Kipps wakes up after fainting at Eel Marsh house. Daily takes him back to his home where Kipps uses a packet of letters to piece together the story of the Woman in Black. Daily then reluctantly tells Kipps the truth - that she kills children out of vengeance for her own son's death. Kipps then falls ill for twelve days. When he recovers, Stella has arrived.

1. 11. A packet of letters
The Woman in Black
Richard Hubbard Amy Sugden

2. Chapter Summary
• The chapter begins with Kipps waking from
unconsciousness. Daily is there to greet him. It
is then that Kipps recalls the events of the
previous night.
• After recovering a packet of letters that
interest Kipps, Daily takes Kipps away from Eel
Marsh house to his house.
• When at Dailys house, Kipps uses this packet
of letters to draw his own conclusions of the
woman in black, piecing together clues to tell
her story.
• Later, reluctantly, Daily tells Kipps the truth
about the woman in black, revealing what
Kipps already knows and that she kills
innocent children.
• After this, Kipps falls ill for twelve days, falling
in and out of consciousness.
• The chapter ends when Stella arrives.

3. Genre: Gothic
What is expected from a gothic novel?
• Setting in a castle/secluded house/etc.
• An atmosphere of mystery and
suspense
• A prophecy/legend (of the woman in
black)
• Supernatural or inexplicable events
• High emotions
• Victim in distress
• Hero-like/brave character

4. What’s “gothic” about chapter 11?
• The setting at the start of the chapter is Eel Marsh house (the
secluded house).
• Mystery surrounds the story of the woman in black, as Kipps starts to
uncover the truth.
• The timing of Kipps falling ill is very strange, as it’s right after he has
uncovered the truth. (Perhaps this is works of the supernatural?)
• Daily is seen as the hero, as he saves Kipps by coming for him.

5. Characterisation
• How the characters are presented to us
• How we feel about them

6. Arthur Kipps
• He seems intelligent, as he does well at
piecing together the story of the
woman in black.
• He seems inexperienced, as he loses
his temper with the townspeople for
letting him go to Eel Marsh house.
However, he was advised not to go by
Jerome and Daily in previous chapters.
• He seems vulnerable. Him falling ill
makes him appear powerless to the
woman in black, and at her mercy.

7. Jennet Humfrye (The woman in black)
• She seems more human. In previous
chapters, she has been portrayed as
“the purest evil and hatred”, but now
we see that she has suffered herself.
• For the first time, we feel sympathy
for her.
• She seems vengeful. Filled with hate
for her sister, she is taking her
revenge.

8. Samuel Daily
• He seems knowledgeable, as he
knows more than he lets on, telling
Kipps the story of the woman in
black.
• He appears to be brave, and hero-like,
as he comes to save Kipps despite the
risk.
• He seems welcoming, like a father,
looking after Kipps in his time of
need.
?

9. The townsfolk (Keckwick, Jerome,
Landlord, etc.)
• We feel sorry for them, for
the pain they have gone
through.
• The community seems
close, as they have a secret
that they all share (conspiracy
of silence).

10. Alice Drablow
• We feel sympathy for her, as it
becomes clear that she was haunted
by her sister.
• We see a different side to her, as
before, she was seen as a loner. But
now, we see that she did once have
family and friends.
• The mystery has always surrounded
her throughout the book, but we
now know that she was not the one
haunting the house.
?

11. Themes
• What themes are presented in this chapter?
• How are they presented?

12. Fear
• Daily foreshadows the death of Kipps child, saying that after
the woman's appearance, a child has always died. This, deep
down, scares Kipps.
• When Daily is with him in Eel Marsh house, he isn’t as
scared. This is because he knows and likes Daily, and the
presence of another living being reassures him that he is not
alone with the woman.

13. Supernatural
• In contrast to the start of the book, Kipps believes in
ghosts. This helps him to discover the truth about the
woman in black.
• Kipps falls ill in strange circumstances. He falls ill right
after finding out the truth about the woman in black.
This suggests that she might have something to do with
the illness.

14. Revenge
• The one thing that Kipps cannot understand in
this chapter is why the woman is harming
innocent people not affiliated with her sons
death.
• It is revealed that she kills children as an act of
revenge, since she lost her own.
• It is ironic that Kipps feels sympathy for her, as
she later goes on to kill his son and his wife.

15. Isolation and the conspiracy of silence
• It is revealed that the people of Crythin Gifford, including
Daily, have kept the secret of the woman in black from him.
This withholding of information further isolates Kipps,
making him feel like he is on his own.
• Towards the end of the chapter, the knowledge of the truth
and the appearance of Stella makes him feel less isolated.

16. Style: use of...
• Chapter title
• Senses
• Verbs, adjectives, adverbs
• Similes
• First person narrator
• Onomatopoeia
• Sentence length and structure
• Weather
• Contrast

17. Chapter title
• Fits in with the chapter: tells you what it’s
about without revealing what actually
happens.
• Makes Kipps efforts seem futile, since after all
the hardship of searching through Mrs
Drablow’s papers, he only found a packet full
of useful letters.

18. Use of senses
• Contrasting to the calmer nature of the
chapter, kipps see’s things like “boring lights”
and “walls shifting”, signalling the
everpresense of not just the woman in
black, but the fear she brings.
• Kipps hears “the sound of banging”
faintly, signifying that, although he isn’t as
fearful of the woman, nothing has really
changed to calm his nerves.

19. Verbs, adjectives, adverbs
• Verbs like “look” and “see” are used
frequently to show that Kipps expects
something to jump out at him, since he is
looking around frantically, suggesting he is
afraid.
• Adverbs like “weakly” are used to show that
Kipps is drained compared to the earlier
chapters.

20. Similes
• “my head seemed to be very light... spinning, floating
like blown thistle down” (Thistledown is light and
fluffy, attached loosely to some plants and blown away
easily). This suggests Kipps is fragile, or weakened.
Vulnerable to being “blown away”.
• “The lead soldiers had been knocked down like a set of
nine pins” and “the rocking chair had been pushed into
the centre, to preside, tall-backed and erect, like a
great brooding bird, over the wreck.” These similes are
used to create tension and anxiety. They both paint a
clear picture in your mind of what the room looks like.

21. Effect of homodiegetic narrative
• It makes the reader feel closer to Kipps, since
it feels like you are him.
• Also, you know what he is thinking and what
he knows, meaning you can see him change
more clearly.
• When Arthur reads the letters, first person
narrator means that we can understand the
viewpoint of Alice Drablow and Jennet
Humfrye more than if it were third person.

22. Onomatopoeia
• “pitter patter of the dog”. This calms Kipps
nerves, as he is reassured to hear the sounds
of another living being with him in the house.

23. Sentence length and structure
• Long complex sentences are used when
describing the state of the nursery. They are also
used when Kipps is reading the letters and trying
to piece them together. These are used so Kipps
trail of thought can run smoothly, allowing for a
much more vivid description of the nursery and
to make Kipps thoughts seem natural; like our
own.
• Short paragraphs are used when Kipps is entering
the nursery. They are used to add impact, adding
to the tension.

24. Weather
• “The wind has dropped”. This creates a much
calmer atmosphere.
• Kipps uses the weather to rationalise the
“bumps” he heard in the night.
• The bad weather seems to correlate with the
woman in black’s presence.

25. Any Questions?

26. Activity!
• Enjoy.

27. Answers...