Hound of Baskervilles by A. Conan Doyle

[PatH]

The Hound of the Baskervilles by A. Conan Doyle "Sherlock Holmes' most famous case, the Hound of the Baskervilles, was set on foggy Dartmoor, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle got much of the inspiration for the book from real-life people and places - as well as folklore. The first episodes of Sherlock Holmes' best known adventure - were published in The Strand Magazine starting in August 1901."   http://classiclit.about.com

Links: Free Online Version - The Hound of the Baskervilles Official web site ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate. Sydney Paget Drawings: Archive The Sherlock Holmes Museum Schedule: Jan. 2nd  --- Jan. 8th       Chapters: 1 -- 5 Jan. 9th  ---  Jan. 15th     Chapters: 6 -- 10 Jan. 16th --- Jan. 22st     Chapters 11 -- 15

Discussion Leaders:  BillH and fairanna

[PatH]

Here are my researched answers to the quiz:

WARNING: PLOT SPOILERS!  Don't read this if you haven't finished the book!

1. d (see my note)
2. e
3. b
4. a
5. a
6. b
7. a
8. a
9. e
10. a (see my note)
11. e
12. c
13. d
14. a
15. d
16. d
17. a
18. b
19. c
20. e

Bonus Question: Murphy was the drunken Gypsy horse-dealer who was out on the moor when Sir Charles died, and "thought he heard cries"

Note to 1.--Holmes wasn't surprised at any of these things; Watson was.

Note to 10--Elizabeth was a Baskerville sister mentioned in the family document. that's a clever question, because Mrs. Hudson is often mentioned in the stories.

[PatH]

I got 3 questions wrong, plus I had no idea who Murphy was.  After I had looked up a number of the answers, it occurred to me that I could just do a word search on the online document (Duh).

I posted the answers, then proofread them and corrected some mistakes, so if you saw them in the first minute or so, look again.

[BillH]

PatH, thank you for posting the heading.

[Brian]

Pat - - -  thanks for posting the answers to the quiz - you certainly have a point,
it WAS Watson who was surprised.  Sherlock would NEVER admit to being surprised.

Brian.

[PatH]

So the "Man on the Tor" reveals himself as Holmes, and fills Watson in on some of what he has found out.  Stapleton's "sister" is really his wife!  I think the clues to that were more or less fair.  Several people saw that the tone of the relationship was wrong for brother-sister, and Stapleton certainly acts oddly in keeping Sir Henry at arms length from her.

[Babi]

  No, Brian, I didn't look at the first quiz.  I think that day my time was too short for detours.
  It's too bad for Sir Henry that the sister is actually the wife.  He was falling in love with her, and this shock added to the trauma he suffered.
   I certainly agree that the retrospective chapter should be discussed.  Where else could we lodge our complaints, if any?   

 

[BillH]

Chapter 15

A Retrospection

"It was the end of November, and Holmes and I sat, upon a raw and foggy night, on either side of a blazing fire in our sitting-room in Baker Street."

Even though it was a raw and foggy night, the blazing fire in their sitting-room presents a cozy scene.

Folks, we have all had our fun with the quiz. But there is only today and tomorrow for the discussion. So would you please limit your thoughts and posts to and for Chapter 15?

[JoanK]

I go back to thew question I asked earlier: was Doyle "fair" with the reader? I agree that the relationship between the Stapletons was "wrong" and should have been a clue. And the one shoe -- only one was needed to give the dog for scent, but the new boot wouldn't do for that -- he had to go back and get an old one. That was really clever.

But everything else, Holmes found out outside of the book and just told us about. His clever deductions were mostly on peripheral things and didn't give him the solution. NO FAIR!

Who agrees with me?

[PatH]

I agree, Joan, it's an excellent horror story and suspense story, but the detection part isn't fair.

As you said, the women seem totally dependent on the men. Their relationship seems to be the only thing that matters to them.  Laura Lyons has been promised marriage by Stapleton,  and in spite of the fact that she knows him to be capable of murder and suspects he has actually killed Sir Charles, she still wants the marriage, and only betrays him when she learns he is already married.  Mrs. Stapleton is completely subservient to her husband, and only finds the courage to turn against him when she learns he has courted another woman.

