Max sees the garden with the circle of stone statues for the first time. (Ch 2) B Max encounters one of the statues that seems to have moved.

Transcription

1 To create suspense and build up atmosphere for the reader, a good writer will use a range of techniques, including a series of tense events. In the novel The Prince of Mist, what are the incidents that create the most tension and horror? Task 1 Read the list below of 15 key incidents from the novel. Can you put them into a rank order of tension from the lowest rating (1) to the highest (15)? Think carefully about what the key events really are and where the points of tension occur. A Max sees the garden with the circle of stone statues for the first time. (Ch 2) B Max encounters one of the statues that seems to have moved. (Ch 3) C Alicia s nightmares and dreams of the clown. (Ch 5 ) D E F G H I J K L Irina hears voices, discovers the creature in the wardrobe and has an accident. (Ch 6) Andrea Carver sees Irina fall and looks up the stairs to find the cat watching her coldly. (Ch 6) Roland reveals that he has dreamed about the clown figure every summer since he was five. (Ch 7) Angus s death transforms to smoky blue ice melting into the tracks. (Ch 9) Max visits the tomb of Jacob Fleischmann and disturbs the creature in the tomb. (Ch 12) Roland is snatched by the figure with the jagged teeth that drags him into the sea. (Ch 13) Max watches the film showing Cain emerging from the wardrobe with the watch that Max dropped in Jacob s tomb earlier that day. (Ch 14) Jacob is drawn into the sea by the creature and the statues holding Mr. and Mrs. Fleischmann, who are desperately fighting to save their son. (Ch 15) The evil clown appears in the mist and drags Alicia onto the wreck of the Orpheus. (Ch 15) M Max faces Cain on the wreck of the Orpheus. (Ch 16) N Cain and Alicia s battle with Cain demanding Alicia give him her firstborn child in exchange for Roland s life. (Ch 16) O Roland is forced to give his life for Alicia s. (Ch 16) Page 1 of 5

2 Task 2 Choose ten of the key incidents and place them on the tension tracker below, using the letters from the chart above. Try to choose a range of events from different points in the novel. 7 Heart-racing 6 Most tension TENSION RATING 5 Gripping 4 Tense 3 Perturbing 2 Rising concern 1 Mild discomfort EVENTS IN THE NOVEL Extension tasks What do you notice about the spread of events in the novel? As a reader what is the highest point of tension and horror in the story for you? Choose one incident and write a paragraph explaining why you think it is effective for readers Page 2 of 5

3 Building tension Chapter 6 Irina s accident We have considered the build-up of tension across the whole novel but writers also use language to create especially tense and dramatic moments. To be an effective writer of mystery or horror, you must be careful not to overdo the tension, and vary your writing style and the devices you use or your reader might find the story silly rather than tense. Carlos Ruiz Zafón makes some careful choices in Chapter 6 to develop the tension and mystery in the story. You are going to explore the choices he has made. Task 1 Writers devices Using what you know about building up tension in writing, fill in the gaps below. In order to build tension, a writer might use: 1. words and images that help bring the sense to life for the reader 2. slow and fast paced that help build mood and pace 3. between things 4. length sentences that create a range of effects 5. that helps speed the story up or slow the reader down 6. sentences that build tension by holding back from the reader. contrasts descriptions different information powerful punctuation Page 3 of 5

4 Task 2 The Prince of Mist Re-read Chapter 6, beginning At first, Irina thought it was mother (page 55) to the lines feeling her daughter s body shudder, she reacted and hurried to the telephone. (page 60). Then complete the tasks below. 1. Briefly describe what happens in this key chapter. 2. Why do you think the scene with Irina is divided with the scene on the beach? What does this add to the tension? 3. Is there a reason that Irina is the victim in this scene? Why might Carlos Ruiz Zafón have chosen her to be the first victim of the Prince of Mist? 4. How does this scene move the story on? 5. What impact does the end of the chapter have on the reader? What feeling are we left with? Sentence structure 1. What type of sentences does the writer mainly use here? simple complex 2. Why does Carlos Ruiz Zafón use these sentences in this section? 3. How do the sentence structures suggest how Irina is feeling? 4. How long are the paragraphs? What effect does this have on the reader? (To help you - think about what your eyes have to do when they come to the end of a paragraph ) Vocabulary for effect 1. What words does Carlos Ruiz Zafón chose to create deliberate effects? Choose three words that you think show the careful choices the writer has made. 2. How do these words tell us what Irina is feeling? Page 4 of 5

5 Tension in the novel Using all your notes and ideas aim for an extended answer to the question: How does Carlos Ruiz Zafón create tension in Chapter 6 of The Prince of Mist? What are the devices he uses in his writing? Include your opinions and views on how successful you think Carlos Ruiz Zafón is. Use quotations from the text to back up your ideas. Extension activity your writing Using the section that you have read as inspiration, write your own haunting scene. Invent a character and setting you might like to use what you have read in The Prince of Mist to develop your ideas. Remember, good writers are like magpies they borrow ideas that they like and use them to inspire their own writing. This does not have to be a complete story you are writing an extract. You might use ellipsis to finish on a cliff-hanger and to keep your reader wanting more! As you write, check that you have used a range of devices to build tension. Tick them off as you edit your work. Highlight your best line. Ask a partner to read through your work. Have you built tension and created a sense of horror? Ask for advice on how you could improve Page 5 of 5