The setting for the story came from Doyle's visit to the foreboding landscape of the English moors, their sinister prehistoric ruins and the treacherous boggy terrain surrounding them. While there, he heard tales about murderous escaped prisoners stalking the moors for victims and of a 17th-century tale of a cruel aristocrat having his throat torn out by his own dog.
From there, he developed the tale of the Baskerville hellhound, a terror that haunts the the family, and could mean the end of the Baskerville line.
Because it had been eight years since the publication of the last Sherlock Holmes story, Doyle felt that the attitudes of readers might have changed and worried about the reception The Hound of the Baskervilles would receive. His fears proved groundless; the reaction to the novel was more positive than he might have hoped. The circulation of The Strand, the magazine that carried the serialization of the novel, increased by thirty thousand copies an issue, and people lined up all over London to buy the ones that carried his installments.
The style of writing that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used in this fiction dealt with intriguing writing that brings the reader into the story, gothic literature, and the element of mystery. In order for this style of story to be replicated, the writer would have to master the writing skills of keeping the readers on the edge of their seats.
Doyle manages to keep his reader into the story by letting them try to solve the case for themselves. Although it is known in numerous Sherlock Holmes stories that only Sherlock has the information to solve the case and not the reader. However; the reader love the fact that they can try to wrack their brain over how the cased could be solved.
The writing hooks the reader into wanting to find out what next.
This was an exciting style of writing especially during the time period of the Victorian Age.
It has a great appeal to the people of that time as they lead very strict and mundane lives that kept them repress of doing anything that would be consider unorthodox.
Everyday routines created a need for something that can give them a rush.
A Sherlock Holmes novel such as The Hound of the Baskervilles had the excitement that satisfied that urge of something new.
Stories about Sherlock Holmes can still boast about their enduring popularity in today’s modern world. Although people do not read books as much as people did back due to the inventions of radio, television and internet Sherlock Holmes stories are still popular and interesting in the modern world because people are still interested in detective work and have this natural attraction for crimes that seem insolvable.
To my way of thinking, The Hound of the Baskervilles is a brilliantly crafted detective story that is truly unparalleled and has all the elements that are needed for a great crime mystery such as
action-packed moments,
a wonderful intriguing central story including a supernatural element, masterful descriptive writing that bring to life the bleak landscape in which the mystery is set, colorful characters doubling up as potential suspects, plenty of red herrings and many twist and turns to keep the readers excited in anticipation of forthcoming actions.