[PatH]

Holmes is a showoff: When he examines the anonymous warning, Holmes looks at it closely, and is startled.  He later explains he was "...conscious of a faint smell of the scent known as white jessamine.  There are seventy-five perfumes, which it is very necessary that a criminal expert should be able to distinguish from each other, and cases  have more than once within my own experience depended upon their prompt recognition."

Perhaps that's true, but since the only conclusion drawn here is that a woman sent the note, it's irrelevant.

[Ella Gibbons]

Hello Bill.  I had finished the story some time ago but went back to Chapter 15 for a re-read and agree with Pat when she said - "Several people saw that the tone of the relationship was wrong for brother-sister."

Yes, I remember thinking that when I first read the story.  I am struck by the part women play, particularly Mrs. Stapleton, she is practically the whole plot.

Does anyone in this story have a first name?

"He had hoped that his wife might lure Sir Charles to his ruin, but here she proved unexpectedly independent. She would not endeavour to entangle the old gentleman in a sentimental attachment which might deliver him over to his enemy. Threats and even, I am sorry to say, blows refused to move her.

His wife had some inkling of his plans; but she had such a fear of her husband -- a fear founded upon brutal ill-treatment -- that she dare not write to warn the man whom she knew to be in danger. If the letter should fall into Stapleton's hands her own life would not be safe. Eventually, as we know, she adopted the expedient of cutting out the words which would form the message, and addressing the letter in a disguised hand. It reached the baronet, and gave him the first warning of his danger.

It may possibly recur to your memory that when I examined the paper upon which the printed words were fastened I made a close inspection for the watermark. In doing so I held it within a few inches of my eyes, and was conscious of a faint smell of the scent known as white jessamine. There are seventy-five perfumes, which it is very necessary that a criminal expert should be able to distinguish from each other, and cases have more than once within my own experience depended upon their prompt recognition. The scent suggested the presence of a lady, and already my thoughts began to turn towards the Stapletons. Thus I had made certain of the hound, and had guessed at the criminal before ever we went to the west country. "

A good story, Bill, a very good discussion.   Thank you.

[BillH]

Several people saw that the tone of the relationship was wrong for brother-sister."

Ella, yes I agree with all of you who found it difficult accept a brother and sister relationship between the Stapletons.  For instance Holmes gives this account in the last chapter:

"He married (Stapleton) Beryl Garcia, one of the beauties of Costa Rica..."
Now in my humble opinion, Beryl Garcia was  of Hispanic ancestry, while Stapleton was British born and of Caucasian ancestry.   Surely the neighbors could see the racial difference betwen the pair. Now it could be assumed that they were half brother and sister but that would be a bit of a stretch.

Ella, you asked if anyone in the story have first names.  Well, I read Rodger is Stapletons first name.

He was named after his father Rodger Baskerville who was the brother of Sir Charles Baskerville. However, he(Stapleton) saw fit to change his name on two separate occasions.

 Beryl is the first name of Stapleton's (I still call him that) wife. Of course Laura is Laura Lyons and   James was the first name of Dr. Mortimer, however, after the first page in the novel I don't believe Mortimer"s first name was used again.

I can't recall the first names of the Barrymores perhaps someone can jog my memory.
. 

[BillH]

A hound it was, an enormous coal-black hound, but not such a hound as mortal eyes have ever seen. Fire burst from its open mouth, its eyes glowed with a smouldering glare, its muzzle and hackles and dewlap were outlined in flickering flame. Never in the delirious dream of a disordered brain could anything more savage, more appalling, more hellish be conceived than that dark form and savage face which broke upon us out of the wall of fog.

With this passage, Conan Doyle gave a chilling description of the hound. Perhaps this was a bit better than Sir Hugo's account. 

[Babi]

  Of course, the clue about the note being from a woman was not shared with us, which might be considered unfair.  On the other hand, telling us up front would have been a tip-off to look most closely at the available women.  What do you think?  Would the story have been as much of a mystery if you had known that fact from the beginning?

  Bill, your point about the different backgrounds of Stapleton and his wife if a good one, but not a hard and fast rule.  Some people of Spanish background are quite fair, and there are Brits who are not of blond complexion.  It is fairly common in a household for children to resemble different sides of the family.

