Published in 1901-1902, The Hound of the Baskervilles falls into the Late Victorian/Edwardian period of literature. It is also considered a classic in the genre of detective/crime fiction and even inspired early films. Detective fiction initially emerged after the creation of detective agencies, allowing readers a glimpse into both the lurid fascination of crime and the absorbing puzzle of crime-solving.
Although The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is probably the most famous early example of detective fiction, it was by no means the first. The brilliant Inspector Bucket in Charles Dickens’ Bleak House was a precursor to Holmes, as was the popular detective C. August Dupin of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories. In Holmes, Doyle introduced the idea of the “mastermind detective,” a scientifically-minded expert who goes head-to-head with expert criminals. This scientific emphasis is no accident, as the late Victorian/early Edwardian period celebrated scientific advances and was generally optimistic about science's capacity to solve human problems and overcome human suffering.
The Adventures were also originally published in serial form, meaning they were released chapter by chapter. Readers would have to await each issue in order to find out what happened next—a publishing strategy that fit with the detective genre's characteristic suspense.
