11 12 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes novel, The Hound of the Baskervilles, follows consulting detectives Holmes and his trusty assistant Watson as they investigate the mysterious and untimely death of Sir Charles Baskerville. After the death of his ancestor, Hugo Baskerville, who died a gruesome death supposedly by a demonic hound for his cruelty towards a woman that ultimately killed her, the Baskerville family has been said to be cursed. Since then, descendants of Hugo have died in peculiar fashions. Charles himself was ruled to have died of a heart attack, however, paw prints of a hound were uncovered near the scene of the crime, alluding to potential foul play. Sir Henry, the heir to Charles’ estate, is feared to be the next victim. Involvement of the supernatural was widely speculated. By the end, Holmes and Watson uncovered that a man named Stapleton, who had a stake in the Baskerville fortune, was behind the murder of Charles and attempted to murder Henry (to no success) with his massive hound. The hound was of this earth but made to look deceivingly supernatural to terrorize the Baskervilles. Stapleton dies, the day is saved, and the Baskerville family curse is symbolically broken. The Hound of the Baskervilles is notable for its chilling gothic imagery and allusion to the metaphysical. From the horrific accounts of the legend of the bloodthirsty hound’s wrath to the descriptive atmosphere of the dark, mysterious moors, Doyle does not hesitate to visualize and fixate on the supernatural aura commonplace among gothic, late Victorian Era writers. Many of whom, perhaps none a more prolific advocate than Doyle himself, were influenced by a wave of Spiritualism that swept the world during the 19th and 20th centuries. Spiritualism is the belief that one can communicate with the dead, a realm disassociated from the physical state of existence. A contemporary inspection of the characterization of Sherlock Holmes may infer him as a secular, logical figure driven purely by evidence grounded within the material world, not the metaphysical. However, as originally conceived, that is not the case. From the Victorian lens of what is considered intellectual and scientific, Holmes, from the mind of an author engulfed in the heat of a modern and prevalent countercultural movement (Spiritualism), embodies such a logical archetype (Chatterjee 96). At the time, Spiritualism was seen as a future avenue for logical reasoning. Doyle, like the Holmes character, implemented deductive reasoning and skepticism in his heavy research throughout his life, which drew him to the conclusion that Spiritualism was viable and had the answers. Logic and science, in Doyle’s view, were not sacrificed in favor of blind faith. Doyle’s inferences were perceived as unconventional and prompted counterarguments from various scientists and writers. A notable critic, Joseph McCabe, unsatisfied with the evidence in favor of Spiritualism and deducing it as “fraud,” hosted a lecture specifically to counteract the points made by Doyle (McCabe 15). Another advocate against Doyle was his rival and former friend, famous illusionist Harry Houdini. According to The Sir Arthur Doyle Centre, Houdini believed that mediums, in any capacity, were all scams (“Birth of Post-Materialism”). There is no exception to the rules, which is where Doyle and Houdini fought each other over. However vocal his critics were that he abandoned his scientific rationalities, Doyle broke down his logic and turn towards Spiritualism during a lecture at Connaught Hall, Worthing. This lecture was presented on July 11, 1919, to a packed crowd. Doyle had long been acquainted with Spiritualism at this point and had just spoken at Eastbourne Town Hall about the matter two days prior (Doyle 13). Doyle was touring the globe, speaking firmly about his convictions. The perception of Doyle’s speech at Connaught Hall was met with applause, a reporter from Doncaster reporting, “He spoke with the fire of the prophet, with the eloquence of the visionary, with the masterful assurance of a man who has convinced himself late in life that his earlier attitude was mistaken” (Doyle 16). At the time of the lecture, Doyle was dealing with the recent deaths of his brother, Innis Doyle, and his son, Arthur Alleyne Kingsley Doyle. Despite the troubling circumstances, Doyle’s confident demeanor in his philosophy and detailed accounts from various mediums prevailed in winning over his audience. Doyle was not always a spiritualist. Doyle starts his sermon by addressing his childhood and medical student days. Prior to his spiritualist turn, Arthur Doyle was raised Roman Catholic. Witnessing the effects of Darwinism—taking note of Charles Darwin’s revolutionary findings on the topic of evolution—as well as observing the decline of Christianity unfold within Victorian society, Doyle would then reject the religion and identify himself as an agnostic materialist (Chatterjee 103). A mystical truth to any religion, or the existence of a spiritual reality, left him unmoved. All that mattered to him were the tangible pleasantries of the unmysARTHUR DOYLE: SPIRITUALISM AND DEDUCTIVE REASONING Joshua Lann English Writing Major Formal Essay
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