Final answer:
Oscar Wilde creates tension using natural elements and vivid details that personify the setting with emotions, alongside engaging dialogue that combines humor with serious undertones.
Step-by-step explanation:
Oscar Wilde is adept at creating a tense atmosphere at the beginning of a story not through joyful scenes or the use of bright colors, but rather by deploying other literary techniques. One of the effective ways he builds tension is by incorporating plants or natural elements within the setting that personify certain emotions or atmospheres. This personification is coupled with vivid details and imagery which portray a particular setting as antagonist, with descriptors such as 'threatening,' 'cheerless and gloomy,' that contribute to the building of tension. Wilde can also create tension through dialogue by infusing humor, which paradoxically, can underscore the serious undercurrents and tensions between characters. By focusing on the choice of language and the tone—whether it is the vivid description of the natural landscape, or the engaging language used in dialogue—Wilde successfully constructs a mood that is both compelling and tense.