the world. Many of them felt it was different from other stories and novels in the Sherlock Holmes series. Its background, the presence of a supernatural being, and finally the unraveling of the mystery - everything was different. Sherlock Holmes is the hero of many childhood fantasies. The novel was about another successful Holmes expedition into the sea of mystery.

*****

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