Setting In The Poe's Use Of Suspense

“He sank trembling into a chair as the old woman, with burning eyes, walked to the window and raised the blinds…” (jaocbs). BAM! An extremely exiting and unexpected event occurs. This feeling of surprise and excitement is made when the author builds up suspense. Some literary techniques, such as imagery and setting, are used to build suspense. Imagery and setting can make the reader feel like they are actually present in the scene. Therefore, these two techniques are the best ways to build suspense in a book. However, one literary technique is not successful. Dialogue is completely unsuccessful in creating this feeling of surprise and excitement. The two most effective ways to convey suspense in a story are imagery and setting, and the most

Setting is the time, place and surroundings of a scene or book. However, to accurately show suspense through setting, the author must provide specific details and attributes of the scene. Without these crucial parts, it is very difficult to create good suspense without setting. Additionally, time is also very important in setting, because it helps the reader understand what time of the day it is, as well as the time period it was set in. Poe wants his readers to feel the situation the narrator is in, “I then took up three planks from the flooring of the chamber, and deposited all between the scantlings… when I had made an end of these laborers, it was 4 o’clock – still dark as midnight” by using descriptive words and an elaborate setting to simulate the narrators experience. Detailed words are also extremely important in creating this type of suspense, as well as the time of day. The time of day, in this case, describes that it is almost morning, which helps the reader understand the exact place and accurate times to feel like a part of the story. Setting also helps the reader create an image of the setting in the reader’s mind. Without setting, there would be no way to create suspense and no way to involve the reader. Descriptive words, as well as a detailed setting and time, all create an excellent way to show a cliffhanger. “On the morning after the death of the hound the fog had lifted and we were guided by Mrs. Stapleton to the point where they had found a pathway through the bog. It helped us to realize the horror of this woman’s life when we saw the eagerness and joy with which she laid us on her husband’s track. We left her standing upon the thin peninsula of firm, peaty soil which tapered out into the widespread bog. From the end of it a small wand planted here and there showed where the path zigzagged from tuft to tuft of rushes among those green- scummed pits and foul quagmires