This week, we will be looking at some 19th century ghost stories. Students often seem to be put off by the language in 19th century literature but since the change in the GCSE specification, reading a 19th century extract in the English Language exam has become compulsory. The thing that holds many students back is the unfamiliarity of the language. So, as I have said before, the earlier you can get used to it, the better. The truth is that some of the best ghost stories ever written were written during the 19th century.
I am afraid that I am going to be cheating a little bit with the blog posts over the next few weeks as I am in the middle of GCSE exam marking and therefore have much less time than usual. I will try to share something to read each day, but there may be significantly less comment from me.
As some of the stories are quite long, I might spread the reading over 2 days.
The first story we will look at is called The Red Room by H. G. Wells, which is one of my favourites. It is about a man who agrees to spend a night in "The Red Room" of a castle, which is rumoured to be haunted. At the beginning, the old people who live in the castle attempt to warn him against his decision which builds up the tension. When he eventually gets into the room, he has wound himself up to such an extent that his brain begins to play tricks on him. You can find the story by clicking on the following link:
The Red Room
Points for discussion
For today, simply read the first half of the story and enjoy it. Tomorrow, we will read the rest and look at a section of it in more detail.
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