Horror Unit
Note Packet
Name: ___________________________________
Horror Fiction Elements and
Techniques:

Unexpected sequences of events that usually begin in ordinary situations
and involve supernatural elements.

Explores the dark side of humanity.
 Point of view plays an important role for creating impressions of the
character. 1st person puts the reader in the role of the character, but requires
the reader to question bias; whereas 3rd person allows the reader to stay
neutral.

Main characters are people we understand and indentify with. These
people will often become haunted or estranged characters.

Mood/tone is dark, menacing, bleak, and creates an immediate response
by the reader.

Plot contains frightening and unexpected incidents (not just randomly
placed though).
Gothic Horror
- Stems from "Romance" (Not Romance novels)
- Terrors of soul
- Decay, death, madness
- Setting: Old Mansion, building
- Setting can become a character in some ways
- Grotesque characters
- Dark tone
- Focus on a single object
- Poe: considered father of Gothic Literature
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Directions: Keep track of literary devices present in this story. Your notes will be helpful when you
complete your independent study project.
“The Black Cat”
Directions: Keep track of literary devices present in this story. Your notes will be helpful when you
complete your independent study project.
Edgar Allan Poe Compare/Contrast
“The Tell-Tale
Heart”
“The Black
Cat”
Describe the techniques used
in this story that made it
successful.
Describe the techniques used
in this story that made it
successful.
How do they
compare?
Conclusions
Drawn
1. What makes Poe so
successful?
How do they
contrast?
2. If you liked on story
better than another,
what might make that
story more successful?
3. Contrastingly, what
might make the other story
less successful?
Application
Write a thesis statement in which you use literary horror techniques and the two Poe stories to prove
that Poe has a unique and creative writing style all his own.
“The Yellow Wallpaper”
Directions: Keep track of literary devices present in this story. Your notes will be helpful when you
complete your independent study project.
“The Long Rain”
Directions: Keep track of literary devices present in this story.
Your notes will be helpful when you complete your independent
study project.
Additional Note Pages:
Notes on Writing A Comparison Essay:
Step 1: When working on your thesis, and eventually your outline, ALWAYS start by brainstorming
arguments about the author’s style for each text SEPERATELY. Compare and/or contrast when
you are done. Try Flowers for Algernon on your own.
Step 2: Formulate thesis statements. Consider creating one thesis statement for each text.
You’re more likely to be detailed and clear on your argument in your thesis if you keep the stories
as separate sentences in your introduction. Utilize your conclusion, not your intro, for making
sweeping/generalized comments about the stories. Remember that the goal of a comparison
essay is to define each story separately first!! A paragraph or two at the end of the essay will
suggest similarities and/or differences.
Step 3: Suggested outline:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
Intro
Body 1: First text
Body 2: Second text
Body 3: Comparison and/or contrast
-Consider…
1. where the stories demonstrate similar themes.
2. which story grabs the audience’s attention.
3. outlining how authors can use similar techniques in different ways.
Conclusion
Step 4: Rough Draft. Take a look at the example essay below.
At some point, all humans are faced with questions about life. We want to know the meaning of life
and whether we are able to fulfill that meaning before death. These concerns often end up being the focus of
contemporary literature. Both the novel, Flowers for Algernon, and the film, The Truman Show,
demonstrate life as a major theme. Daniel Keyes utilizes the literary technique of point of view in his book,
Flowers for Algernon, to present a main character struggling to accept that, despite his hardships, he can still
live a fulfilling life. Comparatively, Peter Weir’s film, The Truman Show, uses the device of irony to allow
the main character to see that the only real danger in life is not living it his way.
In Flowers for Algernon the author focuses on the internal battles of the main character to allow the
reader to understand the theme. Through the point of view, the reader can get a sense of what it is to be
Charlie, which is important to believing the message that Keyes sends. By using the 1st person narration,
Charlie is able to share both his dialogue with the other characters with the reader, and his personal thoughts.
Keyes uniquely employs this technique in his novel to force the reader into Charlie’s mind, making the
reader have an emotional connection with the character that would otherwise not be present with a 3rd person
