Hound of the Baskervilles vs Pride and Prejudice

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The Hound of Baskervilles vs. Pride and Prejudice
The Hound of Baskervilles is a story about a hound used by Stapleton to murder the Baskerville lineage to inherit the family wealth. Mr. Frankland is a minor character in the story which helps in the investigation of the murders. Pride and Prejudice, on the other hand, is a romantic comedy that focuses on the portrayal of behaviors, education, marriage, and money. Lady Catherine de Bourgh is a character from a noble family and has some impact on the story. This paper discusses the various roles of Mr. Frankland and Lady Catherine de Bourgh in either story.
According to Doyle (38), Mr. Frankland of The Hound of Baskervilles has two hobbies, arguing because he is obsessed with lawsuits and studying stars. He used his telescope to watch the moor and try to find Selden, an escaped prisoner. He disowns his daughter Laura Lyons (the mysterious L.L. associated with the death of Sir Charles) for marrying a destitute painter. He gives her some money, but most of the funds she uses for starting up her typewriting business comes from Sir Charles Baskerville, Dr. Mortimer, and the evil Stapleton who she might not have become tangled with if Mr. Frankland would have been a good father (Doyle 47). The second contribution he makes to the plot is by the use of his telescope. First, he learns that the killer Selden has fled from jail. He also notices a boy taking food to another man living in the moors who happens to be Sherlock Holmes.

Mr. Frankland is litigious. He also the comic relief in the story since he is an unprofessional stargazer who uses a telescope to observe a man living in the moor.
On the other hand, In Pride and Prejudice Lady Catherine de Bourgh is portrayed as arrogant. She thinks she can tell anyone around her what and what not to do. This is seen when she goes to visit Elizabeth to tell her not to get married to Mr. Darcy. She is driven by her superiority complex and cannot admit to her herself that a match between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy is possible even after intimidating her. According to Austen (230), she refers to it as ‘scandalous falsehood.’
Moreover, Lady Catherine is a hilarious character. Her opinion of herself despite lack of any tangible accomplishments is awe-inspiring. She says “There are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself or a better natural taste. If I ever learned, I should have been a great proficient” (Austen 115).
Mr. Frankland and Lady Catherine de Bourgh share some characters. For instance, they are both hypergamous. Mr. Frankland disowns her daughter for marrying a penniless artist. Lady Catherine, on the other hand, is bent on getting her daughter married to the wealthy Mr. Darcy and even goes as far as warning Elizabeth not to marry Mr. Darcy. Furthermore, they are both a comic relief to either book. Mr. Frankland is an unprofessional astronomer who spies the moors using his telescope while Lady Catherine thinks she has very great taste in music. In as much the characters share common traits, they also differ in some aspects. For instance, Mr. Frankland is reserved as he keeps to himself at his place and studies stars and observes the moor using his telescope. Lady Catherine, on the other hand, is loquacious. This is seen by her love for talking and need to solve people’s problems. According to Austen (400), she raided into the community to quiet the grievances of the poor and reproach them into accord and amply every time any of the cottagers were disposed to be irritable or displeased.
In conclusion, it is evident that both individuals had some impact on the storyline in both books. They share in some characters like hypergamy since both of them want to marry off their children to rich people. They are also the comic relief of the books. However, they also differ in some traits. For instance, Mr. Frankland is reserved while Lady Catherine is loquacious. They were both used for specific functions in the books. Mr. Frankland was used to portraying the effects of poor fatherhood on the choice of spouse for their kids. His daughter ends up becoming involved with a criminal. Lady Catherine is used to bringing out the difference between money and power. It is often confused that money brings power and influence. However, this in not true in all cases for with all that money, Lady Catherine was still unable to get her daughter married to Mr. Darcy.

Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice (International Student Edition) (Norton Critical Editions). WW Norton & Company, (2016): 100-400.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. The Hound of the Baskervilles. Oxford Paperbacks, (2008): 1-98.