Read the excerpt from a short story.The downy pillow covered his ears but did not mask the sound. Sleep eluded him for hours, and he heard it still: a persistent scraping in the corner of his room. Sitting upright at last, he peered into the darkness. It was as he’d suspected. His uncle’s trunk, an old army footlocker, was the source of the sound. Fine then, he could resolve this mystery. He swung his legs to the floor with conviction.How does the excerpt exemplify the ideas King describes in "Danse Macabre"?
Read the excerpt from a short story.I thanked her again for the cake, and quietly retreated from the porch. A blast of air conditioning assailed me as I reentered our home and closed the summer heat behind me. Placing the cake on the table with the others, I noted its carefully scalloped frosting with mounting sadness. Clutching the doorjamb, I suppressed a sob. The reality of our loss would wait.Which words from the excerpt convey the tone?
Read the excerpt from "The Adventure of the Mysterious Picture."“And now for the haunted chamber,” said the Irish captain, taking his candle.“Aye, who’s to be the hero of the night?” said the gentleman with the ruined head.“That we shall see in the morning,” said the old gentleman with the nose: “whoever looks pale and grizzly will have seen the ghost.”“Well, gentlemen,” said the Baronet, “there’s many a true thing said in jest.”How does the excerpt exemplify Gothic fiction?
Read the excerpt from a short story.The Sonoran Desert route was his favorite. His friends were surprised he could endure the solitude of it, but he cherished the barren miles. Today he’d passed a mile of verbena in full bloom, followed by ten miles with nothing but sagebrush. The next leg promised cliffs, and he loved to imagine scaling them as he traversed the desolate highway. In fact, one was rising in the distance, and the highway would bear right around it. He looked down to cool the temperature, looked up again, and stared. The grill of a tractor trailer, in his lane, was bearing down upon him.How does the excerpt exemplify the ideas King describes in "Danse Macabre"?
Read the excerpt from "The Adventure of the Mysterious Picture."The expression was that of agony—the agony of intense bodily pain; but a menace scowled upon the brow, and a few sprinklings of blood added to its ghastliness. Yet it was not all these characteristics—it was some horror of the mind, some inscrutable antipathy awakened by this picture, which harrowed up my feelings.What technique does Irving use to build suspense in the excerpt?
Read the excerpt from "The Adventure of the Mysterious Picture."How was this vile nervous fit, for such I now persuaded myself it was, to be conquered? I determined to force myself not to look at the painting but to undress quickly and get into bed. I began to undress, but in spite of every effort I could not keep myself from stealing a glance every now and then at the picture; and a glance was now sufficient to distress me. Even when my back was turned to it, the idea of this strange face behind me, peering over my shoulder, was insufferable. How does the excerpt exemplify Gothic fiction?
Read the excerpt from a short story.They had laughed at the shabbiness of the hotel. “Oh well,” they’d said, “we aren’t going to spend any time inside.” And they had not. They’d spent the day and evening sightseeing and had not retreated to their rooms until they were spent. Now Ana appraised her modest accommodations, remembering how the window in her room had amused her friends, as it offered a view of a brick wall not six inches away. “You get what you pay for!” they’d exclaimed, closing the heavy curtains.The window captured Ana’s attention again. As she readied for bed, she heard a persistent tapping coming from outside. Ana reasoned with herself, reminded herself that only small bird or bug in distress could fit in such a space. The tapping suggested otherwise, and she turned to investigate.How does the excerpt exemplify the ideas King describes in "Danse Macabre"?
Read the excerpt from a short story.The beach teemed with tourists from boardwalk to shore. A canopy of colorful umbrellas covered the sand. Each was preoccupied with his own happy task, and none noticed the figure as it emerged from the surf. Its skin was blistered and raw, and it lumbered awkwardly in the foam. Its hideous eyes hungrily appraised the masses.How does the excerpt exemplify the ideas King describes in "Danse Macabre"?
Which excerpt from "The Adventure of the Mysterious Picture" conveys the playful tone of the passage?
Read the excerpt from a short story.After two hours of a tedious cinematic production, the dim aisle lights flickered back on. Having endured scenes of fake gore and the phony distress of deficient actors, I stood to leave with a measure of relief. I would breathe easy in the open air, away from the greasy odors and the sniffling man whose cough had noisily barked over the on-screen dialogue. My steps slowed as the queue of exiting patrons jammed the aisles. Then the sliver of light from the exit door went dark. The theater was briefly silent, and I heard the unmistakable sound of a deadbolt locking.What technique does the author use to build suspense in the excerpt?
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