Both Charles Dickens (1866), the author of “The Signalman”, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1918) of “How It Happened” explore the theme of the supernatural to create suspense. The central theme of the supernatural is commonly associated with feelings of fear and horror; these feelings are appropriate for creating suspense, thus effectively driving the reader into a panicked state of mind. Not only is the theme of the supernatural used to create suspense, but the authors also use it to explore issues concerning life and death. This is particularly effective regarding the fact that both stories were written in the age of scientific breakthrough and technology, which were the vindication of all unexplained deaths occurring then, again creating suspense.
Suspense is created in the titles of both the stories. The “It” in “How It Happened” immediately intrigues the reader, instantly causing the reader to wonder what the “It” is, and what exactly happens to the “It”. Moreover the use of the word “It” gives the title a subtly eerie feeling, arousing excited expectations and uncertain outcomes about what may happen, as a result starting the story with suspenseful questions. “The Signalman” is a much more straightforward title, for it plainly indicates that this “Signalman” is obviously the central focus of the story. However, even though railway lines were, at that time, the latest breakthrough in modern technology and convenience, it was also the centre of a large majority of unexplained deaths, hence being one of the most appropriate but the least conventional settings for a ghost story. Likewise, the Signalman himself was not the most conventional character either, accordingly arousing the reader’s interest in the occurrence of...
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...hen sun, but this time it is later, closer to the middle of the night. The night is a portent of some momentous or calamitous situation occurring - the accident, and the timing is perfect for the paranormal to take place.
The main methods used to create suspense in both the stories involve the use of supernatural phenomena’s. The creating of suspense in both the stories start from the beginning, the titles. As the stories progress the use of first person narrative help the authors expand the amounts of suspense created throughout the stories. The settings of both the stories play a significant part in the building up of suspense. Both the authors, Charles Dickens and Conan Doyle, are famous authors who have written many books with great quantities of suspense, they know what they are doing and they have done it well, especially well in these short stories.
One quality a story needs to possess in order to keep the reader eager and captivated to read is suspense. Both stories have elements of suspense, but utilize it in different ways. “The Wreck of the Hesperus” does an excellent job of foreshadowing, so one can predict the sequence of events that will happen.
One night he is greeted by three police officers that drive off with him thinking that they were going to take him home. In reality they are taking him to a place that sounds like they are going to go and study on him. I would like to know, why would the police officers take him to a place that they would like to research on him? I would also like to know, why does the man walk at midnight? The way that this author bring suspense to the story is that he makes the police car talk by not making the police officer come out of the car and not reveal his face to the old man. Also it brings suspense to the story that you don’t know what is going to happen to the man because you don’t even know where they are taking him.
To achieve this the stories keep building up suspense and thrill till they get to the climax of the story. At the start of t, a mystery or detective book the author usually tells the reader the problem or mystery. Like something was stolen or someone was killed, to peak the reader’s attention. Then they start to build up the story by introducing the clues to try to solve the mystery. An example of this is “Chee’s Witch” by Tony Hillerman. In this story Chee, the detective has to investigate the recent deaths that have been going on in the town. At the start of the story Hillerman only starts off with “Corporal Jimmy Chee of the Navjo Tribal Police” (412). Hillerman only starts off with small facts in this case introducing Chee. Laster on in the story is when he starts to build up the suspense. “He is the only one they think is the witch” (Hillerman 416). Hillerman then puts clues to help the reader get an idea of what is going
When the protagonist states, “mournful influence of the unperceived shadow,” it further describes the protagonists feelings on the Old man and suspense is created on whether the protagonist will really kill the Old Man. Secondly, punctuation is used to further build up suspense in “Tell-tale Heart.” As the protagonist is in the Old Man’s room he says, “I resolved to open a little a very, very little crevice in the lantern… -- you cannot imagine how stealthily, stealthily – until at length a simple dim ray… fell upon the vulture eye” (Poe 2). The commas and dashes used in the text break up the train of thought at the perfect time to add suspense. Dashes are able to separate every little detail that could further instill suspense; commas are able to separate adjectives to add repetition which in turn also further instills suspense. Thirdly, the tone set by Edgar Allen Poe in “Tell-tale Heart” is paranoid and guilty, these factors into the protagonists thoughts and leaves him in suspense. While the police are chatting in the protagonists home, right above the Old Man’s remains, the protagonist thought, “They
Through the use of suspense, authors can truly draw the reader into the story. Suspense in the case of gives the reader the sense of apprehension about was is going to happen next and anticipation. Two stories where suspense is depicted is Roald Dahl’s short story, “The Landlady” and Edgar Allan Poe’s story, “The Tell Tale Heart”. Roald Dahl’s short story, “The Landlady,” is about a young man, Billy Weaver who wants to find somewhere to stay for a night for cheap, since he is traveling for business. However, when he comes across a cheap bed and breakfast, the Landlady there, ends up acting very strange and Billy only uncovers some of her secrets, before it is too late for him to escape. In Edgar Allan Poe’s story, “The Tell Tale Heart,” is about someone, the narrator, who finds an old man’s eye immensely disturbing. After of seven nights of attempting murderer, on the eighth night, not only does the
Through Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart” the readers are able to understand the process and thought behind the narrator motives in wanting to murder the old man. Poe incorporates numerous language devices to terrify the readers of ‘what is out there’ by portraying the narrator being terribly anxious and overwhelmed which symbolises many individuals that live in today’s society. This therefore provides the readers with a sense of fear within them as they may question whom they can trust as any individual can contain the urge to commit murder when placed under pressure or faces with a fear.
