The Redroom
The Red Room is Written by H.G.Wells in 1896. It is set in an old house called Lorraine Castle. The story is about a man who goes to Lorraine castle to have a look in a room called the red room, which is supposedly haunted the last person that entered the room died before even getting in the room. The main character in the story is the man who looks in the red room, throughout the story we are never told his name he is always reffered to as the young man which adds to the suspense of the story. You also do not get the names of any other characters and you are not propperly introduced to any of them, which makes it very eiry when you are very much inside the story with strangers as such, it also adds to the mystery of the house.
Wells' story is the most recent of the three yet the choices that he made in it contents and setting deliberately bestow on it an almost timeless quality. H even makes clear how acient and old-fashioned everything in the castle is. Unlike Dickens and Conan Doyle inthe other two stories, Wells did not wish this story to be linked with the periodin which he wrote it, so that he could explor the ageless nature of fear itself. There are consequently very few references which place is in the 1890s and, rather than being a modern fable of its day, this tale is atavistic in its similarity to elier literature. (intrestingly, Well actually uses the word "atavistic" in the story.) Spanning the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, there was a particular type of story-writing known as Gothic. Gothic literature attempts to terrify the reader and it always involves supernatural. Possible features in a Gothic novel are ghosts, curses, hidden rooms and whichcraft whilst the usual locations are castles, monasteries and cemeteries. This storycontains some Gothic elements, namely Lorraine Castle, grotesque characters, haunted rooms, ghosts, whitches, superstition, previous deaths and curses. Wells borrowed from the literacy tradition of Gothic literature when he wrote "The Red Room", proposely eing elusive about its precice time or location.
"I caught a glimpse of myself, abbreviated and broadened to an impossible sturdiness in a queer old mirror" Just one of the many old things in this place. The mirror distorts him so that he looks illformed like the 3 strange characters. One man with a "withered arm", "old woman...swayed from side to side", other old man with "a single crutch", "bent". "wrinkled", "eyes covered by a shade", constantly "coughs and splutters." Three grotesque and distorted old people and part of setting, weird with a sense of decay or death about them. Narrator feels "uncomfortable" with them. The Narrator is a sceptic. Wells uses a sense of suspence by the atmosphere of the room and makes them seem strage and eiry.
Speckled Band
The story was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle it was written and set in the late 19th century. The story is set in metropolis in Londonand also later on in the story it moves to the outskirts of Surrey. The story is about a battle of good and evil in which Sherlock Holmes plays the good guy. Sherlock Holmes was the 19th century's Superman, due to his almost supernatural gifts. His lack of fear, bravery and razor sharp intelligence to solve any crime. An example of his bravery is "with a grave face he lit the lamp and led the way down the corridor. Twice he struck at the chamber door without any reply from within, then he turned the handle and entered." This jus shows how fearless he is and his huge amounts of bravery and courage. Also "Its a swamp adder, cried holmes the deadliest snake in india. He has died within ten seconds of being bit." this shows how much his knowledge is superior to his "sidekick" Watson. Watson is the "Robin" of the two he is the one who follows Sherlock closely behind him over his shoulder learning and marveling at Sherlock.
Where there is a superhero there is a super villian, in this case the character is Dr Grimesby Roylott. He is described as "a large face, seared with a thousand wrinkled, burned yellow with the sun, and marked with every evil passion" also he described as "a fierce old bird of prey" which makes you beleive he is also superhuman.
The reader is kept intrested because it is easy to read and is more simpler than the withered arm which makes it easier for the reader to understand. But there is a very good plot to the story mystery and suspense is developed at the end of the story by slowing the story down.
