A detective story written by Conan Doyle Essay

Baskerville and his companions later on meet a friend, who tells the about a convicted murder called Seldon, escaping from prison and being loose upon the moor. Seldon is part of the atmosphere in Dartmoor. Seldon is described as being â€Å"fiendish† and having a heart full of â€Å"malignancy†, which links him to the Hound, a creature known to kill the Baskerville family. The hound is also loose in Dartmoor. The Hound and Seldon bring a menacing, and deadly atmosphere to Dartmoor. In the distance, clearly visible was a â€Å"mounted soldier† holding a â€Å"rifle†. The soldier is an example of the symbol used in the setting. Soldiers carrying rifles have connotations of dark, menace, and death. These descriptions together with the moor give a forbidding atmosphere, preparing readers for forthcoming, menacing events. Baskerville had travelled across Dartmoor, and now had an exterior view of Baskerville Hall. As he walked in he noticed the decaying gates made of granite. Granite has connotations of darkness, hard, and black, suggesting Baskerville has a dark decaying family. This is true, as he is the only Baskerville remaining. They later enter a tunnel, increasing the darkness of the atmosphere. â€Å"The house glimmered like a ghost†, suggests the supernatural, and death. This is symbolic for the death of those who lived in the house. The descriptive words â€Å"dark veil†, â€Å"dull light†, and â€Å"black granite† all indicate the darkness and gloominess of Baskerville Hall. This raises a sinister, forbidding, and menacing atmosphere. Baskerville adds to the frightening atmosphere by saying â€Å"its enough to scare off a man†. The walls of the rooms were made from age-blackened oak, which also suggests darkness, and adds to the menace of the atmosphere. Conan Doyle obviously intended the atmosphere of the book to be a menacing one, and he did an excellent job in my opinion. The excellent description of setting in his books is one of the reasons why his books are so popular.