Mrs. McConkey
ENG3UE
5 December 2011
Doyle’s Work on the Grand Scheme
As more novels are written and published every year, we will never know which will decay and which will fossilize. Novels that fossilize are the ones that will continue to inspire and educate worldwide, no matter the language, place, or time. These novels are considered the classics and they all have two characteristics in common; they must pass the test of time and they must express a universal theme or idea. This is why novels such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles have become classics and why the Captain Underpants series will not. Classics, (as stated earlier) can inspire and form basis for new content (which further proves the timelessness of a classic) because of a classic’s universal nature as seen in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work.
Doyle is a undisputable pioneer of the mystery genre. He paved way for the mystery genre with logic and science that continues to be a popular genre and topic for novels and media. These new approaches to writing brought new light to a genre that "always seemed to get his results either by some sort of lucky chance or fluke" (as said by Doyle himself) which essentially changed the paradigm in which people solve mysteries, puzzles, and even the physical world itself (Movietone News 1928). This brings the question of, is Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles a classic? A definite yes and there are three overwhelming supports as to why. Firstly, it has changed the paradigm in which the world can be viewed, secondly, The Hound of the Baskervilles has inspired and formed basis for other works, and thirdly, its relevance to the evolving world is inescapable.
All classic novels must endure the test of time to be considered a classic, but it is the way they survive the test of time that holds significance. One of the Doyle’s most notable abilities is to keep his characters all within the realm of reality. Characters who go beyond nature and reality become mythical and unrelatable (because of inhuman attributes) and Doyle was able to put Holmes right on the line. Holmes is in no way a supernatural being, although he is near it. Doyle’s creation of Holme’s is innovative in the way that he is a graspable character that can do extraordinary actions without sacrificing the excitement a story such as Merlin the magician may have had casting spells. For example Holmes is able to deduct “[the dog] has been in the habit of carrying this stick behind his master. Being a heavy stick the dog has held it tightly by the middle, and the marks of his teeth are very plainly visible” (Doyle 14). This example is a clear of example of Doyle’s ability to construct exiting characters within the realm of reality which is revolutionary since (as stated earlier) preceding stories usually contained strong supernatural elements. Along with Doyle’s creation of Holmes comes many interesting ideas and themes…
The Hound of the Baskervilles has most certainly influenced the way people see the world. Before the work of Doyle, stories "always seemed to get his results either by some sort of lucky chance or fluke" which would be considered illogical in current times. Creation myths such as the creation myth of the Iroquois on how the soil of earth is a turtles back (Canada's First Nations 2011). Of course in modern day, this story is difficult to believe because there is no evidence to support their claim, and this is the key to Doyle’s publishing’s. In the 1800’s (Doyle’s era) was an explosion in the advancement of sciences and technology. Along with this major advancement came a new paradigm; doubt. For example, scientist cannot jump from hypothesis to conclusion without conducting an experiment, similarly to the investigative process Holmes’ takes in Doyle’s works. This paradigm changing theme of doubt apparent in all of Doyle’s work demonstrates the power and the everlasting effects on the reader. As said in reading response #2 “at this time, people would have been highly dedicated to religion but what Doyle indirectly teaches his readers is that you should not believe something simply because someone exclaimed it”, which further solidifies how Doyle has induced a paradigm change in essentially the world. Again, this universal idea and theme is a trait of a classic novel that allows it to be relevant to any generation in the future.
Decades after Doyle wrote his first story on Holmes’, novels and media continue to be published and released that have the same basis (deductive, scientific approach to solving mysteries as mentioned in reading response #2) as Doyle’s works. An example of a novel that has this same structure is D.J. MacHale’s Pendragon which is not a mystery novel; it still forms an identical basis to Doyle’s work. For example, in Pendragon, the protagonist is transported from “earth” into a different world called “Denduron”, but he ceases to believe anything until “Uncle Press” can prove that he is in “Denduron” (MacHale 88). As seen here, characters in modern novels such as Pendragon have become less gullible and more doubtful. Another modern example of how Doyle has set a standard basis for media is the television show House. As said in reading response #2, “.House [has] the same inductive reasoning and scientific methods as Doyle had in his writing”, such as when House, a doctor, (the protagonist in the television series) runs test to confirm his diagnosis just as Holmes would test his theories by going out onto the field and experimenting himself (e.g. "the thick iron ferrule is worn down” is the claim said by Watson, and evidence is acquired when the owner of the ferrule appears at their apartment) (refer to reading response #2 for more insight) (Doyle 10). These similar structures and themes that are continuing to be used in new forms of media and novels proves the impact of Doyle’s work, thus giving his work a classic status.
In brief, Doyle’s Hound of the Baskervilles as well as his other marvelous works are classics. Its central ideas and themes continue to reappear in modern media as seen in House 109 years after it was published. The paradigm altering themes and ideas such as "...when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth” will become an immortal steeple to logic, science, and mystery for the future generations to come.
