We watched a Christopher Frayling Documentary on The Hound of the Baskervilles in class today. I thought it was fascinating that Doyle based his Hounds novel on several legends and even a story in Strand's Magazine. I liked hearing about all the families like the Baskervilles with their speared hound and the Vaughans with their boarhounds, and their different yet similar legends. I especially liked hearing about Richard Cabell, the supposed vampire/ giant creature and the legend of his tomb.
While I like the essence of a giant hound in the story, a giant snake, like the one in Harry Potter, would have been equally terrifying. They could have had the snake's eyes glowing in the fog and the characters could have heard hissing noises coming from the moors.
Doyle has a pretty interesting back story as an author. Frayling describes Doyle as a doctor who became a writer and was fascinated with the spirit world, and like Holmes, was romantic yet rational. I also was intrigued in learning Doyle didn't love writing stories about Holmes, his most famous and popular character. I wonder if it is because Holmes reminds him on himself too much and Doyle wanted to live through other people.
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