Gothic in the Deathly Hallows: Guiding the reader's eye

Christmas decorations twinkling

The next sentence brings the focus down from the vast sky, to the immediate surroundings.

Cottages stood on either side of the narrow road, Christmas decorations twinkling in their windows.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(2007)

Do you notice how small everything is in this snippet:

  • Why have cottages and not houses?
  • Why make the road narrow and not wide?
  • Why say the decorations are twinkling rather than shining?

All these choices make things seem small and cosy, in contrast to the vast night sky above.

Notice that each clause in this sentence has the same structure: thing, action, place.

Cottages stood on either side of the narrow road, Christmas decorations twinkling in their windows.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows(2007)

Can you find the same two patterns in these examples?

Lights ran down the sides of the passage, beads of water glittering on their casings.

Lights ran down the sides of the passage, beads of water glittering on their casings.

Pipes hung from the shadows overhead, warmth radiating from deep inside them.

Pipes hung from the shadows overhead, warmth radiating from deep inside them.

A curtain hung across the only doorway, tiny love hearts stitched into the fabric.

A curtain hung across the only doorway, tiny love hearts stitched into the fabric.

Write your own variation and try to balance making it pretty but also slightly spooky.
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