The Woman in Black: Writer's Methods and Techniques (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)

The Woman in Black: Writer’s Methods and Techniques

In order to truly be able to understand a text and analyse it in detail, you need to understand why a writer has chosen to use particular literary devices and methods for their narrative and the impact of these choices. This is an important element of your revision as examiners expect you to comment on the language, form and structure of the text. 

Susan Hill has used language and structure to achieve effects and it is important to make reference to the writer in your response to keep it focused. Below you will find some examples of how Hill uses literary techniques in her novella. 

• Narrative perspective and structure

• Gothic language and setting

• Symbolism

• Imagery

Narrative perspective and structure

• The story is written in first-person narrative from the perspective of Arthur Kipps:

  • Through this, the reader is able to view the negative impact that his experiences have had on his mind and life 

  • As Hill does not hint at the death of Stella or Kipps’ child until the end of the narrative, it is only then that the reader understands why Kipps’ is so affected by the idea of the supernatural

• First-person narrative is a common feature in the Gothic genre:

  • It is written from the perspective of an intelligent man of science who does not believe in the supernatural

  • His mind changes when he confronts the Woman in Black and this has a negative impact on his life

• The novella is split into twelve chapters and can be classed as a frame narrative:

  • A frame narrative is a story within a story and it begins and ends in the current time of the narrative with Kipps as an older man

  • However, the main narrative is set in the past when Kipps’ was younger and details his experience with the Woman in Black

• The narrative perspective changes temporarily to offer an insight into Jennet Humfrye’s mind as Kipps reads her letters:

  • Through this temporary narrative, Kipps and the reader are able to understand why and how Jennet Humfrye transformed into the Woman in Black

• Using a frame narrative helps to build suspense and tension as the reader is not immediately told about Kipps’ experiences:

  • The reader has to wait until the end of the novel to understand how the Woman in Black has directly impacted Kipps’ life

Gothic language and setting

• Gothic literature is a genre that emerged in the late 18th century and some of its key elements include:

  • Gloomy settings such as ruins and religious buildings like churches and abbeys

  • Mysterious and supernatural occurrences

  • Omens and curses

  • Emotional distress such as nightmares and feverish dreams

  • Death and decay

  • Madness/possession

  • A villain or a supernatural being that is unknown

• The Woman in Black is a pastiche of Victorian Gothic and is written in the style of traditional Gothic novels:

  • The supernatural, such as the ghost of the Woman in Black and an abandoned manor house, links to traditional Victorian/Edwardian ghost stories 

  • Most of the narrative includes supernatural occurrences at night, which contribute to the eerie atmosphere

• Gothic literature focuses on the horrifying, supernatural and macabre:

  • While the Woman in Black was written in 1983, it is set in the Edwardian era, which was a time of tighter morals and less rights for women

  • This makes the tragic story of Jennet Humfrye more believable as she was stigmatised by society, which resulted in her transformation into the Woman in Black

• Foreshadowing is used to create tension and to hint at the sinister events that will follow:

  • In Chapter 1, it can be inferred that Kipps encountered the supernatural in his past as he experiences extreme fear when his step-children share ghost stories

  • “The truth is quite other, and altogether more terrible” suggests that Kipps has knowledge of the supernatural that his step-children do not and that his experience was harrowing

• The novella features a “conspiracy of silence” whereby other characters in the story do not disclose what they know to the main character:

  • This further isolates Kipps and causes him frustration as he naively continues to complete his job at Eel Marsh House:

    • Mr Jerone, Keckwick and Mr Daily are a part of this 

Symbolism

• Symbolism refers to figurative language that uses an image, object or idea to represent something other than its literal meaning:

  • The Woman in Black uses symbolism throughout the novella to help create a sinister and tense atmosphere

• The symbol of mist and fog is used to hint that something evil is about to occur and indicates impending evil:

  • In Chapter 1, Kipps comments on the fog the night before Christmas

  • Soon after, he flees his home, haunted by the painful memories that have resurfaced

• Another example is in Chapter 2 when Arthur travels to his workplace and is told about Alice Drablow and the business trip he will be taking:

  • The fog is described as “a filthy, evil-smelling fog”, and civilians are described as “ghost figures” walking around outside, creating a sinister image

  • It hints at Arthur’s isolation and encounter with ghosts later in the novella

• Hill uses the pony and trap to symbolise the past and connect past events to Arthur’s narrative:

  • He observes many pony and traps during his time at Crythin Gifford

• Keckwick drives Arthur around in Crythin Gifford in a pony and trap, which could symbolise how Arthur moves from the land of the living to the land of the dead:

  • During his stay at Eel Marsh House, Kipps hears the sound of a pony and trap and the sound of a child screaming as they are being sucked into the marsh

  • This scene continually reoccurs as Arthur discovers the child to be Jennet’s, who died many years before in the marsh on a pony and trap

• Finally, at the end of the novella, Arthur’s first wife and young child are killed on a pony and trap after he sees the image of the Woman in Black in the distance

Imagery

• Hill uses sensory language throughout the novella to convey the tension and fear of the protagonist:

  • For example, in Chapter 2, “seething through cracks and crannies like sour breath” creates an unpleasant image of London overtaken by an invasive fog

  • This could foreshadow the sinister and distressing events that Kipps will experience later on in the narrative

• Personification of the whistle is used to describe the sinister sound and creates tension:

  • For example, in Chapter 3, the sound of the “train whistle” is described as a “shriek”, which signals the danger and horror that the protagonist is going to experience at Crythin Gifford

  • The protagonist is unable to understand where the sound is coming from, which further isolates and terrifies him

• Pathetic fallacy is used throughout the novella:

  • The clouds are described as being “cold” and “damp” and the “wind” came “howling” 

  • These create a sinister atmosphere that isolates the protagonist and acts in opposition to him

• Hill uses descriptive language connected to evil and fear at crucial points in the narrative:

  • Words such as “shriek”, “howling”, “shadow”, “paralysed” and “malevolence” all contribute to the haunting and sinister atmosphere 

  • The narrative perspective enables descriptive language to be used to explain the sense of fear and panic felt by the protagonist 

Sources:

Hill, S. (2011). The Woman in Black. Vintage Books.