Comparing Mystery Stories - "A Superstitious Man's story" by Thomas Hardy (1894) "Night Fears" by L.P. Hartley (1924).

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                           Comparing Mystery Stories                               Robert Inman

Introduction

I will be comparing two mystery stories, "A Superstitious Man's story" which is written by Thomas Hardy (1894) and "Night Fears" which is written by L.P. Hartley (1924).

        "A Superstitious Man's Story" is about a man named William Privett and his wife who live in a village, and one day as William was mowing in Mr. Hardcome's meadow with John Chiles, William Privett dies. All of the villagers believe his death to be a mystery because William was in very good health and his death was unbelievably sudden. The story is told by a member of the village community.

        The other characters in the story are :- Mr. and Mrs. Hardcome

                                                    John Chiles

                                                    Philip Hookhorn

                                                    and Nancy Weedle.

        "Night Fears" is about a man who has a wife and two children and has taken on a new occupation as a night-watchman. Having only started two days previously, he is unused to night-work and the isolation it involves and is not sleeping well. A stranger arrives and talks to him, speaking about things that the night-watchman did not even tell him, e.g. "It's a pity you're under a contract to finish this job" The night-watchman had not mentionioned a contract. The Night-Watchman is eventually led to despair and suicide.

The story is told by the writer and the other characters are:-

                                                        The Night-watchman's wife

                                                        and The Stranger

The mysterious events in "A Superstitious Man's Story" are:-

        William Privett despite being fast asleep was seen by his wife leaving the house and returned without his wife noticing, even though she was ironing at a place where he had to physically go past her on the only route through the house to the stairs and their bedroom. Also the following day when asked by his wife about his movements, 'William declared that he had never left the bedroom after entering.' This occurence could be explained by the fact that both were tired and William was sleep-walking and Betty Privett was half-asleep and didn't notice her husband's return.

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        A second mystery occurs when Nancy Weedle sees William Privett coming out of the church on Midsummer night. (On Midsummer night, it was believed, people who are seen to be coming out of the church are doomed to die in the same year). Nancy Weedle replied, when asked by Betty Privett, "You saw my husband."...."We thought we did see him, but it was darkish, and we was frightened, and of course it might not have been he."

        An explanation for this could be that it was William Privett, again, sleep-walking to the church on Midsummers Eve or it may ...

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