The King in Yellow

In what ways do the characters, settings, and plots reflect the prevailing attitudes and concerns of the fin de siècle?

Why might the same character names appear across several stories? Are they the same character each time?

What methods and literary devices does Chambers use to build the slow tension and creeping horror of supernatural stories in the collection? In what ways do the more romantic stories use the same methods despite the lack of horror elements?

Both “The Demoiselle d’Ys” and “The Prophets’ Paradise” are outliers in both content and style. Why were they included and how does their placement in the story order influence the collection as a whole?

Consider the themes of reality, moral decay, and desire. How do these themes interconnect and influence each other? Explain using examples from the text.

Would you agree with Christophe Thill’s criticism that Chambers exceled at writing horror but wrote romance and love poorly? Using evidence from 3-4 stories, construct a critique or defense of Chambers’s portrayals of love.

In what ways do Chambers’s religious and moralistic views hinder or enhance your reading and understanding of the stories and themes?

Several stories in the collection, including “In the Court of the Dragon,” “The Yellow Sign,” “The Street of the First Shell,” and “Rue Barrée” (Stories 3, 4, 8, and 10), have abrupt and ambiguous endings. What might these endings imply about the characters and their fates? How do the endings affect your interpretation of the narratives?