secrecy with Stapleton and Beryl, the convict Selden, the Barrymore’s and many more.
The hound in ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ is described as the ‘Hound from hell’. This suggests the hound is evil to describe it as being from hell. It is also believed to be giant and deadly. The 200 year old legend of the hound proves that the hound is supernatural, as it is impossible for a hound to live that long. In the novel the hound is believed to be a myth, but many believe in the hound or say they have seen the hound. This element of doubt adds to the suspense in the novel. The Victorians were very interested in the supernatural; it was a main feature in the gothic genre. They enjoyed reading shocking and disturbing tales. As far as the Victorians were concerned an interesting book must contain gothic content.
In ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ the setting and atmosphere are key elements in making the novel gothic. The moor is the main gothic feature; it is bleak and scary. People on the moor hear the hound’s cry and it sends a shiver down their spine. The moor is also very dangerous. In the novel a pony drowns in the marsh at Grimpen Mire. The book describes this event, ‘something brown was rolling and tossing among the green sedges. Then a long, agonized, writhing neck shot upwards and a dreadful cry echoed over the moor.’ This shows how dangerous the moor is and that Grimpen Mire in particular is a treacherous part of the moor. Also it shows evil intent in the moor that an innocent creature could be sucked in and so, die there.
The houses that are included in ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ are old and mysterious. There are secret doorways and mysterious passageways. In the novel the drive up to the hall is described as ‘a ruin of black granite and bared ribs of rafters’ and ‘the house glimmered like a ghost at the farther end’ this makes the setting sound gloomy, depressing and mysterious. Also in the novel Henry Baskerville commented on the appearance of Baskerville Hall “It’s no wonder my uncle felt as if trouble were coming on him in such a place as this, it’s enough to scare any man.” This makes Baskerville Hall sound unwelcoming and forbidding.
In the novel there is an escaped convict named Selden. Selden is the ‘Notting Hill murderer’. He escaped from prison onto the moor. He was described as ‘a fiendish man’ and ‘a wild beast’. The character creates tension in the atmosphere as he was imprisoned for terrible crime. Selden’s face is described as ‘an animals face’. This shows that he has an angry face with an inhuman feel to him. The novel also reveals that Selden is the brother of Mrs Barrymore. This adds to the intrigue created.
In addition, the novel also describes how some of the women are ill treated. Beryl Stapleton is a victim of ill treatment by her husband, who is very controlling towards her. Stapleton convinces everyone that Beryl is his sister and not his wife. Towards the end of the novel Stapleton becomes very violent and physically hurts his wife. The novel states that ‘she had such a fear of her husband – a fear founded upon brutal ill treatment’ this shows that Stapleton didn’t treat his wife appropriately. Stapleton also befriended Laura Lyons. Laura was a victim of Stapleton. He deceived her by offering to marry her for his own gain. Laura was not aware that he was already married.
In ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ the Barrymores are very secretive. Since Henry Baskerville was the head of Baskerville Hall the Barrymores had not been very open with him. Mrs Barrymore was trying to hide the fact that the convict Selden was her younger brother. When it is revealed that Mrs Barrymore is a relation to Selden you start to think less of her and she is more mysterious than first seemed.
As a conclusion ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ is definitely a gothic novel. There is a battle between good and evil, which makes the book very interesting and mysterious. I can see why the gothic genre was very popular and why it was so vital to contain mystery, deception, curiosity and secrecy. ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ has many twists and keeps the reader intrigued throughout the novel.