How Do Pre 1914 Writers Create Mystery And Suspense Essay -- English L

How Do Pre 1914 Writers Create Mystery And Suspense In Their ShortStories?Common themes in the stories of the nineteenth light speed are horror,mystery and the unexplained. This is because in the Victorian times,people were concerned with problems such as superstition andwitchcraft. Common features of Victorian short stories are paranoidcharacters. The stories The shrivel up Arm, The Red Room and TheSignalman teach a modern audience the results and consequences ofsuperstition and paranoia.The Withered Arm was written by Thomas Hardy. It is about a woman whois trying to bring up her illegitimate son while she tries to overcomeher jealousy as her sons father brings home his new beautiful wife.The important message that Thomas Hardy is trying to get across to thereader is that you should be careful what you wish for as it may cometrue. Also that what goes more or less comes around. The main character inthis story is Rhoda Brook, the mother of farmer Lodges son. In thestory she is de scribed as a thin fading woman of cardinal this showsthat she is slowly wasting away. Rhoda Brooks is a obscurecharacter because the reader doesnt know whether Rhoda is a witch ornot, Thomas Hardy doesnt reveal this fact because it makes the storymysterious and leaves the reader wondering. Another reason why Rhodais mysterious is because of relationship with farmer Lodge and theirbaby together. Rhoda is also mysterious because she was once beautifulThe radiance lit her pale check, and made her dark eyes, that hadonce been handsome, seem handsome anew. The Red Room was written by H.G rise up the story is about a man who istrying to find out whether a room in the Lorraine castle is haunted ornot. The mess... ...on, pathetic hallucination and has more descriptions in it.Also because it enables the reader to visualise the settings better. Ithink that the setting in The Signalman represent loneliness. Thesetting in The Red Room represents paranoia and panic and the settingin The Wi thered Arm represent fear and superstition.Therefore, Victorian writers successfully created mysterious shortstories through using chapters, less characters and detailed setting.The closely effective story is The Withered Arm this is because it hasthe most imaginative and interesting story line. Also because ThomasHardy doesnt reveal everything to the reader as it lets them debateover whether Rhoda is a witch or not. It shows a modern audience theeffects and consequences of superstition. The moral or message of thestory may pack been be careful what you wish for as it may come true.