|
Scary Stories to tell in the dark
Schwarz, Alvin. 1981. Scary
stories to tell in the dark. ill. by Stephen
Gammell. New York: J. B. Lippincott. ISBN:
0397319266.
This collection of American folklore has a little bit of something for
everyone. After a table of contents, a brief preface written by
the author gives readers a taste of what is to come by giving examples
of how folktales were used in both historical and modern times, and he
also gives advice on how best to tell the stories orally to achieve the
maximum desired effect - fright! The slim volume is divided into
chapters according to the types of stories contained, such as stories
to make people jump, ghost stories, and tales that have originated in
modern times. While chapter titles such as " He heard footsteps
coming up the cellar stairs" do not give much insight about the
contents of the chapter, a short sentence or two from the author at the
beginning of each chapter explains the unifying theme of its
contents. Other than the fact that all of the stories are
collected from American folklore, few details are given to explain the
ethnicity of the characters.
The short, concise stories do not go into any unnecessary details in
terms of plot, character development, or setting. The short
sentences and rapidity with which the stories move toward their spooky
climax add to the eeriness that is the goal of these tales.
Gammell's graphic black and white illustrations add a haunting reality
to each story. Poems with themes such as death and decomposition
and songs (including musical scores) round out this collection.
In "The Haunted House" (p.29), a preacher is sent to a haunted house to
try to rid it of its ghostly inhabitant. Although it is a written
story, readers will want to hide in a closet as they read "step! -
step! - step!" as the ghost ascends the stairs to tell the preacher the
sad tale of how her lover had killed her for her money. Gammell's
ghastly illustration complements the story by giving the reader a
visual example of the dead woman's plight. As the preacher
follows the ghost's instructions for finding her killer and recovering
her money, an underlying theme of good triumphing over evil emerges.
|
