The Landlady
What does Billy find strange about the guestbook?
The last two names seem oddly familiar—he realises they were missing persons.
What is the sea a symbol of in the story?
Mystery and the unknown.
What technique is used in “I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth”?
Hyperbole – exaggeration to show madness.
What is a simile?
A comparison using “like” or “as.”
What is a typical Gothic setting?
Old, decaying, isolated places (e.g., mansion, forest)
What is odd about the pets in the boarding house?
They are stuffed and preserved, not alive.
What technique is used to describe the sea “calling” to the fisherman?
Personification.
What kind of narrator tells this story?
First person – using “I.”
What is “foreshadowing”?
A hint of what’s going to happen later.
What type of characters appear in Gothic stories?
Mysterious, haunted, or unstable individuals
How is the landlady described physically and how does this build tension?
She’s described as gentle and harmless-looking, creating irony and suspense because of her disturbing behaviour.
What technique is used to describe the land as “crying”?
Personification.
What technique is used in the beating heart sound?
Symbolism – the heart shows guilt.
What is “imagery”?
Language that creates a picture in your mind.
What emotion is central to Gothic fiction?
Fear, dread, grief, suspense, mystery etc
Why is it significant that the tea tastes “bitter almonds”?
It hints at poison (cyanide), foreshadowing Billy’s possible fate.
What technique helps describe the crashing waves?
Onomatopoeia – words that imitate sound.
Why does the narrator repeat “I’m not mad”?
To show instability and obsession.
What is an “unreliable narrator”?
A narrator you can’t trust to tell the full truth.
What is a key theme in Gothic texts?
the past haunting the present, or psychological instability/grief, or madness, isolation/ loneliness, mental and physical decay
What is the effect of dramatic irony in The Landlady?
We know something is wrong before Billy does.
What does the fog represent?
Confusion or hiding the truth.
What is the effect of using a first-person narrator in this story?
We get inside the character’s mind but can't trust them.
What is “suspense”?
A feeling of tension or excitement about what might happen next.
What is the technique where the weather in the story reflects a character’s emotions or hint at something unsettling?
Pathetic Fallacy