The Red Room and The Signalman
The 19th century horror stories, The Red Room by H. G. Wells and The
Signalman by Charles Dickens, are both written in the traditional
gothic horror setting with the almost predictable storylines. The Red
Room by H. G. Wells is not an irregularity in the masses of 19th
century horror tales but is slightly different as it tells of a
visitor to long forgotten castle which is purportedly inhabited by a
ghostly force in this one room. It is different to many others as it
is just a ghostly force not a spectre. The Signalman however, is an
account of one mans encounters with a railway signalman and the
signalman's alleged encounters with auguring phantoms warning of the
perils that lay ahead for the railway worker. The suspense in both is
used to accentuate the series of events leading up to the conclusions
of the stories.
The gothic horror genre was, as aforementioned, widely used in novels
which had predominated in the last two thirds of the 18th century and
continued into the 19th. The authors of these two short stories, The
Signalman published in 1866 and The Red Room in 1896, were probably
inspired to write such themed works by literary greats of the early 19th
century like Mary Shelley and to a lesser extent Edgar Allen Poe. In
turn these stories may have inspired authors later in the century such
as Robert Louis Stevenson who gave us The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll
and Mr. Hyde or Bram Stoker and Dracula. A key variance in the two
novels is that The Signalman dates itself through the railway train
theme but The Red Room tells us only of the location not of the time
so maintains an air of mystique ...
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...haunt
poor mortal man, and that is in all its nakedness - Fear!"
These two 19th century gothic horror stories both revolve around the
appearance ghosts but the building of suspense is done in two very
different ways. The Signalman uses visions and foreshadowing to lead
the reader into the conclusion before surprising and releasing the
tension in the signalman's death. The Red Room, however, builds up
suspense by directing us to a meeting between the supernatural and the
narrator, but then this never happens creating a definite anti-climax
for the modern reader. The suspense is rebuilt by the slow
extinguishing of the candles until it culminates with the passing out
of the narrator. Both have unique ways of interesting the reader and
fulfilling their purpose as a horror story and this is how they are so
effective.
is when one is afraid to face up to their phobia. HG Wells wrote the
by Wells at the end of The Red Room are very successful as they create
The Red Room is about a young man who visits a castle and feels he
The Red Room is based on a gothic horror story. This type of fiction existed in the late 18th and 19th centaury, gothic stories are mainly based inside big, dark, ruined castles or abbeys and featured mystery and horror, it would also feature ghost haunted rooms, secret stairways and underground passages which would create tense and drama. The Red Room has many gothic aspects such as a dark room in which weird, scary
How does the writer create tension and suspense in The Red Room? The writer is able to create tension and suspense through various ways in the short story ‘The Red Room’. The opening sentence in the story immediately mentions the supernatural, which immediately tells us that this is a gothic story. The first sentence is dialogue, but we do not know who is speaking.
A Comparison of A Vendetta by Guy de Maupassant and The Red Room by H.G. Wells I am aiming to look at the differences and similarities of two
The Red Room is about a man who is staying at an old house with a
both set in the same type of time frame, this being during the day and
Vinci’s Mona Lisa painting which was stolen from the Louvre museum by Vincenzo Perrugia in 1911. The highly publicized theft and consequent return of the artwork catapulted it world fame and wide recognition. Therefore, the mystery sustains ongoing search and fame of the Amber Room. The ongoing search benefits Russians as it keeps the mystery alive and still points to the unfair looting and numerous losses inflicted by the Germans to the Russian cultural heritage.
Creating Tension throughout Red Room by Nicci French This gothic story is about an arrogant man who has heard of the “Red Room” and believes he is above the caretakers. He makes his way through the house, commenting on his surroundings. When he arrives at the room he is less confident than he was before. He sits waiting with his revolver at the ready, expecting something solid to attack him. When the candles start to extinguish, he is suddenly unnerved.
Traditional ghost stories are usually set in a gloomy old castle with a haunted room. There may also be an element of darkness in the castle. These features are common in most pre 20th Century gothic literature. It is ironic that the story is titled ‘The Red Room’ when there is mainly an element of darkness in the room. Wells may have used the title ‘The Red Room’ to create an image of blood.
I am writing an essay, based on the story ‘The Red Room’, and will try
"I can assure you, said I, 'that it will take a very tangible ghost to
In its context, 'The Red Room' is a ghost story reminiscent of Gothic novels; in which the author has effectively used tension and suspense to sustain an audience. I think that in the time it was written, it would have been seen by Victorians as an entertaining short story that was much in line with many other Victorian ghost stories of the time.
Analysis of The Man with the Twisted Lip, The Adventure of the Speckled Band, and The Red Room