“From this point onwards I will follow the course of events by transcribing my own letters to Mr Sherlock Holmes which lie before me on the table. One page is missing, but otherwise they are exactly as written, and show my feelings and suspicions of the moment more accurately than my memory, clear as it is upon these tragic events, can possibly do.”
In this blog post I am going to relate the epistolary form of the latter part of the novel to our in-class discussion about Victorian Era anxieties about time. In addition, I am going to argue that the form speaks to the increasing amount of free time that the reading middle class gained during the Era.
In class on Wednesday we discussed the significance of the introduction of the moving picture to Victorian audiences, specifically in the form of the video showing the arrival of a train. Over the course of that discussion, we ended up talking about the conundrum this presented in the context of time: A singular and past event was able to be relived in the future an unlimited amount of times. I believe that the epistolary format is representative of the same development. Letters are fixed in time and are clearly dated, but much like a video, they present a clear perspective of the subject in current time. Watson’s letters thus serve as remnants of past events, yet at the same time they present an avenue to immortality for the persons involved. To tie this back into our introduction to Victorian culture that we received in the form of the handout, this matches the Victorian quest of leaving a lasting legacy.
Additionally, this form of storytelling could be seen as the product of its audience. The time period was marked by the expansion of labor laws and subsequent rise in leisure, which has we know radically increased literacy rates. By telling the story through letters, Doyle invites his readers to make their own attempt at solving the mystery as the clues unfold, far removed from Holmes ability to simply explain it away for the reader. By providing this degree of interactivity, I think it could be argued that Doyle was deftly expanding the popular appeal of his work while simultaneously filling a popular need.
In summary, I think this passage serves as a window into the Victorian psyche much like Lady Audley’s Secret, they merely illuminate different cultural anxieties. At the same time, I also think it serves as an enticing incentive for following along with the mystery.
I really enjoyed the transition into an epistolary styled narration. We had a great discussion in class today, but I wanted to touch more on the refinement of The Hound of the Baskervilles (Hound) as a departure from Lady Audley’s Secret (LAS). Both a related in the fact that they are sensationalized mystery novels. Hound is, however, more condensed and stylized. This condensation has more to do with changes in printing and literary trends. Both novels were published in magazines, but LAS would have more of a hold over its audience for a longer period of time. This shows that the style of Early Victorian serials is still fashionable in 1862 and that audiences are still captivated by longer novels. By 1901, this has changed as a more robust story is being detailed to an audience in only 150 pages. This is also the longest Sherlock Holmes story. Additionally, we are presented with a change in narrative style. Instead of an omniscient third person narrator, we have the plot told to us from Watson’s recollection and from his physical letters to Sherlock Holmes.
Furthermore, the investigation surrounding the mystery unfolds in a very different way. LAS indicts Lady Audley from the beginning, even before George disappears. Robert’s investigation merely consists of finding enough circumstantial evidence and some lucky direct evidence to prove his theory that Lady Audley is the source of all this trouble. From the beginning we are effectively jaundiced against Lady Audley. Although I enjoyed the novel, I do not think this makes from compelling mystery.
Hound on the other hands has a deeper investigatory element to it. Sir Charles is dead and there are plenty of suspects. The investigation, however, unfolds like Watson and Holmes’ discussion of the walking stick. There are plenty of reasons to believe that certain characters are guilty, but these theories fall apart as the plot thickens as is the case with the Barrymores. They raise enough suspicion through their actions and apparent stalking of Holmes, but they are ultimately guilty of another coinciding crime to directly related to the death of Sir Charles. Now that the Barrymores are no longer culprits in this mystery, I am even more invested in seeing how this novella plays out.