Genre
Short Stories, Short Fiction, Gothic Horror
Setting and Context
Various; for example, "The Way Up To Heaven" is set in New York; many of the other stories have no specific location.
Narrator and Point of View
The point of view is generally that of the narrator, or of the more malevolent of the characters in the narrative.
Tone and Mood
Macabre, suspenseful, cruel, grotesque, vengeful
Protagonist and Antagonist
Various. In "The Landlady", Billy is the protagonist, the Landlady the antagonist.
Major Conflict
There is conflict in "The Landlady" between Billy and the Landlady when he asks too many questions about a previous guest, Mulholland, whom he believed disappeared in strange circumstances.
Climax
Boggis is invited into the barn to look at what he believes to be fairly worthless old furniture but finds a prized, priceless Chippendale commode.
Foreshadowing
The protagonist of "Parson's Pleasure", Boggis, tries to swindle the men out of the Chippendale commode by telling them it is a copy, and that he wants the legs of it for another piece of furniture This lie foreshadows the men's removal of the commode's legs and the subsequent destruction of a prized antique.
Understatement
In "Royal Jelly", Albert and Mabel Taylor are said to be worried about their daughter's refusal to eat, which is an understatement because Albert is so concerned that he devises a new way to put Royal Jelly in her milk and fatten her up.
Allusions
There is an allusion to the world of antiques, particularly to Chippendale furniture, in "Parson's Pleasure."
Imagery
"Royal Jelly" includes in its narrative descriptions of the honeycomb found in the beehives kept by Albert, enabling the reader not only to visualize the image but also to create sound and smell imagery for themselves as well.
Paradox
Boggis usually manages to lie and swindle his way into a major profit on the antiques he acquires but his lie in this instance also does himself out of a prized Chippendale commode.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between all of the characters in the stories in that they are all doing nefarious things in varying degree, but they are all outplayed by the morally more upstanding characters in their narrative.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
