Another feature of gothic novels, which helps to create the grim atmosphere, is the weather. Weather in gothic literature is normally cold and wet, adding to the dullness of the environment. “The Hound of the Baskervilles” features lots of references to cold, wet weather, reinforcing the feeling of gloom. In chapter 9, Dr. Watson refers to a “cold night wind.” This phrase creates an ominous feeling as the two adjectives convey to the reader darkness and bleakness. Dr. Watson also speaks of the “dull moaning of the autumn wind” which sets a depressing atmosphere because of the heavy initial consonant and vowel combination in the adjective. The mysterious and long “oan” sound makes the setting seem intimidating. “Moaning” can reflect pain, which links to the idea of the moor being a dangerous place to be. The phrase also shows Conan Doyle using personification, which has a strong effect on the reader as it makes elements seem human, therefore powerful, and perhaps uncontrollable. Nature is a strong force in itself though, so the personification could be designed to show the reader that even nature can seem in pain in these bleak and wild locations. The “wind” talked about in this sentence is another common characteristic in gothic novels, where weather conditions appear harsh and hostile. In the extract from Dr. Watson’s diary in chapter 10, he writes, “rain poured down.” Describing the wet weather, “poured” tells us that the rain is heavy and the harsh “p” sound emphasises the harshness. Also from Dr. Watson’s diary in chapter 10 comes “this tempestuous and melancholy day.” The word “melancholy” is also used repeatedly in the novel to reinforce the impression of the bleak landscape; it gives the whole setting a thoroughly depressing feel. “Tempestuous” adds to the sombre feeling of weather but also generates a sense of tension as tempestuous means stormy and violent. Such weather conditions, it could be argued, are reflected in the nature of some of the characters- a technique called pathetic fallacy. “The Hound of the Baskervilles” contains many of the typical weather conditions that are seen in gothic literature therefore, in this sense, “the Hound of the Baskervilles” could be classed a piece of gothic literature. A feature of the landscape included in “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is a place called Grimpen Mire. This is a boggy area upon the moor where people are liable to sink. Dangerous places like this are often evident in gothic novels and add to the dire atmosphere of the text. The mire is talked about mainly in chapter 7 where Stapleton is informing the other characters about the mire. When Dr. Watson first enquires about the mire Stapleton replies “a false step yonder means death to man or beast.” Here Stapleton is saying that it is a dangerous place for man and animal alike and so the statement creates a very grim mood. Further into chapter 7 Stapleton says, “It is a bad place the great Grimpen Mire.” The shortness of this sentence increases the impact of it, as it gives the impression that there is no doubt and that the statement is fact and cannot be challenged. The adjective “bad” clearly shows that it is a dreadful place and the word “great” suggests that it is a vast area. Combined, these words help the sentence to increase the miserable tone of the novel. Also, in chapter 7 Stapleton describes the mire again as “the impassable mire.” “Impassable” gives a sense of danger to the phrase and the harsh “ss” and “im” sounds suggest a strange, mysterious ambience. Harsh or difficult terrain occurs frequently in gothic novels and the descriptions set a mysterious and grim tone. This depressing atmosphere is also apparent in “The Hound of the Baskervilles” therefore I would class it as a piece of gothic literature.
