A Comparison of Susan Hill's The Woman in Black and M.R. James' Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad
In Susan Hill's introduction to 'The Woman In Black' she mentions M.R.
James' short stories as some of the greatest ghost stories ever
written. Her appreciation of James' writing is one of the reasons for
the many similarities and differences between the two texts. Hill was
greatly inspired by the setting of 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You,
My Lad' and this results in her novel being a similar reading
experience to James' story. One of the most obvious influences on
Susan Hill's novel is the similarity between the title of M.R. James'
story and one of the chapters in 'The Woman In Black', titled 'Whistle
and I'll Come to You'.
There are also many differences in the writing style and technique
between the two texts; Susan Hill uses her own techniques for the
novel as well as using ideas from other writers. And although the two
texts are individual in their own right, the influence of 'Oh,
Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad' by M.R. James on Susan Hill's
'Woman In Black' is evident not just in the introduction to the novel,
but similarities linking the two are common throughout the text.
At the beginning of both texts we meet the first similarity between
the two, the setting. Both are set in unfamiliar or unknown places,
which is the first step to create a small sense of mystery in the
story. Moving away from the familiar adds effectiveness to the eerie
storylines, the less we know about something, the more scared we can
be by it. In 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad' the setting
of a seaside symbolises the edge...
... middle of paper ...
...ars many times throughout the text, sometimes
passively and sometimes aggressively.
M. R. James' 'Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad' and Susan
Hill's 'Woman In Black' share a lot of the same qualities, due to the
large amount of influence Hill took from the James short story. The
main characters have a lot in common and the setting of the two
stories is very similar. Conversely, there are lot of differences
between the two; M.R James chose to have a passive spectre while Susan
Hill's story contains a vengeful, dangerous ghost. On the whole, they
are two very effective ghost stories that employ several writing
techniques to add effectiveness to the plot.
Comparative [Social/Cultural/Historical]
M. R. James: Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You,
My Lad [1931]
Susan Hill: The Woman In Black [1983]
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Leonard, K. D. (2009). African American women poets and the power of the word. The Cambridge Companion to African American Women's Literature, 168-187.
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Bakerman, Jane S. “Toni Morrison.” American Women Writers. Taryn Benbow-Pfalzgrat. 2nd ed. Vol. 3. Detroit, MI: St. James Press, 2000.172-174.
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