Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brings the Gothic into the turn of the 20th century through his Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles. Throughout the novel there is a fear of the unknown. The setting of the moor is a mysterious place where strange things tend to happen. The sound of the hound’s moans are heard across the landscape, ponies sink to their death in the mire, and a spaniel goes missing. Some of the characters are mysterious as well. The escaped convict is hiding on the moor as well as another person who is later revealed to be Sherlock. The Stapleton’s end up being the most important hidden identities which leads Sherlock to pinning Mr. Stapleton as guilty of the strange Baskerville deaths. The hound itself is frightening because no one is ever really sure about it until the very end when it is killed.
Sherlock and Holmes vary in how they deal with these unknowns that cause fear. Watson wants to think that he isn’t frightened by what is happening. He wants Holmes to think that he is really helping to solve the case by writing him detailed descriptions of mostly irrelevant information. He tries to appear brave with Sir Henry when they look for the convict. However, on multiple occasions he says that he wishes Holmes were there with him. This shows that he is not certain about what is going on and wants reassurance from Sherlock.
Sherlock believes that there is an explanation for everything and that there is no such thing as the supernatural. When Watson tells him of his findings, Sherlock says he has already figured that much out. He is able to detect small details and investigate things that Watson doesn’t even consider. He is able to eliminate the fear of the unknown by quickly solving the mystery. Because of this, he is a sense of security for Watson but at the same time, Sherlock also needs him to stay grounded.
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