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Situational Irony
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis:
The Hound of the Baskervilles is narrated by Dr. Watson and told in first person from his point of view. The overall style is formal and descriptive—evident in Chapter 1, for example, when Watson describes meeting Dr. James Mortimer:
The appearance of our visitor was a surprise to me since I had expected a typical country practitioner. He was a very tall, thin man, with a long nose like a beak, which shot out between two keen, grey eyes, set closely together and sparkling brightly from behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He was clad in a professional but rather slovenly fashion, for his frock-coat was dingy and his trousers frayed.
Watson focuses on Mortimer’s overall appearance, notably his face and clothing. He even offers his personal opinion and finds him “slovenly,” “dingy,” and “frayed.” All in all, this is reflective of Watson’s general worldview. Unlike Holmes, he does not have a purely rational perspective, and his biases limit his powers of observation and deduction.
The descriptive style also contributes to the novella’s Gothic imagery. In Chapter 6, as Watson, Sir Henry, and Mortimer journey through Devonshire County towards Baskerville Hall, Watson describes the landscape vividly:
Bronzing bracken and mottled bramble gleamed in the light of the sinking sun. Still steadily rising, we passed over a narrow granite bridge, and skirted a noisy stream, which gushed swiftly down, foaming and roaring amid the grey boulders. Both road and stream wound up through a valley dense with scrub oak and fir.
Stylistically, the use of alliteration (“bronzing bracken” and “still steadily”) and gerunds (“bronzing,” “foaming,” and “roaring”) emphasize the quality of movement and light within the landscape. There is a sense of movement and flow; the stream and surrounding forest appear lush and vibrant.
In Chapter 10, Watson switches from his reports to Holmes and uses his journal to record and reconstruct the events of the case. The inclusion of the journal entries functions as a narrative device that allows the reader to gain insight into Watson’s thoughts and emotions as he attempts to solve the crime. The final entry heightens the mystery of the story for the reader, as it ends with Watson ruminating on the crime and stating dramatically, “I swear that another day shall not have passed before I have done all that man can do to reach the heart of the mystery.” This statement draws the reader into the story still further by emphasizing the mystery's life and death stakes.
Related Themes:
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis:
The Hound of the Baskervilles is narrated by Dr. Watson and told in first person from his point of view. The overall style is formal and descriptive—evident in Chapter 1, for example, when Watson describes meeting Dr. James Mortimer:
The appearance of our visitor was a surprise to me since I had expected a typical country practitioner. He was a very tall, thin man, with a long nose like a beak, which shot out between two keen, grey eyes, set closely together and sparkling brightly from behind a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. He was clad in a professional but rather slovenly fashion, for his frock-coat was dingy and his trousers frayed.
Watson focuses on Mortimer’s overall appearance, notably his face and clothing. He even offers his personal opinion and finds him “slovenly,” “dingy,” and “frayed.” All in all, this is reflective of Watson’s general worldview. Unlike Holmes, he does not have a purely rational perspective, and his biases limit his powers of observation and deduction.
The descriptive style also contributes to the novella’s Gothic imagery. In Chapter 6, as Watson, Sir Henry, and Mortimer journey through Devonshire County towards Baskerville Hall, Watson describes the landscape vividly:
Bronzing bracken and mottled bramble gleamed in the light of the sinking sun. Still steadily rising, we passed over a narrow granite bridge, and skirted a noisy stream, which gushed swiftly down, foaming and roaring amid the grey boulders. Both road and stream wound up through a valley dense with scrub oak and fir.
Stylistically, the use of alliteration (“bronzing bracken” and “still steadily”) and gerunds (“bronzing,” “foaming,” and “roaring”) emphasize the quality of movement and light within the landscape. There is a sense of movement and flow; the stream and surrounding forest appear lush and vibrant.
In Chapter 10, Watson switches from his reports to Holmes and uses his journal to record and reconstruct the events of the case. The inclusion of the journal entries functions as a narrative device that allows the reader to gain insight into Watson’s thoughts and emotions as he attempts to solve the crime. The final entry heightens the mystery of the story for the reader, as it ends with Watson ruminating on the crime and stating dramatically, “I swear that another day shall not have passed before I have done all that man can do to reach the heart of the mystery.” This statement draws the reader into the story still further by emphasizing the mystery's life and death stakes.
Related Themes:
