To What Extent Do The Short Stories You Have Read Reveal A 19th Century Preoccupation With The Supernatural?

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Wednesday, 04 December 2002

OCR English Coursework:

To What Extent Do The Short Stories You Have Read Reveal A 19th Century Preoccupation With The Supernatural?

Coursework Criteria Met:

Writing To Analyse

Pre-20th Century Prose

Placing Text Within Socio-Historic Context

Religion, of which the rewards are distant, and which is animated only by Faith and Hope, will glide by degrees out of the mind, unless it be invigorated and reimpressed by external ordinances by stated calls to worship, and the salutary influence of example,’ (Samuel Johnson). During the 19th Century, there was an apparent preoccupation with the Supernatural, and this was conveyed through the extremely popular ‘Short Stories’. New scientific revelations such as ‘The Origin of Species’ questioned the reality of the traditional beliefs of an omniscient, benevolent, omnipotent God. With the industrial revolution, received wisdoms were discovered, enabling the masses to question their own beliefs. People had begun to develop a preoccupation with the unknown. Popularity of the genre rose when the serialisation of literature through magazines made the succinct style of writing accessible to the general public.

Both short stories contain underlying revelations concerning the 19th Century preoccupation with the supernatural. The Red Room focuses upon embracing the unknown, and a journey from scepticism to reverence for the unknown, whilst the Judge’s House focuses upon an individuals role in society, a debate between cynicism and science versus the supernatural. This preoccupation with the supernatural is conveyed through the short stories in numerous ways, ranging from the atmosphere and setting of the story, to the underlying moral. Both the Judge’s House and the Red Room are instances of this, within their examinations of the collective themes of mystery and the supernatural in each story.

The Red Room is about a cynical, anonymous narrator who chooses to ignore the caveats and stigma of the local townsfolk, spends a night in a foreboding house, and encounters his own fear. Essentially, this is a story about cynicism versus embracing the unknown, mirroring the events of the time, in which the theory of evolution had questioned the general beliefs about an omniscient, omnipresent, benevolent God. This theme relates to the preoccupation with the supernatural, as it advises for society in general to be aware of the supernatural, and not to dismiss the unknown in favour of science and knowledge. The Judge’s House  is about a man of science named Malcolm Malcolmson who is too sceptical to believe in the paranormal stigma surrounding the Judge’s house, and rejects society in search of isolation, and chooses to stay in an abandoned house, formerly inhabited by a merciful judge, who embodied in a rat, constantly watches and harasses Malcolmson with his baleful eyes. The Judge eventually hangs the protagonist, who is too sceptical to return to society, this mirroring the theme of an individual in society, and also mirroring the theme of science versus religion. The several themes all reveal a preoccupation with the supernatural. Many of these themes act as an admonition to the reader not to be too sceptical. A way that these stories convey this preoccupation is with the protagonist of the story.

The protagonist in the Judge’s House is used in the story to set an example to any sceptic in society. There are many key points in the status of the protagonist, Malcolmson, which reflect the theme of an individual in society, and also the debate between cynicism and embracing the unknown. Firstly, Malcolmson is a dedicated student of mathematics. This subject is considered to be very pure, thus his logical mind leads to a mental dismissal of the mystery that shrouds the judge’s house. The fact he studies mathematics relates to the theme of science versus religion, and therefore suggests to the reader that a scientific mind is rather a vice than a virtue. The second factor is that Malcolmson imposes a voluntary isolation from society, and often rejects the aid of society. He chooses to reject society in search for isolation to dedicate his time to science. This relates to the preoccupation with an individuals role in society. If the individual chooses to reject society, then the result is inevitable…death. That is the message that is being conveyed in the Judge’s House. That fact that he is a man of science is reflective of that fact that his mind is too logical to search for an explanation that is illogical. This is shown by the way that the protagonist does not comprehend that his antagonist, the Judge, does not fear science, yet fears the bible, and religion. This is linked to the preoccupation with the supernatural, as it conveys that evil does not fear science, nor facts, but religion. The usage of a protagonist of this nature just reveals a preoccupation with the supernatural in the 19th century. However, the protagonist in the Red Room is portrayed in a different way, and to a slightly different effect.

The biggest difference between the two protagonists is that whilst the protagonist in the Judge’s House has a determined character and identity, the protagonist in the Red Room remains anonymous throughout the story. The intention of the author is that the protagonists anonymity has the effect that it shows that what happens to the narrator could happen to anybody. The anonymity also acts as an admonition to the reader not to be too sceptical. It makes the story much more immediate, and much more engaging. His first statement is a challenge, the tone ironic; ‘I assure you, it would take a very tangible ghost to frighten me.’ This is ironic as in the final analysis it is an intangible ghost that frightens him. Another difference between the two protagonists is that whilst in the Judge’s House Malcolmson has a motive for staying in the house, the protagonist of the Red Room does not reveal his motive for visiting. This ambiguity surrounding his motivation increases mystery. The protagonist is young and sceptical, and also has an air of confidence and slight arrogance: ‘I assure you, it will take a very tanglible ghost to frighten me.’ The relevance of the protagonist being young and sceptical is that after spending a night in the red room, he realises his fear of the unknown, and he moves from absolute cynicism to appreciation and reverence of the supernatural. This is one of the underlying themes of the Red Room. Also, the significance of the protagonist being young and sceptical is that he undergoes a rite of passage when staying in the red room, as is mirrored through a journey to the red room in which his apprehension is conveyed by jitters and fears: ‘Then, with my hand in the pocket that held my revolver, I advanced, only to discover a Ganymede and Eagle glistening in the moonlight.’ There is also a long psychological journey to the red room, which reveals to the reader that the scepticism is not as strong as he believes it is. Before the Red Room protagonist even reaches the red room, he’s already in a state of nervous tension. This has the effect to the reader that scepticism is never as strong as you believe, and is fleeting. The protagonist in the Red Room is used as a moral to the masses, to deliver the message that one must have appreciation for the unknown. Also, the anonymity of the protagonist reminds the readers what could happen if they become too apprehensive of the supernatural. The circumstances, statuses, and actions of both protagonists reveal a preoccupation with the supernatural. However, with every protagonist, there must be an antagonist.

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The antagonist of Malcolmson in the Judge’s House is a complex character, as it is not a singular character, but rather a metaphor. Initially, the antagonist is in the form of a rat. However, the rat is the embodiment of the Judge, who in turn personifies the devil, which is the anthropomorphosis of evil. However, Malcolmson’s logical and methodical mind does not allow him to think laterally, to find a relationship between the rat and the judge. However, Bram Stoker, the author of the Judge’s House makes the narrator continually describe the rat with ‘baleful eyes’. This has two effects. ...

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