Suspense

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Suspense or tension is the feeling of uncertainty and interest about the outcome of certain actions, most often referring to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work. However, suspense is not exclusive to literature. Suspense can be considered as any situation where there a lead up to a big event or dramatic moment, with tension being a primary emotion felt as part of the situation.

Aristotle

According to Aristotle's Poetics, suspense is an important building block of drama. In very broad terms, it consists of having some real danger looming and a ray of hope. The two common outcomes can be

• the danger hits, whereby the audience will feel sorrowful
• the hope comes true, whereby the audience will first feel joy, then satisfaction.

If there is no hope, the audience will feel despair.

Suspense in dramatic works

• J. B. Priestley wrote numerous plays with high levels of suspense, the most popular of all being An Inspector Calls.
• Robert Ludlum has written many books in the international suspense genre. In the Jason Bourne series, the main character has amnesia. He does not remember who he is, what he does, or how he got there -- these techniques are used to increase suspense and curiosity in the reader.

Suspense in movies

Alfred Hitchcock is considered to be the first director to use suspense in movies. According to Hitchcock, the viewer has to know more than the character to create suspense. He has many ways to put suspense in a movie: - Innocent people get into a problem they couldn't help - He uses the MacGuffin, this is a storyline that has nothing to do with the real story but is used to bring the viewer in the story.

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