The Signalman, An Arrest and Napoleon and The Spectre. In this essay

The Signalman, An Arrest and Napoleon and The Spectre. In this essay I am going to compare and contrast them. All three of these stories use gothic techniques; however they have a variety Compare and Contrast Three 19th Century Short Stories The first gothic novel was written in 1764 by Horace Walpole. The novel was called ‘The Castle of Ortranto’. He created the criteria that all gothic writers use today. Gothic literature uses an atmosphere of mystery, shock and suspense to intrigue the reader or audience. The gothic vocabulary consists of words that create an atmosphere of; mystery, hate, tension, fear, sorrow and terror. Gothic novels usually are set in a house or place with a large amount of gothic architecture. Gothic literature has a common involvement with the supernatural. In most gothic stories there is a spectre, ghost or vision that is out of the ordinary. Gothic stories also often contain a mysterious ending. During the gothic phase many authors took to writing in this style. Authors such as Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe all adopted the gothic style and wrote their own stories. Gothic architecture is also included many times to provoke an atmosphere of terror. The gothic style buildings had large arches and gargoyles that looked down from the ceiling, these things gave the image of darkness. The three stories that I have read are; The Signalman, An Arrest and Napoleon and The Spectre. In this essay I am going to compare and contrast them. All three of these stories use gothic techniques; however they have a variety of differences as well as similarities. ‘Napoleon and The Spectre,’ written by Bronte and ‘The Signalman’ written by Dic... ... his wife which acts as a deterrent to them developing their matrimonial relationship. The background information about the ‘ancestral halls’ at which they are staying gives the reader the sense that there is something strange about the house. The woman feels inexplicable draughts and John dismisses it and shuts, ‘the window.’ This implies a ghostliness and again call upon the theme of the supernatural. This contrasts with ‘the signalman’ and ‘napoleon and the spectre’ because the ghosts in those two stories are physically described, whereas here it is only suggested. As days go on the woman becomes obsessed with ‘the yellow wallpaper’ in the corner of her room. The wallpaper was; ‘repellent, almost revolting: a smouldering†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦sulphur tint in others.’ The wallpaper seems to have a power of its own drawing the woman into an unhealthy hobby of following it.