Everyone at one point has been captivated and intrigued by the plot of a movie or a book. This captivation is generated by the one tool that authors and directors love the most, suspense. Authors want their audience and readers of their writing to be enthralled by creating tension and thrill in their plot. The usage of style, characterization, point of view, and foreshadowing allows authors and directors to create suspense in their work. Suspense is a very difficult approach to master but with the correct tools it can be as simple as a walk through the park.
Suspense is a key factor to the story, “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe. According to the Oxford Dictionary, suspense is the state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen. Poe uses the senses to bring the reader aware of the building suspense. He does this by telling the reader about the ominous setting of all the chambers, especially the seventh chamber. The sound of the grandfather clock, sending sinister shivers throughout the party goers each hour, keeps them on their toes. Finally, the fast-paced chase of the intruder and the Prince build to the suspense at the final moments of the story.
Frankenstein is the story of an eccentric scientist whose masterful creation, a monster composed of sown together appendages of dead bodies, escapes and is now loose in the country. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly’s diction enhances fear-provoking imagery in order to induce apprehension and suspense on the reader. Throughout this horrifying account, the reader is almost ‘told’ how to feel – generally a feeling of uneasiness or fright. The author’s diction makes the images throughout the story more vivid and dramatic, so dramatic that it can almost make you shudder.
In conclusion, Richard Matheson’s stories are unfortunately correct of how society works. Even though “Button Button”, “Nick of Time”, and “No Such Thing as a Vampire” may seem like horror stories with no meaning, they contain many hidden messages.
Death is a part of life that cannot be avoided. Everyone who treads through the stages of life, at one point, must realize there is no victory in running away from death. There is no hiding from death or fearing it. It will catch you in the end. There is also the fact that time stands still for no one. Life ticks away like the hands on a clock. Edgar Allan Poe, an innovative and ingenious thinker, was one of the greatest masters of suspense and horror in the Gothic literature movement. In his short story, “The Masque of the Read Death”, Poe’s use of setting, theme, and characterization present a gruesome tale that is characteristically Gothic Romantic.
Suspense is the feeling of uncertainty or excitement, in waiting for an outcome or decision. Edgar Allan Poe uses suspense in his story “Masque of the Red Death” by using objects and great descriptive detail. Poe’s story is about a prince that tries to escape from the inevitable. He tries to lock himself away from the ‘red death’ and has a masquerade ball that doesn’t end happily. Prince and all of his guests die inside or around the seventh apartment room. The seventh room is preceded by six colored rooms which are meant to symbolize either the stages of life, or the seven sins. Inside the last room there are black velvet tapestries that hang all over the ceiling and down the walls. The window panes are a deep blood red color which gives the room an unwelcoming atmosphere. On the western wall, there is a gigantic clock of a deep black wood. Inside it has a pendulum that swings back and forth with a dull monotonous clang. When the minute hand marks a new hour, there is a clear, loud, deep sound, which can be heard from far away. Although it can give off an eerie feeling, the great eb...
In this essay, I will compare and analyse how Sir Arthur Conan Doyle creates mystery and suspense in three short stories. In retrospect, mystery and suspense go together. If one of the two is present in a story, so is another. Both of these elements are evident in the three short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I intend to go into the intriguing world of this master of mystery and explore the methods used by the writer. I aim to analyze the stories and highlight common traits in the way in which he creates mystery and suspense. In order to fully grasp the essence of the stories, we must first know some background information about the writer and the period in which the characters involved in the stories lived.
In ‘The Phantom Coach’ Amelia Edwards has deliberately wanted to make the reader think about what is coming ahead while reading the story. The writer has used a sense of mystery and dread and has created a narrative that adheres to the Gothic genre to a large extent. One example of Typical Gothic convention which is used by the author is ‘I tell it now with a reluctance which I find it difficult to overcome” this shows that a feeling of tension and anxiety that is making it hard to tell the story to the reader as it is bringing back bad memories from the past. Another example that is showing a sense of mystery and dread is shown when it states ‘They happened to myself, and my recollection of them is as vivid as if they had taken place only
The suspense is created by the different characters and many mysterious setting. In this story suspense is presented in a way to keep the reader engaged in the story. The main suspense begins with Helen Stoner telling her story to Sherlock Holmes. Helen told Holmes about the mysterious and strange events that occurred. The events such as, whistling in the middle of the night, as well as her sister’s mysterious death. Doyle describing the dark bedroom that Watson spend the night in, made the reader feel the suspense as if they were in the same room. He uses descriptions such as “...This is very interesting. You can see now that it is fastened to a hook just above where the little opening for the ventilator is” as well as “Holmes as we sat together in the gathering darkness” (Conan Doyle) made the reader more engaged into the story. Foreshadowing is also created in the story to give clues that suggest events that will occur later in the story. Foreshadowing is seemed to be seen when the pole rope was connected to a ventilator and the ventilator went to the next room. The poisonous snake was the weapon used to kill the daughter, by traveling through the