How does Sir Conan Doyle create suspense in Chapter 12 of The Hound of the Baskervilles?
In The Hound of the Baskervilles, Chapter 12 is the chapter in which Holmes and Watson discover the murderer responsible for the deaths of each of the Baskervilles. Sir Conan Doyle uses a variety of techniques, carefully manipulating the structure, characters and setting to generate a feeling of suspense for the reader. In this essay, I will further elaborate on each of these techniques and give examples of where and how he creates suspense. There are a variety of structure characteristics that encourage suspense, including plot twists, rising/falling tension, change of pace, cliffhangers, resolutions and clues. Chapter 11 ends as a cliffhanger, leaving us to anticipate whom the Watson’s mysterious visitor is. Chapter 12 opens with a release of tension as we find out.
