To Be Read At Dusk
"To Be Read at Dusk" is a short story by Charles Dickens that explores themes of love, loss, and the passage of time. The story follows a man who receives a letter from his lost love, inviting him to meet her at dusk in a remote location. Despite the many years that have passed since their last encounter, the man is filled with hope and longing as he makes his way to the appointed place. However, upon arriving, he finds that his love has moved on and is now married to another man. The story is a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of change.
By Charles Dickens · First published 1853 · Genre: Short Stories, Gothic Fiction, Horror · 5,460 words
First lines
ONE, two, three, four, five. There were five of them.
Five couriers, sitting on a bench outside the convent on the summit of the Great St. Bernard in Switzerland, looking at the remote heights, stained by the setting sun as if a mighty quantity of red wine had been broached upon the mountain top, and had not yet had time to sink into the snow.
What this Textopian page supports
To Be Read At Dusk is listed on Textopian as a novel by Charles Dickens, dated 1853 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Charles Dickens
- Date: 1853 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Short Stories, Gothic Fiction, Horror, Victorian Literature, Literary Fiction
- Length: 5,460 words
- Structure: 1 section, 101 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for To Be Read At Dusk by Charles Dickens
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering To Be Read At Dusk?
- How does this novel by Charles Dickens fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Short Stories first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- Three Ghost Stories by Charles Dickens
- The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benet
- The Flayed Hand by Guy De Maupassant
- The Phantom Rickshaw by Rudyard Kipling
- The Beetle Hunter by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Thing In The Upper Room by Arthur Morrison
Genres
- Short Stories — To Be Read At Dusk is a collection of short stories written by Charles Dickens.
- Gothic Fiction — The book features a dark, eerie atmosphere and supernatural themes commonly associated with Gothic Fiction.
- Horror — Several stories in the collection include elements of horror, such as haunting specters and chilling narrative twists.
- Victorian Literature — The book was written during the Victorian era and reflects the societal issues and writing style characteristic of that time.
Tags
gothic · mystery · suspense · short story · Victorian · literature · dark themes · atmospheric · narrative · psychological · supernatural · character study