"A Terribly Strange Bed" by Wilkie Collins, a typical nineteenth century `Jack the Ripper' type thriller and " The Red Room" by H.G Wells, a lighthearted ghost story where old defeats young are two very similar stories. Although they are set in two different countries, contain a totally different variety of characters and have a different mystical twist, they both have a young, wealthy bachelor as the main character and narrator. In both cases, the main character is trying to find excitement and thrill in his life and a variety of gothic elements such as the spiral staircase and the subterranean passages are used, each to its own advantage. Each story has its own cleverly managed plot and the young man ends up worse off but, how similar are these stories? Are they really that similar at all"

" A Terribly Strange Bed" by Wilkie Collins

" A Terribly Strange...