Gothic literature, both traditional and contemporary which both create a suspense. It originated in England in the second half of the half 18th Century and had success in the 19th. In traditional gothic literature the word is more traditional way as it is written in 19th Century such as Charles Dickens ‘The Signalman’. It was written in 1866. Dickens conveys the story to the readers by using an unfamiliar, isolation and supernatural themes. In the other hand, contemporary gothic literature is different as it’s written in 20th Century words which makes it more modern and more contemporary manner. Roald Dahl’s ‘Lamb to the slaughter’ conveys the readers by use such a simple theme like realism, familiar and the language he has used. These two gothic literature are completely different. This is because they are in the different type. However, they are same in the using of suspense to capture the readers and to allow the reader feel how the author felt which can portrays the imagery of the suspense. Inherently, in ‘The Signalman’ Dickens uses an unfamiliar setting to build suspense by using gloomy words to make a tunnel horrendous, deadly and isolated. Which can be seen in “his post was in a solitary and dismal a place”. The using of the words such as ‘solitary’ and ‘dismal’ construct the imagery of being abandoned and a lonesome place. Suspense is being built during the readers read through these words thinking of a ghastly place and something dreadful could happen here.