One factor of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” that distinguishes the novel as a piece of gothic literature relates to the locations featured within it. Buildings in gothic novels have a distinct style of architecture that includes points; arches; crenellated walls; partitioned and stained glass windows and the buildings are often raftered. The way buildings are described in gothic novels often creates an eerie atmosphere and usually causes the buildings to seem spooky because of the dark décor creating a heavy and oppressive atmosphere. Many of theses characteristics are shown in “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” The two main buildings in the novel are Baskerville Hall and Merripit House. These two locations are described when the characters first arrive at Baskerville Hall in chapter 6 and when they first visit Merripit House in chapter 7. Primarily the buildings are described through the observations of Dr. Watson. The general feeling of these buildings is a creepy one. At the beginning of chapter 6 Dr. Watson describes the outside of Baskerville Hall by saying “weather-bitten pillars”. “Pillars” are a common feature of gothic buildings and the fact that they are “weather bitten” shows that they are old and also reinforces the idea of hostile weather conditions. The harsh “tt” sound within “bitten” emphasise the hostile weather conditions and give the impression that the outside of the building is rough and imposing. Also in chapter 6 Dr. Watson observes, “The whole front was draped in ivy” and ivy-covered walls frequently appear in gothic novels and are usual of gothic buildings. Ivy covered walls give a blanketing effect and the image created by an ivy covered wall gives a gloomy impression. Later in chapter 6 DR. Watson talks about the towers of Baskerville Hall: “the twin towers, ancient, crenellated, and pierced with many loopholes.” Crenellated walls of towers appear regularly in gothic architecture and are often featured in gothic novels because they add to the impression of the buildings being towering and forbidding. Further into chapter 6 Dr. Watson describes Baskerville Hall as “large, lofty and heavily raftered”. The oak paneling of the building is also depicted in chapter 6 through Dr. Watson’s observation “huge balks of age-blackened oak” and “the oak paneling.” Oak paneling and heavily raftered rooms often occur in gothic architecture and are common features of gothic buildings. They also make the rooms in gothic buildings seem very dark causing a negative impression. “High, thin window of old stained glass” is dr. Watson’s account of the windows. Dr. Watson also depicts the windows in chapter 7, “high mullioned windows.” Something that is mullioned is vertically partitioned. Stained glass and partitioned windows are common in gothic buildings. Another feature Arthur Conan Doyle uses to help create an eerie atmosphere is a reference to shadows. In chapter 6, Dr. Watson depicts the shadows within Baskerville Hall, “long shadows trailed down the walls and hung like a black canopy above him.” This simile helps create the depressing and spooky atmosphere. The elongated sound of “ong” within the adjective “long” gives a depressing impression and the adjective “dark” creates a spooky image. During chapter 7 Dr. Watson describes Merripit house by saying “the effect of the whole place was mean and melancholy.” The words “mean” and “melancholy” emphasise the dreary atmosphere of the location as “melancholy” means sombre and the definition of “mean” is harsh. Dr. Watson also says “There were large rooms furnished with an elegance”. The large rooms and elegant furnishings mentioned are common of gothic style buildings, both of these features help to create a majestic atmosphere and show that the building is posh reinforcing the fact that the characters who own it are wealthy. I can conclude, from the fact that the buildings featured in “The Hound of the Baskervilles” contain so many features of gothic architecture, and from the negative atmosphere and impression the descriptions of the buildings create, that the novel is a piece of gothic literature, which was written, in the gothic period.
Another feature that distinguishes Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel as a piece of gothic literature is the characters within it. The characters within gothic novels usually include a male tyrant with a female victim. The main characters are normally men and are usually wealthy and powerful. The female characters are normally victims and are usually very beautiful. These typical characters are probably common in gothic novels because of the attitude towards the sexes during the gothic period, men were seen to work hard and earn lots of money and the women were expected to work in and take care of the house and were expected to please and look after the men. Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel “The Hound of the Baskervilles” includes all of these character types. The initial judgement of characters in the novel normally comes from Dr. Watson’s observations as he narrates most of the book. Sir Hugo Baskerville is one of the first main characters that features in the book and is mainly described in the manuscript within Chapter 2. Phrases in the manuscript such as “he was a most wild and profane, godless man” help to show how fierce an evil Sir Hugo was with words like “profane” meaning disrespectful. Also in the manuscript is the sentence “There was within him a certain cruel and wanton humour”; the phrase “cruel humour” reveals that he is a malicious man and “wanton” tells us that he is thoughtless and may do cruel things with no motive such as kidnapping the maiden as we are told about in the manuscript. Stapleton is another vicious character that is significant in the novel. He is first introduced into the storyline around chapter 8. He is first described in Dr.Watson’s report as “cool and unemotional”. “Unemotional” gives the first glimpse that he is an evil character and reveals that he might do anything, as he lacks the ability to empathise or show compassion. Stapleton is described again in chapter 12 through the observations of Dr.Watson as “terrible- a creature of infinite patience and craft, with a smiling face and a murderous heart” tells that he is deceiving and lethal. Dr.Watson writes in chapter 15 “having purloined a considerable amount of money”. “Purloined” means stolen, which emphasises Stapleton’s evil nature. During chapter 15, when Dr.Watson is portraying the story of the stapletons, it is proved that Stapleton is a tyrant and has control over a woman. Dr.Watson writes, “He acquired complete influence over her”. The fact Stapleton had “complete influence over her” shows that he is a tyrant and is manipulative it also starts to describe Beryl Stapleton as a victim of him. In chapter 7 Dr.Watson describes Beryl Stapleton as being “a beauty”. Female characters in gothic novels are very often beautiful. A lot can be learnt about a characters personality from the things that they say. Such as in chapter 14 where Beryl says, “I have been his dupe and his tool”. Here Beryl is explaining how she has been a sufferer of Stapleton’s. This sentence reveals that Stapleton sees Beryl as an object rather than a person. If he does view people like this then it is probably how he can abuse them and feel no remorse. Another female dupe within “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is a character called Laura Lyons. Laura is described in chapter 10 in the diary of Dr.Watson where he writes “he proved a black guard and deserted her” and “her father refused to have anything to do with her”. Both of these statements show she has been treated cruelly and “deserted” by her father. By analysing the characters in “The Hound of the Baskervilles” it is clear that their personalities are the same as many in gothic literature. Many gothic novels include cruel male tyrants like Hugo Baskerville and evil, rich characters like Stapleton. Female victims like Beryl Stapleton and Laura Lyons are also common in gothic literature. It is clear that “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is apiece of gothic literature as it contains so many characters of the gothic style.
