What are the characteristics of dark depressing short stories?

One is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a narrator who is haunted by the old man's vulture - like eye and finally kills him. The narrator's increasing paranoia makes the story dark and depressing.

Another characteristic is the exploration of complex and often negative human emotions. These stories dig deep into feelings like despair, loneliness, and regret. Take 'The Bell Jar' for instance. The protagonist's battle with mental illness is filled with such emotions as she feels isolated and lost in her own world.

There is 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. Dorian sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty, but his portrait reflects all the ugliness and sins he commits, and in the end, he tries to destroy the portrait but ends up destroying himself. 'Lord of the Flies' is also dark. It shows how quickly boys stranded on an island turn into savages, with the death of Piggy being a very depressing moment. And '1984' by George Orwell, with its dystopian world of totalitarian control, surveillance, and the crushing of individuality.

One characteristic is unfulfilled love. For example, in many stories, the lovers are separated by circumstances like distance, family, or social status. Another is a sense of loss. When one of the lovers dies or leaves, the remaining person is left with a deep sense of emptiness. Also, there's often a feeling of powerlessness. The characters can't change the situation that's tearing their love apart, like in the case of terminal illness in some stories.

Another characteristic is the exploration of the darker side of human nature. These stories might show characters struggling with their inner demons, such as jealousy, greed or madness. In many of these stories, there is a sense of the inevitable, that no matter what the characters do, doom is waiting for them at the end.

Dark humor short stories often feature unexpected or absurd situations. For example, characters might find themselves in a completely illogical yet real - ish situation, like in 'The Metamorphosis' where a man turns into an insect.

Dark horror short stories often have a sense of the unknown. They create an atmosphere of dread. For example, they might use settings like old, abandoned houses or desolate landscapes. The characters usually face some sort of inescapable fate or terrifying entity.

Dark humor short stories also tend to play with taboos. They might touch on topics like death, violence, or social norms in a way that is not typical. By breaking these boundaries in a humorous context, they create a unique and often thought - provoking reading experience. This can make the reader both uncomfortable and amused at the same time.

Dark fiction short stories frequently involve elements of the unknown and the uncanny. This could be in the form of strange creatures, unexplained phenomena, or secrets that are gradually uncovered. They also may have a sense of moral ambiguity, where it's not always clear who the 'good' or 'bad' characters are. The pacing can be slow and deliberate to build up tension, or it can be rapid and chaotic, mirroring the chaos within the story itself.

Dark Romanticism short stories are really interesting in that they combine elements of Romanticism, like a focus on the individual and nature, but with a much darker twist. They often depict a world that is out of balance, where the natural order has been disrupted. The stories can be seen as a sort of cautionary tale, warning readers about the consequences of giving in to our baser instincts. The settings are not just dark for the sake of it, but rather they serve to heighten the sense of unease and the characters' isolation. The characters themselves may be outsiders, rejected by society because of their 'dark' qualities, and this further emphasizes the themes of alienation and the struggle against an unforgiving world.