‘The Red Room’ by H.G Wells is a great story, some of the main reasons for why this is, is because of the vocabulary and words the author has used and also the setting that the story is created in. the author uses gothic language, giving the story more suspense; he also sets the story in a haunted setting which builds up tension. The story was written by H.G Wells, between the turn of the 20th century. H.G Wells was an English author who was most famous for his science fiction romances.
‘The Red Room’, immediately grasps the attention of the reader when the ‘man with the withered arm’ is introduced. The bizarre description of this character’s features and the fact that he isn’t given a name creates mystery and suspense.
‘The Signalman’ by Charles Dickens is a story of a man who is haunted by a warning of the future. The story is set in a dark place on the side of a railway track. Dickens keeps the story in suspense and tension. It is based on a person who gets visions, that the signal light keeps going on and other strange occurrences. ‘The Signalman’ creates suspense because the warning of the unknown figure, which the signalman is appearing to have seen, follows danger. Throughout this story, the place is described as a ‘solitary and dismissal place‘. This makes the reader think of how lonely and deserted this place may be.
Dickens begins to create suspense right at the start of ‘The Signalman’ by writing it in first person narrative. He does this to put the readers into the story; to make them more involved and it makes the reader want to know what happens next. In my opinion to add to the suspense, Dickens sets the story in the 19th century; during this time people were more likely to believe in supernatural happenings.
I think that a good mystery is made a success by having certain qualities. The structure is that it must have an interesting beginning that makes the reader want to read on, suspense throughout and a twist in the tale at the end.
‘The Speckled Band’ by Arthur Conan Doyle - in this story the narrator, has included all the necessary characters for a good murder mystery. They are the detective, a side kick, the suspect and the victim. Conan Doyle has written a fantastic plot to the story and has added plenty of suspense and mystery throughout the story. Around the time that this story was written, people had gained a fascination with the criminal mind; they liked the idea of the ‘clumsy’ criminal being outsmarted and captured by the ‘genius’ detective.
I studied three short stories, ‘The Red Room’, ‘The Signalman’ and ‘The Speckled Band’. The stories are all linked together as they all have a sense of mystery. All of the stories were written before 1914. Three different stories, all of mystery trying to keep the reader gripped until the ending, each story keeps the reader in suspense by using what is called a ‘hooking device’. To keep the reader reading, the author needs to use a successful ‘hooking device’. In my opinion to achieve a good mystery story; simplicity is the key. For example, if you have a complicated plot the story can be hard to follow and if there are a lot of characters, then you can’t build up the reader’s pity and understanding of a single character.