Imagination

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"Where there is no imagination, there is no horror." -Arthur Conan Doyle

Imagination, also called the faculty of imagining, is the ability to form new images and sensations in the mind that are not perceived through senses such as sight, hearing, or other senses. Imagination is an important element to horror because your mind can make and perceive things differently making the unknown mysterious and scary.

The Senses

The senses play a large part in the process of imagination.

  1. Sight; Probably the biggest part in imagination. It gives life to the creatures and unknown in horror stories.
  2. Sound; Depending on what the book describes, the sounds can create a great sense of atmosphere for horror.
  3. Taste; Taste and Smell go hand in hand. It helps create atmosphere of the horrifying scene laid before you.
  4. Smell; Smell and taste go hand in hand. It helps create atmosphere of the horrifying scene laid before you.
  5. Touch; Touch also plays a large part in imagination. It gives the reader the full sensation of the scene in front of you.

The Wife's Story

Imagination connects to "The Wife's Story" in a very simple way, by reading what is given to us. Just by reading the story, most readers image how the sentences written are played out inside their heads. The way the narrator describes the scene of how the husband transforms can give us either very little, or a lot depending on how you take in the details. You can either imagine it how it was written, or over exaggerate it within your mind. Now just imagine, a wolf, slowly having its fur being replaced by human flesh. And all the physique of a wolf turning to that of a human. And although the book doesn't give any sound, your imagination can fill that in. The vividness can be quite horrifying depending on how wild and vast your mind runs.

Jekyll And Hyde

Chapter 1-3

Imagination is shown through a few ways in the first few chapters of Jekyll and Hyde. The first way we can use imagination in the story is describing Mr. Hyde. The book described him as a "juggernaut". So we can already envision a man with a large stature. It also describes Hyde as a someone who is just horrifyingly ugly. No way to describe what made him ugly, it just showed. So now we can picture a large man with a horrifying face that could scare children away. The second way we can use imagination in the story is when the book describes the city. The book described the city as a "labyrinth of lamplight". Now just imagine a maze like city in the time of night. Light being shown through some windows and not others.

Chapter 4-6

In chapters 4-6, there is a great amount of times the author lets us use our imagination. One great example is in chapter 4, where the author is describing the events of when Hyde had murdered Danvers Carew. The author described the setting with fog rolling over, however no clouds in the sky to be seen. And the full moon, hovering over the city. Another good example is in chapter 6, where Mr. Utterson is talking to the sickly Dr. Lanyon about Jekyll. We can imagine a tired, weary eyed Dr. Lanyon, instantly having the face of fear upon his face once the name Jekyll is spoken. We can imagine Dr. Lanyon, shivering and stuttering, not wanting anything to do with Dr. Jekyll anymore.

Chapter 7-9

Horror can really start to show by these chapters for the story of Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde. In chapter 7, we can just imagine Mr. Utterson and his friend looking back the the window where Jeykll was, only to find Jeykll making a terrifying face and shutting the window as quick as possible. In Chapter 8, we can imagine the scene of Mr. Poole's memories. How he describes Jeykll's weird behaviors as of late. Such as not opening the door to anyone, Jeykll screaming and crying to himself, and even the sound of Jeykll's voice changing. Finally in chapter 9, we can imagine Dr. Lanyon's face of horror, seeing Hyde change into Jeykll. How Jeykll slowly transformed right before his eyes, and how unbelievable it might of been.

Chapter 10

In this final chapter there's plenty of places where we can use our imagination. One notable one is how Jeykll explains his slow turn into Hyde. At how first it was an experiment due to a potion, but after a while, he would change without the potion and not of his own free will. We can also imagine Jeykll's struggle of trying to reclaim his body, and keep Hyde not only a secret but also in check, because Jeykll describes Hyde's character and personality that of pure evil. This is where the horror comes in. The feeling of having no control over your body and the fear of losing your slowly losing your personality.

The Phantom Coach

The phantom coach uses imagination through the descriptive details of the narrator's story. For example the sentence, "I drew up close behind him, prepared to lose no chance of entrance, and saw in the little circle of light shed by the lantern that the door was heavily studded with iron nails, like the door of a prison. In another minute he had turned the key and I had pushed past him into the house". There's a few ways you can imagine this sentence, so you use your senses to help you. Your vision can help you imagine the bleakness of the lantern. You can imagine the sound of the door of a prison, and how it can possibly have the wrenching squeak to it. Another sentence can include, "Although the wind had fallen, it was still bitterly cold. Not a star glimmered in the black vault overhead. Not a sound, save the rapid crunching of the snow beneath our feet, disturbed the heavy stillness of the night". Once again, if you use your senses, it helps the imagination process greatly. The still and silent wind, the cold touch of air on your skin, the bleakness of the sky, all of these can help create a great atmosphere of imagination for your mind.

The Hanging Stranger

The Hanging Stranger uses imagination to grab the reader's attention by making the enemy unknown and mysterious at first. The author use very descriptive words making it easier to use your imagination so you can visualize the story. Your imagination is very important in this story because the use of your imagination can make this story more interesting because you can make out the creatures to whatever you mind makes of it. Descriptions such as "multi-lensed inhuman eyes" and sentences such as "The thing shrieked and faltered. It bounced against the wall and fluttered down." are a huge part in imagination because they help you picture the story in your head as if it was real.

I have no mouth, and I must scream

I have no mouth and I must scream is a great story for imagination, especially with how it connects to horror.The setting of the story itself is amazing. Being trapped inside a computer for hundreds of years; inside an ever changing world; having to go through constant environment changes, and the struggles of overcoming those environments. A great example of imagination is when the story talked about the large bird that had created large terrifying winds. How it described the bird was great. The narrator described it as, "grotesque, monstrous... and overpowering". It also described it as having a, "snake arching neck, supporting a Tudor sized head, having to evil eyes as cold as a glacial crevasse". Now this would be terrifying experience. Another great example is the narrator was explaining how everyone in the group had changed for the worse. How the AM had turned the handsome college professor into a semi-simian looking creature, how the AM had changed a worry wart into someone with no care or concern, how the AM would take this guy Nimdok from the group away at night and return him in the morning terrified and shaken, and lastly how the AM had changed the only girl of the group into a total slut. The way the group is being described shows the dis functionality among them, which adds the horror scenarios and how they cannot cooperate that well together. Lastly, the best part was near the end, how the narrator Ted, had decided to kill off his friends so that they would no longer suffer. However, at this cost, he is now alone, trapped in the world made by AM, not being able to move, or even scream.

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