  Putting phosphorescent material around the hounds mouth was an ingenious way of magnifying the horror.  No wonder Sir Charles, already fearful of the 'curse', had a heart attack.  Just seeing such a huge creature, a mastiff/hound crossbreed, would be frightening enough for me.

[Brian]

Thanks - - -

Thanks all round.  To Bill and Pat for their leading us.  To Joan and anyone else who helped to give us a venue.  To all the readers who submitted their views on the book.

Thanks to Conan Doyle for the book itself.

It was a great wee book and very ably discussed.

Brian.

[PatH]

A few loose ends.  Indeed, Babi, Watson comments on the different coloring of Stapleton and his "sister", saying you would hardly think them to be related.  If we had known a woman wrote the warning note, it would be a dead giveaway, given the dearth of female characters. Holmes had a good excuse for keeping quiet at the time, though, since he didn't yet know enough to know who might be guilty and didn't want to show what he knew.

What did Dr. Mortimer's wife do while Mortimer went around the world with Sir Henry (at least a half year)?  For that matter, who took care of Mortimer's practice?

My book points out that phosphorous is poisonous to dogs, but offers an alternative chemical--barium sulphide.

Brian, your kind thanks are misplaced in my case.  I was not helping to lead the discussion, just an enthusiastic participant, because I love the book so much.  As you say, a great wee book.

[PatH]

Now I'll make my thanks.

Thank you, Bill and Fairanna, for making this discussion happen.

Bill, I can see you love the book as I do, and your enthusiasm warmed the discussion.  And we had a great group of fellow discussers.  I hope I'll see all of you in future discussions.

[PatH]

It just occurred to me that I never got around to renting the Basil Rathbone movie.  If I do, I'll report on it in Books Into Movies.

[Babi]

Thanks so much, BILL & FAIRANNA,  for a most pleasurable discussion.  I have so missed this sort of interchange of observations and opinions.  So many good posts and interesting sidebars.  'Good show', as the British might say.

Babi

[fairanna]

I don't think I deserve any thanks I still haven't finished reading the book ..I had company coming and had to clean everything for their arrival ...and they stayed four days and the bathroom they used sprang a leak so I had water coming down a cupboard in my kitchen ...I have had to wash everything in the cupboard and the shelves etc....now I cant put anything back until I have a plumber come by..AND I had a doctor's appointment and the cataract in my left eye will be removed (thank goodness since it is my nearsighted eye ..the other one having a cataract 20 years ago and was replaced with a distance lens,...so I have had headaches trying to read since the nearsighted eye couldn't see the print) Sounds like a plot for a mystery itself. I am surprised that my feelings about the solution was right...it has been YEARS since I read this book and I cant believe I was still annoyed by Doyle's solution...HA we Irish never forget!...MY THANKS TO ALL WHO KEPT THE DISCUSSION GOING since I wasn't doing my share...

After my cataract is over I will be ready to start with you another mystery ..one I can fully participate as I should....I have to use a magnifying glass to read now but still get a headache since my eye is trying to do its job....until the next dead body drops I am always, fairanna

[BillH]

Today will bring to a close the discussion of the Hound of the Baskervilles. 

I thank all of you who participated in the discussion. Your thoughtful and interesting posts made this a successful discussion.  I also thank those who followed the discussion but did not post.  I'm sure you folks enjoyed the discussion  as much as I did.

The last time I checked we had 876 views of this discussion. Imagine all those folks following along.  Well, now they know the web site of SeniorLearn and that makes me very happy. I'm sure some were logging on to listen to the audio of the Sherlock stories the link of which can be  found in the heading.  Sherlock and Watson guided them to our web site

I wish all of you a HEALTHY AND HAPPY NEW YEAR,

Bill H

[EvelynMC]

Thanks, Bill, Fairanna, Pat H., Brian, JoanK and all you others who participated so fully.

I enjoyed the book and this discussion very much.

Evelyn

[Babi]

Oh, my, FAIRANNA, you did have your hands full.  I'm surprised you were able to come in at all!  Go get that eye taken care of, and we'll watch for your triumphant return. 

[JoanK]

Thank you so much, BILL for your usual great discussion. It has been so much fun sharing this little classic with my friends.