Points of View

All the Sherlock Holmes novels and stories are written in the first person from Dr. Watson's point of view, with one exception. In that one story Holmes attempts to write it himself, and most lovers of the Holmes series think that the story is a failure. Watson is the point of view of an ordinary but decent person, who is completely loyal to his extraordinary friend. He tells the story as he himself sees it, explaining clues that he did not catch but that Holmes uses to solve the mystery.

In The Hound of the Baskervilles, there are three chapters written from the point of view of a report by Watson to Holmes about the goings-on at Baskerville Hall. Watson uses phrases like, "this is probably uninteresting to a practical mind like yours." The other chapter is written as an excerpt from Watson's personal journal. By...