An analysis of the characteristics of the horror genre with particular reference to 'The signalman' by Charles Dickens and 'The pit and the pendulum' by Edgar Alan Poe.

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Comparative essay.

Task: An analysis of the characteristics of the horror genre with particular reference to 'The signalman' by Charles Dickens and 'The pit and the pendulum' by Edgar Alan Poe.

After studying the two short stories I have analysed the characteristics of the horror genre with close reference to 'The signalman' by Charles Dickens and 'The pit and the pendulum' by Edgar Alan Poe. The characteristics of the short stories that show the horror genre is the way in which they have been constructed the short sentences, the punctuation such as the over use of exclamation marks, the suspense, and the description of mental and physical torture. Both stories are written in the 19th century and symbolise the horror theme in a variety of styles.

'The pit and the pendulum' is a story of a man condemned to death by the Inquisition. This death is not a simple one, since he is thrown in a dungeon with no light and lots of dangers. 'The pit and the pendulum' is about a prisoner in a nightmare tale who is disturbed by a pendulum blade that is gradually descending towards him, terrifying him each time it comes