point of view. In addition, the perspective allows the reader to better understand what the value of life is for
this mentally challenged character that the reader would never be able to comprehend on his/her own. To be
more clear, consider having never had the issues Charlie had growing up: being misunderstood, being taken
advantage of by so-called friends, or even struggling to connect with others because of a lack of intellect. As
a result, the reader can understand exactly what Charlie would feel about life when he goes through his IQ
transformation. The theme of life becomes clear to the reader at the completion of the novel, coming to
understand that these hardships have revealed a new understanding of what it means to be alive. It is
accepting life the way it is given that Charlie understands his human condition. This message would be lost
without the choice the author made to use point of view.
On the other hand, Peter Weir demonstrates that his main character can better understand his meaning
of life through the use of irony. It is in the author’s style of presenting the opposite of what the audience and
the main character would expect that the theme of life can stand out from the plot. At the beginning of the
film, Weir has created a snapshot of the perfect town and the perfect life. The audience may even question
the flawlessness of the scene, but quickly accepts what he/she sees as truth. The same goes for the main
character, who doesn’t realize until the very end that what may seem real is anything but that. Truman’s
entire world has been carefully crafted with television set homes and businesses, and actors playing the
important roles of wife, family, and friends. Truman has no idea that his life is fake, and neither does the
audience. This is the perfect set up for proving that one cannot take their life for granted. When Truman
realizes the truth, he is given the option to accept the ideal life by staying on the set, or take a chance at being
“alive” by entering the real world. This is no easy choice as Truman and the audience realizes that living
means to accept hardships and dangers that are out of our control in order to be free. Truman must realize
that the perfect life is not actually perfect, and leave the studio set to live a real life. Let’s face it, life cannot
be perfect. Weir uses the unexpected irony in perfection not actually being perfect to prove this theme about
life.
While both authors utilize different techniques, they each hit on a similar theme. The authors of both
of these stories utilize different techniques, but are successful at communicating with their audience. Even
though Keyes uses a strong point of view technique, Weir is able to use irony to make his point clear. Both
characters, Truman and Charlie, are seeking some sort of control over their lives. Even though Truman is
clearly searching for the control to leave the set, Charlie needs a different kind of control. Charlie must
understand that his lack of control over his transformation does not mean that he can’t have a fulfilling life.
Ultimately, the audience gains a sense of the internal battle within the characters and can connect with this
concept on a human level.
It would be hard to argue that most works of literature don’t make some comment about life. It is
ingrained in us to want to have a bigger understanding for the choices we make about living. Both Daniel
Keyes and Peter Weir successful capture this reality in their respective works. No one can tell another how
to be alive, as much as it would be natural for one to not want to be told how to live, and Flowers for
Algernon and The Truman Show demonstrate this. There is no denying life is full of choices, and in larger
part, it is through literature that people can come to understand themselves, and make the difficult choices
about how to live their own lives.
Horror Unit Assignment Directions:
1. Pick 1 Horror Story from the back counter, and read it (obviously). Pick carefully, as
I retain the right to change your story choice. Rip apart the story for its elements,
and writer technique. Analyze the kind of Horror Fiction it is.
2. Create a compare/contrast chart (consider a T-chart or the Y-chart we use in class).
Follow Harvey Silver’s method of comparison to determine where your independent
story fits with 1 story we read as a class. Your goal is to compare them based on
literary analysis (qualities of well-written Horror Fiction).
3. Move on to creating a thesis statement. Check in with me when you are done for
credit (10 points).
4. Create a brief outline. Check in with me when you are done for credit (15 points).
5. Create a rough draft. Be sure to use a quotation/passage from each text correctly
to support your arguments. Check in with me when you are done for credit (20
points).
6. Revise, edit, and final copy. Turn your final copy in by ____________________________.
Essay Guidelines and Notes: