The Hound of the Baskervilles
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Hound of the Baskervilles: Tone 1 key example

Definition of Tone

The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on. For instance... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical... read full definition
The tone of a piece of writing is its general character or attitude, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical... read full definition
Chapter 7
Explanation and Analysis:

Overall, The Hound of the Baskervilles’s tone is both observational and emotional. The story itself is narrated by Dr. John Watson, Sherlock Holmes’s friend and assistant. As a narrator, Watson pays great attention to detail, yet at the same time, his point of view tends to be more emotional than rational. This tone is exemplified in Chapter 7 when Watson reflects on his time at Baskerville Hall: 

The melancholy of the moor, the death of the unfortunate pony, the weird sound which had been associated with the grim legend of the Baskervilles – all these things tinged my thoughts with sadness. Then on the top of these more or less vague impressions there had come the definite and distinct warning of Miss Stapleton, delivered with such intense earnestness that I could not doubt that some grave and deep reason lay behind it.

Chapter 11
Explanation and Analysis:

Overall, The Hound of the Baskervilles’s tone is both observational and emotional. The story itself is narrated by Dr. John Watson, Sherlock Holmes’s friend and assistant. As a narrator, Watson pays great attention to detail, yet at the same time, his point of view tends to be more emotional than rational. This tone is exemplified in Chapter 7 when Watson reflects on his time at Baskerville Hall: 

The melancholy of the moor, the death of the unfortunate pony, the weird sound which had been associated with the grim legend of the Baskervilles – all these things tinged my thoughts with sadness. Then on the top of these more or less vague impressions there had come the definite and distinct warning of Miss Stapleton, delivered with such intense earnestness that I could not doubt that some grave and deep reason lay behind it.

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