This series examines the creation and popularity of the classic literary horror novels of the Victorian Era. The genre of the horror story gained immense popularity during the late nineteenth century and has retained its popularity for over a century. The classic gothic horror novels reveal the ambiguities of the Victorian Era, an era that experienced the changes of the Industrial Revolution and social repression at the same time. Nightmare! The Birth of Victorian Horror would be useful for classes on Literature, Western Civilization, Drama, Culture and Psychology. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

The Hound of the Baskervilles

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes returns from an almost certain death in a previous story to solve the mystery of The Hound of The Baskervilles. Based on various local legends and set in the eerie Moor, The Hound of the Baskervilles is the only story in which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle blended his interests in the paranormal with the rationalism of his legendary character, Sherlock Holmes. The result was The Hound of the Baskervilles, which some literary critics herald as the best detective story of the Victorian Era.

• Neolithic
• abyss
• aesthetic
• apparition
• bohemian
• cataclysmic
• collaboration
• effusive
• formidable
• incognito
• palpable
• paradox
• predatory
• spectral
• stigma
• ubiquitous

1. Sherlock Holmes is one of the most famous literary characters ever created. Despite Holmes' immense popularity, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wanted to kill off Holmes. Why would Doyle want to kill off so popular a character?

2. Discuss how local legends and myths influenced The Hound of the Baskervilles.

3. Can you name other great literary works that have been based on legend or myth? Why is folklore the basis of some of the world's best literature?

4. Although Sherlock Holmes was the model of rationalism, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was fascinated by the spiritual world. How did Doyle incorporate his own interests with those of his rational creation in The Hound of the Baskervilles?

5. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a physician before he was a writer. How did his background in medical training help create the character and stories of Sherlock Holmes?

6. Discuss how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle incorporated the setting of The Hound of the Baskervilles so that it almost became another character.

7. What accounts for the popularity of Sherlock Holmes? Why is the character still a popular subject for films and television dramas?

8. Discuss why critics claim that The Hound of the Baskervilles is the greatest detective story of the Victorian Era.

1. Research some of the local legends and folklore of your area. Using this information, write a short detective story that incorporates one or more of these stories.

2. Using the description in the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles create a model or illustration of Baskerville Hall. Compare your project with those of other students. How do your projects differ? What is the role of imagination in your creations? How does reading a novel as opposed to seeing a film version of a story allow your imagination to run wild?

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