How do the authors create a feeling of fear and terror, suspense and the extraordinary?

The first 200 words of this essay...

How do the authors create a feeling of fear and terror, suspense and the extraordinary?

In order to answer this question I read the relevant stories, i.e. 'The Ostler' by Wilkie Collins, 'The Red Room' by H.G. Wells and 'The Superstitious Man's Story' by Thomas Hardy in great detail. I will now attempt to compare the methods the authors have utilised to create the impact mentioned above. In order to see which one has been more effective in conveying fear and terror, suspense and the extraordinary, in my opinion. Furthermore, I will endeavour to point out the similarities and differences in tense, style and prose between the stories, using quotations where appropriate. Moreover, I will discuss the roles the various characters play. These people are important, as the reader needs to identify to some extent with the narrator and his description and interpretation of his 'human props' as well as the setting they are placed in.

The opening to any story is crucial, since the reader may not decide to continue with his intention to 'read all' if he/she is not sufficiently interested in the first few sentences. In 'The Superstitious Man's Story' the reader is