contemporary literature

1. THE
NIGHT
THE
GHOST
GOT IN
BY JAMES THURBER

2. AUTHOR'S
BACKGROUND
The Life of James Thurber

3. JAMES THURBER
• James Grover Thurber was an American
cartoonist, writer, humorist, journalist, and
playwright.
• He was best known for his cartoons and short
stories, published mainly in The New Yorker
and collected in his numerous books.
• Born on December 8, 1894 on Columbus, Ohio,
United States of America.
• Died on November 2, 1961 in New York, United
States of America.

4. • Thurber's drawings often feature dogs and
family life.
• James Thurber won the Special Tony Awards
• Some of James Thurber's famous tales
include:
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
- The Night the Ghost Got In
- The Dog That Bit People
- The Night the Bed Fell
- The Catbird Seat
- The Day the Dam Broke
- The Unicorn in the Garden
JAMES THURBER

5. STORY'S
BACKGROUND
The Night the Ghost Got In

6. • The story "The Night the Ghost Got In"
by James Thurber is a prime example of
the storytelling technique by the author,
who is widely considered as one of the
greatest humor writers that America
ever produced.
• He narrates a fictionalized account of an
incident that occurred one night during
his childhood.
THE NIGHT THE
GHOST GOT IN

7. • This short-story, inspired by events that
occurred on the night of November 17, 1915, is
Thurber’s recollection of the hilarious situation
that they found themselves in, caused due to
the misunderstandings of the author and his
unconventional family.
• Appearing at first as a horror story, the story
soon takes on a comical style as the events
unfolding one after the other lead to a complete
fiasco with shoes being thrown, windows being
smashed and cops being attacked.
THE NIGHT THE
GHOST GOT IN

8. EXPOSITION:
PLOT OF THE STORY
The story begins at
1:15 A.M., as James
comes out of the
shower. He hears the
sound of a "rhythmic,
quick-cadenced
walking around the
dining-room table."

9. CONFLICT
The narrator and his brother
are afraid of ghosts, the
mother is afraid of burglars
and the policemen are afraid
of failing to find the cause of
the commotion which makes
them act with irrational
stubbornness.
PLOT OF THE STORY
Type of Coflict:
Man vs. Self

10. RISING ACTION:
James' mother flings a
shoe through her
window, getting their
attention to call the
police. Then, the police
invade their house.
PLOT OF THE STORY

11. CLIMAX
The policemen hear a noise
coming from the attic where
Grandfather sleeps.
Imaginatively, he believes that
the police are Civil War soldiers,
and he shoots wildly firing shots
at them and around him.
PLOT OF THE STORY

12. FALLING ACTION:
Although the wounded
policeman would like to
investigate the attic, his
colleagues convince him
to leave the matter to
rest. The officers leave
the house.
PLOT OF THE STORY

13. DENOUMENT
The next morning, Grandfather
"was fresh as a daisy and full of
jokes." He asks the family about
what happened last night. Thurber
concludes, characteristically, with
a note of doubt and confusion:
"He had us there.""
PLOT OF THE STORY

14. THE NIGHT THE GHOST GOT IN
THE ELEMENTS
OF THE STORY:

15. ELEMENTS OF THE STORY
SETTINGS
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16. ELEMENTS OF THE STORY
THEME

17. ELEMENTS OF THE STORY
CHARACTERIZATION
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18. ELEMENTS OF THE STORY
STYLE
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19. ELEMENTS OF THE STORY
SYMBOL

20. ELEMENTS OF THE STORY
TYPES OF FICTION

21. A FABLE

24. • Silence: A Fable" is a story written by Edgar Allan Poe and
was published in 1838. It is a story about a demon and a
man in an enchanted land.
• It tells the story of a man that listen to the Demon's tale
about a man that is observing the nature.
• •It is a very dark short story with a theme of death, and the
tone is dark and strange like the rest of Edgar's poem.
• Mysterious and mystical
Story’s Background

31. Group 1 Group 2
Rizza- 98 Froullie-98
Jhonremz- 97 Shania-98
Yassen-98 Aubrey-97
Jersey-98 Sandra-97
Mariel-98 Natividad-97
Justine-97 Desmabelle-98
Kylla-97
Ailyn-97
Alne-97