GCSE English Literature · key term

Shilling shocker

Definition

An inexpensive sensational story sold for one shilling, designed to excite or frighten readers.

Used by AQA, Edexcel and Eduqas

Paper 1

A short, inexpensive sensational story sold for one shilling, designed to excite or frighten readers.
Sold in paperback for one shilling, the novella belonged to the market for sensational ‘shilling shockers’. Yet its reception also included religious discussion and quotation in sermons. Its frightening entertainment could therefore carry a serious argument about good, evil and responsibility.
Revise: Context
A cheap, sensational publication sold for one shilling, designed to grip readers through suspense and shocking events.
Revise: Writer's methods

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Paper 2

A short, inexpensive sensational story sold for one shilling, intended to excite or frighten its readers.
It was sold in paperback for one shilling, fitting the market for exciting “shilling shockers”. Yet its moral implications also interested religious readers, and it was quoted in sermons. It could offer both sensational entertainment and a disturbing examination of human responsibility.
Revise: Context
Revise: Writer's methods

Component 2

A sensational story sold cheaply for one shilling, intended to excite or frighten its readers.
Its short novella form and cheap one-shilling publication helped it function as a shilling shocker, but readers also treated it as a serious moral story. It was discussed in religious publications and used in sermons. Its blend of Gothic horror and investigation attracts readers through suspense while raising questions about evil within ordinary human beings.
Revise: Context
An inexpensive sensational story sold for one shilling, associated with suspense and frightening events.
Revise: Writer's methods