This essay will consider four of this type of story, by...

This essay will consider four of this type of story, by short story writers of the period; Dickens’ The Signal Man, The Monkeys Paw’ by W W Jacobs, H G Wells The Red Room and The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins. LOOKING AT THE ATTUTUDES OF THE PERIOD, EXAMINE HOW A RANGE OF 19TH CENTURY WRITERS CREATE MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE IN THEIR SHORT SHORIES The rise in popularity of magazines in Victorian times and the era’s fascination in the unknown and supernatural led to immense interest in the short story genre. The key to the success of short stories is holding the reader’s attention by the use of interesting and meaningful subject matter, by using a condensed style of writing in order to maintain suspense and intrigue. The†¦show more content†¦A further technique was to contrast a mundane or particularly modern setting with extraordinary and supernatural events. Collins sets ‘The Dream Woman’ in a village, whereas Dickens’ location for ‘The Signal Man’ is an, at the time, noticeably technologically advanced area, due to the railway track. With industrialisation, most people were living in large cities, so remote rural areas had become romanticised and Jacob’s ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ is such a locale. Mystery and suspense is created by drawing on elements of the location and using pathetic fallacy, the use of the weather to describe the atmosphere, as in Jacob’s ‘The Monkey’s Paw’. When describing the surroundings Jacobs writes, ‘Without, the night was cold and wet’. This use of pathetic fallacy evokes a feeling of impending danger and creates a classic horror atmosphere suggesting darkness and evil. One more quote from ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ is ‘That’s the worst of living so far out’, informing the reader that the location of the story is away from civilisation and isolated. Using a deserted and out of the way setting is a typical way of creating suspense. The location of the signalman’s hut in ‘Dickens’ ‘The Signalman’ was secluded and unwelcoming, Dickens writes ‘his post was in a solitary and dismal a place as ever I saw’. This arouses feelings of loneliness, and isolation which helps to create a tense atmosphere, we could also assumeShow MoreRelatedAspects of Postmodernism in Happy Endings and Videotape1523 Words   |  7 Pagestechniques and assumptions of modern literature. A lot of aspects and characteristics of this relatively new current are well exposed in short stories such as Happy Endings by Margaret Atwood (Atwood) and Videotape by Don Delillo (Delillo). In this essay, we will first look at some basic elements of postmodernism and then we will closely examine the ways each of those two short stories exemplifies this type of fiction. Let us start with the examination of some features of postmodernism. To beginRead More Archetype Myths in Turn of the Screw Essay1119 Words   |  5 Pagesthat characterizes the story. They claim that leading to her demise are certain character flaws, such as envy and pride. In categorizing her character as such, this novella resonates several themes found throughout literature. In Northrop Frye’s essay The Archetypes of Literature, Frye suggests that there appears to be a relatively restricted and simple group of formulas in literature. These formulas or converging patterns seem to correlate with the natural cycle. Frye considers criticism that searchesRead More Consider Why Visions of the Future are Common in Literature. Make1565 Words   |  7 PagesConsider Why Visions of the Future are Common in Literature. Make Specific Reference to The Chrysalids and at Least One Other Text. In this essay I will try to explain why visions of the future are so common in literature. To do this I will make reference to The Chrysalids by John Wyndham, Brother In the Land by Robert Swindell, Z for Zachariah by Robert C. OBrien and also a television series called Futurama, created by Matt Groening. This essay consists of three main parts: anRead MoreBUS 303: A Persuasive and Descriptive Essay on Traffic on Freeway1838 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Persuasive and Descriptive Essay The loud screech of brakes and chaos of cars madly attempting to avoid hitting each other froze the rush hour traffic to a standstill in pure fear. You could literally smell the burned rubber, fuel and fear in the hot afternoon sun. In an instant of extreme paranoia all the drivers on the freeway stopped and looked to see what had nearly caused at least four cars to go hurtling into each other. In the fast lane sat a young man chatting on his cell phone andRead MoreJohn Cheevers Personal Connection to The Swimmer1483 Words   |  6 Pageswhich expression and form are characteristics or features of the writing. It can come in the form of poetry, novels, biographies, or essays. There are a couple of main reasons people usually read literature. People usually read for an escape from life, to learn something new, to confront human experience, or simply for pleasure. One of the more popular of those four is to confront human experience. They use what the author writes down and apply it to their daily life. Authors sometimes do that tooRead MoreAnalysis Of Fences By August Wilson1179 Words   |  5 PagesFences, August Wilson The close reading process for this play occurs in three stages: 1. First Read (Days 2 and Day 3): Students are not to cold read the play during this period. It is essential for their understanding that this first read comes from a fluent adult reader or (less ideally) from a recording of the play. Teachers should pre-select moments of tension or surprise when students should stop and jot their thoughts, ideas and questions about the text. The suggested cues for the openRead MoreHow to Read Faster: Bill Cosby’s Three Proven Strategies1002 Words   |  5 Pageseffective reading, including a PBS series on reading skills. In an essay unambiguously titled  Ã¢â‚¬Å"How to Read Faster,†Ã‚  published in the same wonderful 1985 anthology  How to Use the Power of the Printed Word  (UK;  public library) that gave us  Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 timeless rules of writing, Cosby offers his three proven strategies for reading faster. Apart from their evergreen application to the printed word, it’s particularly interesting to consider how these rules might translate to the digital screen, whereRead MoreWe Have No Right For Happiness1167 Words   |  5 PagesHappiness In C.S Lewis essay, â€Å" We Have No Right To Happiness, he argues that we the people within the world don’t have the right to happiness. In my right being who can accuse such a thing. Everyone has the right to be happy in my opinion. Perhaps look for instance even our Declaration of Independence says â€Å" We have the right to pursue happiness.† I find it somewhat fascinated and yet nothing has changed in our culture since such as author C.S Lewis has wrote this short essay. I truly believe thatRead MoreEssay on H.G. Wells: The Odd man Who Shaped a Genre1181 Words   |  5 Pagesplots and relatable language aside, he was also what one might consider a normal man. Despite his being repulsed by monogamy, he wasn’t afraid to speak his mind and indulge in worldly pleasures (British Writers, Vol. 6, 227). Born Herbert George Wells on Saturday, 21 September 1866 in Bromley, Kent, England, H.G. Wells was the third son of poor protestant shopkeepers Sarah and Joseph Wells (British Writers, Vol. 6, 225). After a short, but not intellectually uninvolved childhood, Wells was sent toRead MoreAnalysis of the Article Who Shall I Be?1631 Words   |  7 Pages An essay by Jennifer Crichton (1996) revolves around the idea that one cannot change although hiding what they were in the past or hiding what they dont like about themselves works. A student remains in a transition mode going through various good or bad experiences looking for that attractive clean slate. The life of high school is difficult as students tend to label other students and these labels may not represent the truth. There is a crisis of identity and time at college adds to this disorientation