The storyline in Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel revolves around the legend of the hound that haunts the Baskerville family. Legends and myths are frequent in gothic literature and form a complex but central part of the plot. Legends in gothic literature are often gruesome and include supernatural occurrences. The legend of the hound is talked about mainly in chapter 2, where Dr.Mortimer is reading the manuscript to Sherlock Holmes. Within the manuscript is the phrase “a foul thing, a great, black beast, shaped like a hound yet larger than any mortal eye as rested upon.” The creature is being described using negative words such as “foul” and “beast” which suggest that the creature is gruesome. Also the fact that it is “larger than any mortal eye had rested upon” suggests that the being is supernatural. Within chapter 2, in the manuscript it says “the hound which is said to have plagued the family so sorely ever since”. The words “is said” show that it is only a legend and is not necessarily true and “plagued the family” gives the impression that the story has been passed down through generations, which gothic legends usually are. Also the word “plagued” with its harsh “pl” and “g” sounds means pestered and caused worry continually showing that the family has been troubled by the legend. In chapter 3 Dr.Mortimer refers to the hound as the “Baskerville demon”, “demon” shows that the creature is evil and terrible. The legend has varied effects on characters in the novel such as Dr.Mortimer becoming concerned about the safety of Sir Henry, the rest of the Baskerville family being terrified of the hound and Sherlock Holmes questioning the truth of the legend. Arthur Conan Doyle manages to create a negative image of the hound using different techniques and lots of descriptive words and phrases such as “foul” and “beast”. These cause the reader to have a negative view of the hound and make the reader feel as though they should be scared of the hound. The legend in “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is typical of a legend in gothic literature. The creature within the legend seems both terrifying and supernatural which beings in gothic legends often do. Therefore I would say that “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is a piece of gothic literature.
It is clear that Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is a piece of gothic literature for many reasons. The landscape within the novel is grim and dangerous which landscapes in gothic novels usually are. These harsh landscapes cause a sense of mystery for the reader. Also the negative weather conditions featured in the novel are common in gothic literature. These weather conditions include rain; snow; strong wind and general cold, hostile and unpleasant climates. These kind of weather conditions add to the sense of mystery and danger that the reader feels. The characters within “The Hound of the Baskervilles” share the personalities of many characters from gothic novels such as male tyrants, female victims and rich, powerful people. The characters add a sense of intrigue for the reader. The legends in pieces of gothic literature normally include supernatural occurrences and horrific events both of which are features of the legend of the hound. The legends within gothic novels affect the reader by creating a sense of horror. The buildings within “The Hound of the Baskervilles” have a distinct gothic style of architecture, which includes oak panelling; heavily raftered rooms; high partitioned windows and crenallated outer walls. The buildings within the novel create a spooky atmosphere, which is common of buildings in gothic literature. All of these similarities between “The Hound of the Baskervilles” and other novels from the gothic period show that “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is a piece of gothic literature. I think gothic literature continues to be popular because the plots are unpredictable and often dark which is appealing to the reader. Also the settings in gothic novels are very atmospheric which adds depth to the novels. The authors of gothic novels are very descriptive which brings the novels to life for the reader. “The Hound of the Baskervilles” has a very interesting plot, lots of horrific events and plenty of creepy settings, all of which help to keep the reader interested. This is why the novel has proven to be so popular.
By Kay Clark