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 of the Baskervilles is first introduced, the curse is that Hugo Baskerville captured a young maid from an unguarded farm and took her back to Baskerville Hall. He locked the maid away. That night he had a party with friends of his, Hugo and his friend’s drank lots of wine and he boasted of this girl he had captured. He staggered upstairs to get the girl, when he unlocked the room he saw that she had escaped. Hugo was furious and ordered for his Horses to be ready for riding, Hugo rode ahead and his friend’s followed over the moorlands, they passed a Shepard who told of Hugo riding past him. The pack continued on to find Hugo lying on the floor next to the maid with a large beast standing over Hugo, there stood a foul thing, a great, black beast, shaped like a hound, yet larger than any hound that ever mortal eye has rested upon and it was plucking at his throat. The tale of the Hound plagued the Baskerville family ever since.
The curse is portrayed in a manuscript written by Sir Charles Baskerville, the narrative of this story is very hesitant and this creates suspense and an eerie atmosphere within this chapter. Chapter 2 also tells the reader that Sir Charles Baskerville has died. “Sir Charles Baskerville, whose sudden and tragic death some three months ago created so much excitement in Devonshire.” This prepares the reader for something big to happen and this in time does happen at the end of the Chapter. Dr Mortimer reveals some information he has previously kept secret “Mr. Holmes, they were the footprints of a gigantic hound!” There is an obvious connection that the reader would notice between the curse and this revelation, the curse is then seen as something which could in fact be true and not myth. This adds to the tension and eeriness in the atmosphere.
The fact that Conan-Doyle would leave each chapter on a cliff hanger adds more tension and eeriness to the book as you are drawn in to reading the story even more.
Moving on the title of Chapter 3 prepares the reader for something to happen soon and this adds to the atmosphere. The title of the third chapter is ‘The Problem’ this tells the reader that something important is going to happen in the story, this adds to the eerie atmosphere and tension as you begin to wonder what might happen.
Conan Doyle then describes the reports of the Hound with the character Dr Mortimer, the name Mortimer could be linked to death with the Mort part. We then hear of the heir to the Baskerville fortune, Sir Henry, who has been living in Canada. He is moving to England to take over the estate but there is worry for him as the Hound of the Baskervilles is on the loose and may try to kill him, this then adds to the atmosphere.
In Chapter 6 we are introduced Dartmoor and Baskerville Hall. Baskerville Hall is described like a Haunted House in a vast reclusive space. Dartmoor is described as ‘Over the green squares of the fields and the low curve of a wood there rose in the distance a gray, melancholy hill, with a strange jagged summit, dim and vague in the distance, like some fantastic landscape in a dream.’ This adds to the eerie atmosphere within the chapter.
Baskerville hall is like a classic haunted house in the description ‘The Avenue opened into a broad expanse of turf, and the house lay before us. 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 block rose the twin towers, ancient, crenellated, and pierced with many loopholes. To right and left of the turrets were more modern wings of black granite. A dull 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 also adds to the eerie atmosphere as you think that something is going to happen.
Conan Doyle also adds a mystery to the end of the chapter by having a sobbing noise in the night which nobody seems to know where or who it is coming from. This mysterious act adds to the eeriness.
In Chapter 7 Stapleton talks of how Ponies have been sucked into the Great Grimpen Mire, this seems random and makes you think that something concerning the Great Grimpen Mire is going to happen.
Chapter 8 is Watson’s first report where he talks about Barrymore, the butler, who has been sneaking around the Baskerville Hall in the night time. There is no reason why Barrymore has done this and it adds an eerie feeling to the atmosphere. Watson then describes Selden, the escaped convict, he is described as a weird character who hangs around the moors and this adds more eeriness as it adds danger to the other characters.
In Chapter 10 Watson talks about a mysterious man on the moor, the reader speculates about whom this could be and this adds eeriness.
In Chapter 12 the atmosphere is building rapidly as the convict is killed and due to the description we are lead to believe it is Sir Henry which adds tension and eeriness.
Chapter 14 is the climax of the novel and Conan Doyle adds atmosphere using the personification of the fog, he makes it sound as if the fog was part of Stapleton’s plan and this 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.
