Abstract
“The Black Veil,” unlike other sketches by Boz, remains popular with readers.Its main thematic interests include madness, crime, and poverty, the last two linked with the topicality of this tale. Dickens refers to extratextual reality to generate suspense and tension. For readers unaware of broader social, historical, and cultural contexts, such references may be cryptic and their significance overlooked. This essay aims to demonstrate how Dickens creates Gothic suspense via various antitheses, and how he combines the Gothic with social issues. To provide contexts for the interpretation of this story, such issues as London urbanization, the suburban area of Walworth, the commencement of the Metropolitan Police, body snatching and murders committed to procure bodies for anatomists, and the Anatomy Act of 1832 are analyzed as essential elements contributing to suspense in this story.
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