English Assignment 16: Reading and Selecting material for an anthology
I have chosen the second extract The Woman in Black by Susan Hill to be included in the
anthology. I feel there is an appealing sense of mystery and suspense in this story, as the
reader follows young lawyer Arthur Kipps as he encounters a mysterious woman and almost
instantly becomes intrigued as he seeks to uncover her identity and learn more about her.
The sombre tone is set as the extract starts in a graveyard, where Kipps attends a funeral. It
carries a theme of mystery and isolation from the start as the woman ‘slipped in after we of
the funeral party had taken our places and who stood several rows behind and quite alone”.
The fact that she didn’t attend with or join the rest of the ‘funeral party’ and was seated
‘several rows behind’ and ‘alone’, shows that she may be avoiding any social interaction
with any others attending the funeral. It goes on to say that she was ‘not holding a prayer
book’. This suggests that she wasn’t taking full part in the funeral and might have only come
to observe. She was, however, ‘dressed in the deepest black’, which is known as the
universal colour of mourning, as she blends in with the rest of the crowd. “A bonnet-type
hat covered her head and shaded her face”, adding that she may have not wanted to be
recognized either.
It proceeds to mention her questionable state, saying she looked “extremely pale”, “only
the thinnest layer of flesh was tautly stretched and strained across her bones, so that it
gleamed with a curious blue-white sheen”. The word ‘tautly’ and ‘strained’ suggests almost
skeletal features since her skin is so tightly plastered on her face, and the way her face
gleams suggests features similar to that of a vampire, creating a ghastly image in the readers
mind. This builds tension with a chilling atmosphere and would appeal to teenagers as the
aspect of horror starts being introduced. “Her eyes seemed sunken back into her head”,
raising question of aging, not enough sleep or a medical condition as a common symptom,
which was suggested earlier when the narrator emphasizes that it only took one ‘swift
glance’ to tell that this woman was “suffering from some terrible wasting disease”. This idea
is expanded as the narrator elaborates, saying “as though she was the victim of starvation”.
“It seemed poignant that a woman who was perhaps only a short time away from her own
death, should drag herself to the funeral of another”. This raises the question of how she is
so agile on her feet when her physical state appears to differ, if she, as the theory implies, is
dying herself. Her movements are often described as quick and silent, with only the ‘slight
rustle of clothing’ as she ‘slipped quickly away’ several times. This raises suspicion as most
nearing their last days are too weak to even get out of bed, let alone be nimble-footed. The
alliteration ‘dreadful disfigurement’ is another interesting word choice, the word
‘disfigurement’ suggesting her appearance to be out of shape or almost distorted, and the
word ‘dreadful’ suggesting the extent of her outward abnormality. This creates an
unpleasant image and contributes to the building up of horror. However, she is described to
be ‘young’, further emphasizing on why her apparent medical condition doesn’t have much
of an effect on her besides physical appearance. She is also described to have some trace of
a ‘not inconsiderable former beauty’.
Arthur uses repetition for effect, once again emphasizing how “Her appearance…was so
pathetically wasted, so pale and gaunt with disease”. The word ‘pathetic’ shows that she is
I have chosen the second extract The Woman in Black by Susan Hill to be included in the
anthology. I feel there is an appealing sense of mystery and suspense in this story, as the
reader follows young lawyer Arthur Kipps as he encounters a mysterious woman and almost
instantly becomes intrigued as he seeks to uncover her identity and learn more about her.
The sombre tone is set as the extract starts in a graveyard, where Kipps attends a funeral. It
carries a theme of mystery and isolation from the start as the woman ‘slipped in after we of
the funeral party had taken our places and who stood several rows behind and quite alone”.
The fact that she didn’t attend with or join the rest of the ‘funeral party’ and was seated
‘several rows behind’ and ‘alone’, shows that she may be avoiding any social interaction
with any others attending the funeral. It goes on to say that she was ‘not holding a prayer
book’. This suggests that she wasn’t taking full part in the funeral and might have only come
to observe. She was, however, ‘dressed in the deepest black’, which is known as the
universal colour of mourning, as she blends in with the rest of the crowd. “A bonnet-type
hat covered her head and shaded her face”, adding that she may have not wanted to be
recognized either.
It proceeds to mention her questionable state, saying she looked “extremely pale”, “only
the thinnest layer of flesh was tautly stretched and strained across her bones, so that it
gleamed with a curious blue-white sheen”. The word ‘tautly’ and ‘strained’ suggests almost
skeletal features since her skin is so tightly plastered on her face, and the way her face
gleams suggests features similar to that of a vampire, creating a ghastly image in the readers
mind. This builds tension with a chilling atmosphere and would appeal to teenagers as the
aspect of horror starts being introduced. “Her eyes seemed sunken back into her head”,
raising question of aging, not enough sleep or a medical condition as a common symptom,
which was suggested earlier when the narrator emphasizes that it only took one ‘swift
glance’ to tell that this woman was “suffering from some terrible wasting disease”. This idea
is expanded as the narrator elaborates, saying “as though she was the victim of starvation”.
“It seemed poignant that a woman who was perhaps only a short time away from her own
death, should drag herself to the funeral of another”. This raises the question of how she is
so agile on her feet when her physical state appears to differ, if she, as the theory implies, is
dying herself. Her movements are often described as quick and silent, with only the ‘slight
rustle of clothing’ as she ‘slipped quickly away’ several times. This raises suspicion as most
nearing their last days are too weak to even get out of bed, let alone be nimble-footed. The
alliteration ‘dreadful disfigurement’ is another interesting word choice, the word
‘disfigurement’ suggesting her appearance to be out of shape or almost distorted, and the
word ‘dreadful’ suggesting the extent of her outward abnormality. This creates an
unpleasant image and contributes to the building up of horror. However, she is described to
be ‘young’, further emphasizing on why her apparent medical condition doesn’t have much
of an effect on her besides physical appearance. She is also described to have some trace of
a ‘not inconsiderable former beauty’.
Arthur uses repetition for effect, once again emphasizing how “Her appearance…was so
pathetically wasted, so pale and gaunt with disease”. The word ‘pathetic’ shows that she is
