Philip Allan Literature Guide (for GCSE): The Woman in Black

Margaret Mulheran taught English for 34 years and was a Head of English for 20 years. Margaret left teaching in July 2009 to concentrate on writing and consultancy.

I have always loved reading, yet struggled with The Woman in Black as I found it sluggish and overly descriptive of what I thought to irrevelant material. However, I then read the book through again at home using this guide and found I understood it perfectly. This was due to all the seperate sections the guide contained, as it has:- A chapter by chapter walk through of the novel, including tips on improving your grade and key quotations- A section on each character individually and why they are important to the novel- A section on plot and structure and how Susan Hill uses it to make the novella spooky- A section on themeAs well as this, the guide includes a section at the back to study just before the exam, including key words and how to tackle the question. I found this part especially helpful and hope to have pushed my As to A*s. If I do, it is all down to this book.

• : Introduction: Context: Plot and structure: Characterisation: Themes: Style: Tackling the assessments: Assessment objectives and skills: Sample essays: Answers