All of the 3 stories were all written in the Victorian era. This is when the gothic horror genre was established. Many people started read gothic horror stories which would involve a lot of tension and suspense throughout the story. Due to all three stories was written during the same period they may have similarities. During the Victorian era these stories would often contain violence, murder, torture, crime and punishment, health, mental illness and mystery. In the stories they use gothic features such as spiral staircases, mirrors and ornaments etc.
The writers H.G Wells and Charles Dickens both used setting to create tension and suspense in the stories “the red room”, “signal man” and “confessions found in prison”. The red room is set in a place called Lorraine castle. Already setting it in an old castle already adds tension and suspense to the story. Also we are told old stories about the red room in the Lorraine castle about how the timid wife got scared to death which also adds tension to the story as the reader would be aware and scared of these stories. In “the red room” H.G Wells uses the setting to create tension and suspense by naming the title the main place the story is set in. The title 'The Red Room' immediately attracts the reader's attention; it is symbolic but leaves unanswered questions. Overall the title raises so much curiosity wanting readers to read on and find answers to our questions. Red is a very strong colour and is generally associated with blood, danger, warning, hell, and above all, fear, the title also shows the setting of the story. It makes you wonder why the room is called the red room and if it is actually red. Another way H.G Wells creates tension though the setting is by the opening it doesn’t tell us much about the setting it creates mystery as the readers do not know very much about where the man is. One of the main setting in the red room the spiral staircase this adds a lot of tension and suspense to the story as the narrator cannot see what it behind him and it is also a gothic feature of the Victorian era. after the long spiral staircase it leads us to a “chilly, echoing passage” .in “the long , draughty, subterranean passage” it is very dark “ shadows cower and quiver” and it is “chilli and dustily”.
in the signalman Charles dickens created tension and suspense using the setting because the main character the signalmen lived “down in a deep trench” below the main land which might have symbolized hell which creates suspense the red room was also set underground too. Also both the red room and the signalman place are very isolated from the rest of the world. The setting is very dark, gloomy, wet and sinister which creates a lot of tension in the story because it is not a pleasant place to be. The weather also contributed to the tension and suspense made though the setting as there was an “angry sunset” which makes the reader automatically thinks of the colour red orange and yellow which are very bright colours and often colours that symbolises danger so it creates a lot of mystery. Also like the red room the colour red is also used in the signalman but this time directly. the colour red in the signalman symbolises danger as every time the signalman sees the red light an accident happens, so the light act as a warning to the signalman. This creates a lot of mystery and suspense. the red light is situated in the “gloomier entrance to the black tunnel”. The place where the signalman lives is small. Again in the signalman there is a zig zag staircase, which is like the spiral staircase in the red room you can not see behind you which creates a lot of tension to the readers. Charles dickens also uses the setting to create tension and suspense in “confessions found in prison” the setting of the place is very pleasant which creates tension as it is very different and creates mystery as the readers would think why the story is set in this way. The pleasantness of the setting represents the goodness of the child and his innocent but as the man murders the child the whole atmosphere changes and the weather becomes unpleasant and all the surrounding change to an unpleasant surrounding.
Both writers also use the characters to create tension and suspense using the characters. In all three stories the characters are never given a name they get called by the jog title or there appearance this creates a lot of tension and suspense as it leaves the readers in mystery and wondering who the characters are.
