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The Signalman
Charles Dickens
Do you believe in ghosts?
Do you believe that time is linear and unalterable?
Do you feel that there is such a thing as ‘meaningful coincidence’
or is life a series of random events?
Not just amusing incidents like this...
Or this...
But an underlying pattern or grand design that is unfolding – and what if you could perceive the
blueprint?
Do you believe it is possible to have a premonition of future
events?
If you could see into the future, do you believe it would be possible to
take action to alter events?
Charles Dickens - 1865
Queen Victoria
1837 - 1894
The Victorian Era
‘The Industrial revolution’
‘scientific invention, innovation & progress’
Stevenson – ‘Jekyll & Hyde’
‘The Age of Steam’
A radical choice of setting for a mystery story
Narrative perspective
1st person
Mystery stories rely on withholding of information which is drip fed – this
is just one way to create tension
Keep an eye out for the shifting relationship between the narrator
and the signalman and how Dickens controls it
Also pay attention to how he creates and develops the atmosphere in the
short story using imagery, strong verbs and adjectives for effect
Finally – a little teaser for you –what is the connection between
the Staplehurst railway accident of 1865 and our author?
