Compare the techniques used to create tension and fear in the two stories "The Signalman" by Charles Dickens and "The Landlady" by Roald Dahl

The two stories 'The Signalman' and 'The Landlady' are quite similar in the techniques used to create tension and fear, but the stories can also be very different in places. At the very start of each story, there are hints that lead to fear and tension. In 'The Signalman', there is a "glow of an angry sunset", which gives us an image of something that is hot, fierce, sinister, so we can build that up …

…to create tension and fear. They both use the 'rule of three', and have characters that are disturbed. But the actual content and language of the two stories is very different. They are set in different periods of time, so the language in 'the Signalman' is bound to be something that we are not used to. 'The Landlady' is a more recent piece so we can relate to it, and not take it as seriously.