This chapter undoubtedly sets up the mood of the novel, whether it be from Susan Hill's sheer use of imaginative language or the portrayal of certain characters such as Mr Bentley.

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How does the chapter ‘A London Particular’ set the suspenseful and eerie mood of the novel?

The opening line of A London Particular is extremely effectual as it instantly creates an eerie mood, ‘It was a Monday afternoon in November and already growing dark…’ this dark atmosphere that the narrator, Arthur Kipps illustrates allows the reader to deeply visualize the dreary weather in London that he was assaulted with on his way to work. Also the descriptive language Hill uses to render the fog is tremendously effective; she uses a great deal of imaginative adjectives and imagery (particularly personification) to achieve this. This creative language almost plunges the reader right into the midst of the London peasouper. The way Hill represents of the fog builds on the eerie atmosphere the reader can already envisage, it also generates anticipation, keeping them captivated and yearning to read on.

The opening paragraph of A London Particular instantly lures the reader into a feeling of eeriness and suspense.

‘It was a Monday afternoon, in November and already growing dark, not because of the lateness of the hour – it was barely three o’clock – but because of the fog, the thickest of London peasoupers, which had hemmed us in on all sides since dawn – if, indeed, there had been a dawn, for the fog has scarcely allowed any daylight to penetrate the foul gloom of the atmosphere.’

This paragraph gets straight to the point and immediately informs the reader the cause of the atmospheres ‘foul gloom.’ The use of punctuation such as ‘-‘ is extremely effectual as it builds a sense of anxiety throughout the paragraph; Arthur explains ‘- it was barely three o’clock – but because of the fog… which had hemmed us in on all sides since dawn – …‘ Breaking up the sentence by using dashes clearly drives the reader into an apprehensive state. Perhaps Hill does this to prepare the reader for similar situations of suspense later in the novel. The reader is also informed that the fog was ‘the thickest of London peasoupers,’ revealing that this fog was extremely dangerous and life-threatening, as a peasouper was considered so polluted it could actually be a cause of death because of the extent of polluted air present. This proves the era of the novel must be Victorian because there was a great deal of steam trains and factories in that period that were believed to cause these awful ‘London peasoupers.’ This peasouper was so thick and oppressive, Arthur had to ask himself ‘if, indeed, there had been a dawn,’ and depicts that the atmosphere had a ‘foul gloom’ since the fog arrived, that ‘scarcely allowed any daylight to penetrate.’ This end to the opening paragraph clearly commences the eeriness of the chapter and exposes the fog as an ominous force.

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The language Hill uses to describe the fog and the effect it has on people reveals it as an exceedingly supernatural and malevolent force, (a motif or theme present throughout the novel). The fog is illustrated as ‘hanging… creeping… swirling thickly… seething through cracks and crannies like sour breath.’ These descriptive adjectives really personify the fog, portraying it as a ‘menacing and sinister’ force. The language used plays a huge part in sustaining the creepy tone and mood of the chapter and novel. It is also explained that ‘it was a yellow… filthy, evil-smelling fog… that choked and blinded, ...

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