Short Story Essays

‘The Signalman’, ‘The Red Room’ and ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’ are all Victorian short stories and were all written in the nineteenth century. When these stories were written, there always seemed something mysterious and disturbing going on at the time. In 1843 there were links to Darwin’s theory to …

It was dark, the cold harsh sea air and spray whipped across his face. He was standing alone on a cliff over looking the roaring, treacherous sea. He heard a movement behind him; he felt a hand on his back and the next thing he knew he was falling, falling …

We’re here. The walls are clean and white and bare. There is lots of noise, but everyone in the room is quiet: I mean you can hear the noise of the other ones in the other rooms. It makes me feel uneasy, how clean and nice and fresh and squeaky …

1) Write a Summary in no more than 150 words of Roger Hedlund’s experience of the party described in “A Trip to Grand Rapids”. Roger Hedlund has a farm with his wife, and has two daughters; Cathy and Martha. Martha has a new kitten and Roger has made a rule …

Once there lived a man, whose wife recently passed away due to breast cancer. However, before passing away on the hospital bed, her last breaths were directed to her beautiful teenage daughter, Cindy. She whispered, “Cindy, darling, live your life and be true to yourself, and don’t let anyone hold …

At the beginning of these stories everything seems quite normal. In “Examination Day” it’s Mr and Mrs Jordan’s son’s birthday. They were happily celebrating the occasion. In “The Stolen Bacillus” a scientist is talking to a visitor about his experiments. As the writer starts getting into the story we realise …

All was black. He had seen his last light, like the last ray of sunshine leaving the earth at dusk on the evening of the apocalypse. There was no hope of a bright moon coming to him out of the darkness, or stars showing themselves, eager to be wished upon. …

You should consider: * Style, technique and tone * Language, setting and characterisation * Openings, creation of suspense/intrigue * Use of the supernatural * And anything else you feel as relevant In this essay I intend to discuss the distinguishing features of three horror stories in “The Tales from Times …

To create a successful horror story, the author needs to create a sense of tension and suspense. This is done through using emotive language and creating a series of horrific events. Most importantly, the story needs to have atmosphere. There are a number of elements the author uses to try …

‘Stone Cold’, by Robert Swindells is an award winning children’s novel that tells the story of sixteen-year-old Link, who lives on the streets of London. In this essay, I will illustrate how Swindells effectively portrays the struggles and difficulties that face homeless people today. After fleeing a violent family home, …