19th Century Horror Stories Essay

In this essay we depart look at the Characteristics of 19th cytosine iniquity Stories, commenting on the structure of the trading floor the characterisation the themes included in the spirit level the setting and the writers technique.I will be spirit into both texts in detail The shrink froms Paw by William Wymark Jacobs and The Signalman by Charles Dickens, whilst making references to professional Rogers as well as by William Wymark Jacobs, and The Engineers switch by Sherlock Holmes.During the Victorian item, the industrial revolution was in full flow, and the gothic styles of writing use in the stories of this period were exceedingly popular featuring in more magazines of the time. Horror stories became almost an obsession for many people, who were drawn in by the unique styles of the writers such(prenominal) as Dickens, Poe, and Wilkie Collins. They were cheap, and wide available, with many of them creation published in magazines. The availability of them meant that the obsession continued, as the people of that time were always able to obtain a wise invention.One of the stories, The Signalman by Dickens, is a fine example of the abhorrence stories of that twenty-four hoursIt begins by setting a good-for-naught scene, with the Signalman situated in a deep cutting, his figure foreshortened and shadowed. Using description such as this, the author can immediately let the reader infer the mood of the grade in this case, dark and depressing. This technique is excessively employ in Captain Rogers, with the words feeble, painful, and forced being employ in the first paragraph.The deep cutting in which the story is set, is later described as a dungeon, and at the land up of the cutting was the entrance to a black tunnel, in which there was a barbarous, depressing, and forbidding air setting a negative semantic theme around the piece.The Signalman himself is described as a dark s eitherow man, spiritedness in as solitary and dismal a place that the vote counter ever saw. Indeed, the narrator comments that it was as if I had left the natural dry land.Indeed, the opening to the story gives the reader a glimpse of the signalmans loneliness, and a sense of anticipation towards the trench in which he was posted. Loneliness and foreboding are two major characteristics of 19th Century horror.Horror stories from this period a lot deal a supernatural theme. In The Signalman, ghostly spectres fixture the unfortunate rail-way worker and shortly afterward they appear, a terrible apoplexy occurs.Accumulation is a major factor in horror stories, and The Signalman used this to great effect. The appearances of the spectres become more frequent, making the reader wonder what is sack to take place at the climax.The spectre returns, and the signalman describes to the narrator that what troubles me so horribly is the question What does the spectre mean? This leaves the reader to ponder what may buy the farm next in the story, even though they may have no idea. It leaves the reader feel to be scared by whatever their visual modality may come up with, importee the writer does not have to reveal the plot just yet precisely can bound the reader guessing. This is a common feature in 19th Century horror, and is used in Captain Rogers and The Engineers ThumbThe narrator also describes how he could see the mental torture and pain of judging of the signalman, suggesting that the events with the spectre have left his state of mind in tatters. In 19th Century horror stories, characters were often driven mad by the events unfolding in the bookAt the end of the book, the plot unravels, and all(prenominal) becomes make. The narrator is shocked to hear of the death of the signalman, who is hit by a train. He then learns that the spectre which had been haunting the signalman was the driver, shouting at him to clear the way. The final stage of the book isshort, with just a little chat after we learn o f the death of the signalman, which is common in horror stories of this era. This style of ending is similar to that in Captain Rogers, in which there is a death, and a sudden ending to the story. This is also the case in The Engineers Thumb, when Holmes realises that the printing press has been destroyed, and the criminals are many miles away.Another famous tale from this period is The manipulates Paw by W.W.Jacobs. It epitomises the horror genre of this time, with suspense, mystery, death, and a super-natural theme all included in the plot.The story begins with a good use of contrast. The night was cold and wet, but inside Laburnam Villa, a fire burned smart as a whiply, as a founding father and password are playing a game of tare whilst an old lady sat by the fire, knitting placidly. line of merchandise is also used at the beginning of Captain Rogers, when a bright fire afforded a pleasant change to the chill October air alfresco.Description of the setting is included in the fathers dialogue Of all the beastly, slushy, out-of-the-way places to live in, this is the worst. At this point, a lymph node knocks on the door and is invited into the house. He tells the family a tales of strange scenes and doughty plant, a good use of repeating, and finally arrives on the subject of a monkeys paw, which had a spell put on it by an old fakir. Again, another reference to super-natural subjects. The Paw will allow for three separate men each three wishes, but when asked round this, the visitors face whitened a method usually used in 19th Century horror to show fear.Later, the family caprice the visitor (a sergeant-at-law in the army) to let them have ownership of the paw. The sergeant is reluctant to hand it over, instead suggesting to let it burn in the fire. This leaves the reader wondering what could be so bad about the paw, which the sergeant wants to let burn in the fire. As with The Signalman, Captain Rogers, and The Engineers Thumb , it is left to the readers imaginations what the plot may be surrounding the story, confirming that it is a common characteristic of 19th Century Horror.A technique also used in this particular story, was the use of words such as unusual, depressing and horrible to set a negative and gloomy semantic field around it, which alerts the reader to the mood of the story. Nearly every 19th Century Horror story used this method of writing, including The Signalman and Captain Rogers.These stories also use the technique of repetition to put across the meaning of a phrase or piece of dialogue more strongly. In The Monkeys Paw, a character called Herbert is sitting completely by the fire, when he sees a face so horrible and so simian that he gazed at it in amazement, in the flames. The repetition of the word so makes the adjective following it, much stronger.In The Monkeys Paw, and often in other horror novels, a short relief from the tension will be given. In The Monkeys Paw, directly after the scene in which Herbert has seen the graphic faces in the fire, there is a short scene portraying events at the breakfast table the following morning. The monkeys paw, the object of all their wonder, fear, and excitement the night before, is pitched on the sideboard with a negligence which betokened no great belief in its virtues. The family laugh the tale of the sergeant off, making a mockery of the power of the paw.Often, horror stories of this period will add scenes such as this to enable the use of features such as irony, which is used in abundance in this scene, for example when Mrs. White asks How could two hundred pounds hurt you?. Immediately after, Herbert replies Might drop on his spike from the sky. All this is ironic, as Herbert is eventually killed by some machinery at his workforce and the family are given two hundred pounds in compensation, after Herbert used the paw to wish for two hundred pounds.The reader thinks the story has reached its climax, when the family are info rmed of the death of Herbert. However there is one pass away good turn in the plot. Some 19th Century Horror Stories added a twist, and it proved very popular. A week after the death of Herbert, his mother and father eventually, after much arguing, decide to use the paw one last time tobring Herbert back to life. A loud knock resounded by dint of the house, and his mother rushes to the door to open it for Herbert. Just when the reader thinks the maimed body is going to be let into the house, his father realises his mistake and wishes his son away. The door is opened, but Herbert is gone. The eventual anti-climax to this twist is also used often in 19th Century Horror Stories.A twist was also included in Captain Rogers, where Rogers murders his friend, Gunn.To conclude, many different styles and techniques were used to pee-pee a Horror Story in this time, but they all had the corresponding effect, which was to create a dark and negative semantic field which makes the story more scary and thrilling for the reader. Writers such as Dickens, Poe, Collins, Jacobs, and Doyle included acute descriptions of setting and character to aid their writing, and add to the semantic field.