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.
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.
If you like dark, depressing, and unconventional novels, then I strongly recommend EXO: The Two-Faced Queen Is Too Arrogant! And "Ghost Doctor's Ghost Gate Mystic Medicine" for you. The former was a Doujinshi derivative novel. The female protagonist was a double-faced demon ace angel. She had a soft and domineering personality. The visual was subversive and the writing was smooth. It was a very attractive novel. The latter was a mystery detective and mysterious cultural novel. It had a different style of the late Qing novels, showing an unusual style of grave robbing. The reasoning plot was rich and interesting, and it was constantly exciting. I hope my recommendation can meet your needs. If you like it, please pay more attention. Muah ~
Dark and depressing stories often make readers reflect on society and human nature. In '1984', it makes us think about the importance of freedom and privacy. Also, they can sometimes be cathartic. We get to experience strong emotions through the story and then release them. But for some readers, they might cause a sense of melancholy or even short - term depression if they are too sensitive, like when reading about the tragic end of the characters in 'A Streetcar Named Desire'.
To write a dark and depressing novel, one needed to pay attention to the following aspects:
Character Creation: Creating characters with complex psychology and personalities in the novel. Their reactions and decisions in the face of various difficulties and challenges can make the readers feel the darkness and depression of emotions.
2. Scene Description: Create a depressing and pessimistic atmosphere by describing the atmosphere and details of the environment. For example, a gloomy sky, an empty room, or a withered grass.
3. Plot setting: By setting up some symbolic or suggestive plots, the readers will feel the darkness and depression of emotions in the development of the plot. For example, setting up a bloody scene, a mysterious disappearance, or a disturbing hint.
4. Use of language: Create a dark and pessimistic atmosphere by using low, depressing tones and words. For example, using words like " silence,"" darkness," and " darkness " to hint at the environment of the characters in the story.
5. Plot twist: Through some sudden twists and breakthroughs in the plot development of the novel, the readers can feel the explosion of emotions and the dawn of hope. For example, through an unexpected reconciliation, a shocking discovery, or a sudden twist to break the depression and pessimism of the story.
To sum up, by focusing on character creation, scene description, plot setting, language use, and plot twist, we can write a dark and depressing novel that allows the readers to feel the emotional repression and explosion in reading, and experience the deep emotional resonance brought by the story.
Loneliness is a common theme. For example, in 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator is isolated in a room and slowly descends into madness, which shows how extreme loneliness can be.
Despair is also prevalent. The characters often find themselves in situations where there seems to be no way out. In Kafka's 'The Metamorphosis', Gregor Samsa wakes up as a giant insect and is filled with despair as he realizes his new state and how it affects his family and his own existence.
One common theme is loss. It could be the loss of a loved one, like in a story where a character loses their partner and then has to face a world that seems empty without them. Another theme is unfulfilled dreams. For example, a character who has spent their whole life working towards a goal but then something happens that makes it impossible to achieve. Isolation is also a key theme. A lot of depressing short stories feature characters who are alone, either physically or emotionally, and they struggle to find connection or meaning in their lives.
Well, sometimes short stories focus on intense emotions or difficult situations to make a big impact in a limited space. That can often lead to a more depressing tone.