How do the writers of the Victorian Ghost Stories use different settings to create a sense of atmosphere in their stories?
In any story the setting is important, however especially in Victorian Ghost stories it is perhaps the most important feature in the fact that it creates tension and thus establishes the reader’s attention. All of the three stories we have read in class have established the sense of atmosphere in the introduction by simply describing the setting that the characters included.
‘The Signal-man' is a ghostly thriller by Charles Dickens. Dickens manages to get the feel of an eerie atmosphere through his descriptive writing style from the beginning of the story. To produce this type of atmosphere, Dickens had to use several writing techniques -mostly through description and use of language. The setting is described vividly, producing very detailed images in the mind of the reader. There is a very powerful opening as the Narrator shouts "Halloa! Below there!" these are key words throughout this chilling short story. The exclamation mark immediately produces an alarming suspense and raises tension. This introductory speech triggers off the complicated plot, as later on it is unexpectedly revealed that there is a lot more significance and meaning to this sentence, however In ‘The Phantom Coach’ the narrator is lost on the ‘moor land’ we can infer from this that he is probably by himself and that he’s in the middle of nowhere, this is designed to really impress the reader. “The bleak wide moor’ this quote helps to convey the eeriness of the setting, “the first feathery flakes of a coming snow storm just fluttering down upon the heather” this quote not only tells us that the weather is about to drastically change, it as well adds danger to the situation for the narrator, this setting creates a atmosphere in its self. In the ‘The Red Room’ the sense of atmosphere begins from the very start and continues to rise yet more throughout the story, HG Wells The narrator in ‘The Red Room’ is also introduced to another setting, the corridor. ‘the long, draughty, subterranean passage was chilly and dusty’ this suggests that the building was inhabited which is a typical aspect of a Gothic and Victorian Ghost stories, the writer used ‘subterranean passage’ to describe a narrow, underground, passage between rooms which conveys a particular aspect and supports the distrustful atmosphere established throughout the setting. The writers also use techniques and language such as imagery, personification and similes. This creates a sense of mystery before even the characters are introduced to us. In all of these short stories, It is made clear that they are written from a first person point of view, which means that the reader is most likely to share opinions with the Narrator, getting them almost believing what they read, It is also clear that in all of these stories all three of these writers try to exaggerate the detail of what their saying, the setting is no exception, having a setting that produces a strong feeling of atmosphere not only builds the tension but puts the readers in the correct frame of mind of what is ahead of them.
