Sherlock Holmes' The Hound of the Baskervilles

Sherlock Holmes' The Hound of the Baskervilles

Introduction

Sherlock Holmes story, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' was popular

when published and still remains so today for a variety of reasons.

Back in the Victorian period crimes stories were very well-liked by

the general public. A police force had just been formed and many

people didn't yet know how it worked. Crime was on the rise and it

wasn't safe to walk alone on the streets at night. People were fearful

of the streets but were also intrigued by the changes that were

occurring before them.

This is when characters such as Holmes began to appear. Holmes'

character was innovative idea as few crime fiction stories about

detectives had been written before. A detective like Holmes was rarely

found and could be described as an exotic character to the Victorians.

The stories about the new detectives satisfied the general public's

curiosity about the police force and the Holmes series began its

popular era.

Now a days though we are much more familiar with detectives and how

they work because of television, radio etc. but a story like The Hound

of the Baskervilles still appeals to us.

As well as the book being part of the ever popular crime fiction genre

it also has many other aspects that make it such an exhilarating book.

The way that Conan Doyle writes the book is very interesting to the

reader. The story is told through the eyes of Watson and is also told

in a diary kept by Watson. This adds a new dimension to the book and

the way the book is written so well is the main reason why it remains

popular today and why it was popular in the Victorian era. There are

fe...

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...etail so we have

a clear picture of the surroundings. This helps us imagine being in

the characters position and makes us feel more involved.

The characters again help the book as they are so introvert, unique

and also believable.

Watson helps the reader to understand the story and gives them an idea

of what is going on from the point of view of a normal person. The

reader can enjoy the book more because of Watson as they have a better

understanding of the plot.

Finally the story line is a masterful one and there are many twists

and turns as it begins to unravel. The reader is always on the edge

and doesn't know what to expect which creates an exciting read. The

book would not be so popular with out such an innovative plot. All

these points I have prepared show why the book is so popular whatever

the era.