The Midnight Embrace

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In reading the three short stories, “The Midnight Embrace” by M. G. Lewis, “The Tale of the German Student” by Washington Irving, and “The Phantom Hag” by Guy de Maupassant, there are clear evolutions to the style and elements over the 108 year span between the writings. As time went on, the stories got shorter, the sentences got less elegant, and the elements began to change from classic gothic elements to various settings, plots and characters. The first story, “The Midnight Embrace”, written in 1796, features the classic gothic elements- a castle, an evil prince, a damsel in distress. It also features a more classic rhythm and flow. The second story, “The Tale of the German Student”, written in 1824, keeps some of these classic elements, such as the damsel in distress, but swaps the classic setting for a hotel in Paris and the evil prince for a kind student. The style also becomes less rhythmic and the usage more ordinary, though still flowing and elegant. By the final story, “The Phantom Hag”, written in 1904, the style becomes fairly basic. Also, none of the elements but the distressed woman persist. I think these changes came about because the gothic genre was becoming more widespread and accepted. In 1796, the gothic genre was relatively new. …show more content…
The style of writing has a much more appealing flow. The structure of the sentences does a better job of drawing you in then the later stories. Also, I prefer the longer story because it allows for more plot development. In this story, the background of the ghosts are explained to better set the mode and help you understand why the place is haunted to begin with. In “The Phantom Hag”, they never explain who the ghost was, why it haunts the area, or why a kiss on the forehead by the ghost means death. It feels much more rushed and incomplete. Though the first story may have a more overused plot line, the style draws me in and the flow keeps me

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