The Hound of the Baskervilles

Many people enjoy mysteries and detective fiction because they enjoy puzzles; others enjoy them because they are interested in the quest for justice. Which type of mystery reader do you think The Hound of the Baskervilles is designed to appeal to?

• Which characters in the story are motivated by the intellectual puzzle and which are motivated by an interest in justice? 
• Does the story’s structure and resolution appeal more to the idea of justice or puzzle-solving?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt requires students to consider the impact of both plot and characterization on the reader. Students may want to simply answer that both types of readers will enjoy the story; you might challenge them to assign a percentage--does the novel appeal equally to both types of readers or more to one than the other? What evidence from the text are they relying on?

Differentiation Suggestion: Students with less developed theories of mind may struggle to understand how the book’s plot and characterizations might impact people other than themselves. Literal thinkers may not see the connection between these details and reader reactions at all. Before asking students to complete the prompt, you might lead them through the creation of a t-chart in which they must place various details about the book’s action and characters into either the “puzzle” or “justice” category.