Canon Discussion: The Hound of the Baskervilles, Chaps. 1-7

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

This week we’re having a look at the first seven chapters of The Hound of the Baskervilles. I’ve typed up a few thoughts to get the discussion going!

Chap. 1

MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES, who was usually very late in the mornings, save upon those not infrequent occasions when he stayed up all night… Holmes and Watson have been living together for some years at this point. It’s interesting how Holmes’ behaviour has altered since Watson met him in STUD. In that story we have: It was rare for him to be up after ten at night, and he had invariably breakfasted and gone out before I rose in the morning. I wonder why the change.

In HOUN we have that famous “conductor of light” quotation. And Watson’s reaction to it: “…his words gave me keen pleasure, for I had often been piqued by his indifference to my admiration…”
Though in the later SIXN we find an apparent contradiction: The same singularly proud and reserved nature which turned away with disdain from popular notoriety was capable of being moved to its depths by spontaneous praise and wonder from a friend. Does Holmes become more gracious and more open to praise as he gets older?

“And he left five years ago—the date is on the stick.” The date on the stick is 1884, so this story is taking place in 1889. Where is Mary Morstan? Watson needn’t be married yet, but it’s strange he doesn’t mention his intended at all. When he spends the day away from Baker Street to give Holmes time to think, he goes to his club.

Admittedly Watson does get confused with his dates. I’ve just realised in SCAN he explicitly mentions he goes to visit Holmes on 20th March, 1888 and is definitely married at that point. But from what he writes in SIGN it is implied he first meets Miss Morstan in September, 1888. (When they are all travelling together to the rendezvous at the Lyceum, Watson says: “It was a September evening…” and Miss Morstan says her father disappeared in December, 1878 “nearly ten years ago”.)

“Recognising, as I do, that you are the second highest expert in Europe——" "Indeed, sir! May I inquire who has the honour to be the first?" asked Holmes, with some asperity. It’s highly amusing how annoyed Holmes is by this reference to another authority, but it’s also rather interesting. In GREE he displays absolutely no resentment that his brother has greater talents than he has. He says: “To the logician all things should be seen exactly as they are…” And GREE seems to be set round about the same time as HOUN.


Chap.2

“I was exceedingly preoccupied by that little affair of the Vatican cameos, and in my anxiety to oblige the Pope I lost touch with several interesting English cases.” Holmes obviously has an impressive international reputation at this point. I wouldn’t have thought a man from a Protestant country would have been the immediate choice for an investigation. (I’ve never really thought of Holmes himself being a Catholic either.)


Chap. 3

“He is not a man with intimate friends.” Now, this is an interesting little insight into Watson. Holmes appears to be a deliberately unsociable man. But Watson belongs to a club. He apparently likes to get out and mix with other people. Why no close friends? Is it just that all the friends of his youth are elsewhere and the time is past for making new friends? (By the way, I assume Holmes in his statement means “apart from myself” – this isn’t some kind of Freudian slip indicating that Holmes doesn’t consider Watson a friend.)


Chap. 4

“I confess that once when I was very young I confused the Leeds Mercury with the Western Morning News.” Is ACD sending up his creation a little here..?


Chap. 5

He would talk of nothing but art, of which he had the crudest ideas, from our leaving the gallery until we found ourselves at the Northumberland Hotel. This rather caught my eye. I wonder what Watson means exactly. I do think of Holmes as having refined tastes. And I wouldn’t have thought Watson would have enough interest in art in order to be able to comment on Holmes’ preferences. (Though we do get an insight into Watson’s pictorial tastes at the beginning of CARD. He seems to like portraits.)


Chap. 6

“One thing only appears to be certain, and that is that Mr. James Desmond, who is the next heir, is an elderly gentleman of a very amiable disposition, so that this persecution does not arise from him.” Is Holmes being too quick here to discard Mr. Desmond? I know he’s made inquiries but he hasn’t actually met the man. When Watson meets Mary Morstan he immediately sees her in a positive light but Holmes remains detached: “It is of the first importance… not to allow your judgment to be biased by personal qualities.” But then I suppose he has received statements from people who have personally known Desmond for a long time.


Chap. 7

Though the vast majority of the stories are told in first person by Watson, he is rather self-effacing and almost disappears from the stories sometimes. It’s a pleasant novelty to have him taking centre stage for a change. Is he different when he’s not with Holmes, do you think?


Next Sunday, 11th May, we will be finishing off the story by looking at chapters 8-15. I do hope you will be able to join us for the conclusion of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Comments

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Ah, but you see Holmes is aware that Watson has one intimate friend, but hasn't see him ;)

I like Holmes comment that while he was in Dartmoor in spirit in his absence his body had consumed two large pots of coffee and an incredible amount of tobacco. Holmes clearly has a sense of humour.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

But if Watson does have his "intimate friend" at this point, then that confuses me over the timeline even further... ^^" (*whimpers a little*)

That is a great line ^^ Holmes does indeed seem to have a wonderful sense of humour. Except for when people are suggesting he's not the foremost expert in his field :P

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

That is because Watson's intimate friend will appear later in the story ;) (What, you expected me to keep to canon?)

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

(Well, ACD doesn't keep to canon, so I don't why anyone else should... :P)

[vaysh]

I was struck, too, by Watson's remark about Holmes' "crudest ideas" about art. It does make sense, though, in light of the characterisation ADC keeps giving to Holmes: a man who has foresworn all sentiments that cannot be calculated and appreciated by means of science and reason. Art in the late 19th century was seen as the diametral opposite of science. A person with a full view of the world would be knowledgable in both spheres - science and art, but Holmes is a man who excels in one and fails in the other. Watson, on the other hand, is your usual English gentleman, who will have a (at least superficial) knowledge of art. :)

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed your comment - I've actually learnt something ^^

I suppose thinking about what little I know about Victorian art, the emphasis was on the sentimental. This naturally wouldn't be to Holmes' taste.

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

By this time the impressionist artists were beginning to be known and I would like to learn Holmes' thoughts on them. Presumably ACD wasn't interested in them.

[vaysh]

Holmes may have been intrigued with the Impressionist's use of the canvas and of light. Not sure if he ever appreciated the finer points of art, though. :)

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

I think I read somewhere that Doyle might have become Watson's agent through their being fellow Catholics, and with Holmes.

I agree about Mr James Desmond. Also, Holmes doesn't even ask if he was married, and he might have had a son, or a brother in law, who was a good bit less saintly. Though Holmes doesn't seem to run into such people, Desmond might even have been desperate for money for some higher purpose. Possibly one thing Holmes did when Watson left was check more thoroughly on Mr James Desmond.

I enjoyed the remark about art, which shows Watson can have differing opinions of his own. vaysh has put my reaction better than I could have.

Getting easily muddled with dates myself, I'm going to be very tolerant of Watson's putting down the wrong digit.

edit: Just to say I love the scenery writing.

I can't say I think Watson much different. Perhaps a little more reflective and less impulsive. When he's with Holmes, he knows Holmes will tell him if he's going too fast or in the wrong direction. By himself, he can do that for himself very well.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I hadn't heard that theory before about Watson being Catholic. How interesting ^^

And, yes, it must be a case of Watson getting his dates wrong. (*giggles*) I think you're right too about Watson being "a little more reflective and less impulsive." That sums him up very well, while he's apart from Holmes.

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Just a suggestion. Might Watson deliberately give false dates, if he sometimes gives false names? Then he wouldn't much care which he'd given, as long as it wasn't the real one.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

That would make sense ^^ And it would be more reassuring about the state of his memory ^_^ (After all, he's apparently working from notes.)