Edgar Allan Poe is a name that is prominent in literature as a slightly obnoxious, gruesome writer. His short stories and poems are sure to send a shiver down any reader’s spine with his vivid imagery. But if one takes the time to read all sixty-nine of his short stories, he or she would find many common elements that become slightly monotonous. Even though he uses some similar ideas, it is what separates his work as distinctly “Poe”. After dissecting each of his stories, it is intriguing to find what components he tends to repeat.
The most prominent likeness of Poe’s stories is the unnamed narrator. There are only a few of his works that he actually names the speaker: “The Cask of Amontillado”, “Berenice”, and “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” are some examples. Almost all of the others fail to name him or her who is telling the story. In the twisted tale “William Wilson”, the narrator explains that the reason for not saying his name is because, “The fair page now lying before me need not be sullied with my real appellation” (Poe par. 1), but other than this one, Poe does not usually give a reason behind this characteristic. This is not the only commonality that a reader encounters at the beginning of Poe’s chilling fictions.
It is usual to see a confession of the narrator’s mindset at the start of these short stories. You can find this sort of an intro in “Manuscript Found in a Bottle” and “The Black Cat”. One of his works begins, “Very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses -- not destroyed -- not dulled them” (Poe “A Tell-Tale Heart” par. 1). In “A Tell-Tale Heart”, the reason he is proclaiming his sanity is because he has just killed a man, ...
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Poe, Edgar A. "The Masque of the Red Death." Poestories. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. .
Poe, Edgar A. "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Poestories. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. .
Poe, Edgar A. "The Pit and the Pendulum." Poestories. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. .
Poe, Edgar A. "The Tell-Tale Heart." Poestories. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. .
Poe, Edgar A. "William Wilson." Poestories. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014. .
Stevenson, Robert Louis. "Literature: 'The Works of Edgar Allan Poe'." The Academy 7.139 (2 Jan. 1879): 1-2. Rpt. in Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Laurie Lanzen Harris. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale Research, 1981. Literature Resource Center. Web. 27 Apr. 2014.
Poe, Edgar Allan. The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: The Modern Library 1992
Poe, Edgar Allan. "William Wilson." Selected Poetry and Prose of Poe. Ed. T. O. Mabbott. New York: Modern Library, 1951.
Reading Edgar Allen Poe’s works such as “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Tell-Tale Heart” are both written around 1840’s and written in the gothic style. Poe displays his horror short stories, in which the reader can differentiate his signature style. Although many of Poe’s significant works may have a similar theme, the reader can distinguish the themes through the characters in “The Cask of Amontillado” and “Tell-Tale Heart.”
In "The House of Poe", Richard Wilbur elucidates his criticisms of Poe 's work. He firstly comments on a critic 's purpose, then how Poe 's stories are all allegories. He then addresses the possible opposition to his argument, and then begins his discussion of the common themes in Poe 's writing and provides examples from his stories. This dissertation will analyze Wilbur 's criticism by cross referencing Poe 's work and how it exemplifies Wilbur 's assessment. There is a great deal of evidence to support Wilbur 's theories, but a close examination of each one will determine how legitimate his argument really is.
The story is told through first person allow us see the a deeper insight into the working of the narrator’s mind, allow us to see the madness that pervades the narrator. Poe provides the context that suggest clearly that the narrator is in fact insane. In the beginning the narrator insist that, “TRUE! — NERVOUS — VERY, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?”. (1) The beginning itself, indicates he is crazy due to the need of verifying his own sanity, and tries to convince us of his mental stability. Poe also shows this with the repetitiveness of the narrator’s speech pattern such as, “lantern cautiously-oh so cautiously--cautiously”. (1) All of his insanity is a derivation of the obsession that he wants to rid himself from; the evil eye that “vexed him” making him nervous and
Edgar Allan Poe is one of America’s most celebrated classical authors, known for his unique dealings within the horror genre. Poe was a master at utilizing literary devices such as point of view and setting to enhance the mood and plot of his stories leading to his widespread appeal that remains intact to this day. His mastery of aforementioned devices is evident in two of his shorter works “The Black Cat” and “The Cask of Amontillado”.
Poe, E. A. “The Raven.” Bedford introduction to literature: Reading, thinking, writing. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford Bks St Martin’s. 2013. 789-791. Print.
New York: A.C. Armstrong & Son., 1884. xv-xxvi. EPUB file. Sova, Dawn B. "Poe, Edgar Allan.
Phillips, Mary E. Edgar Allan Poe-The Man, Volume II. Chicago, IL: The John C. Winston Co, 1912.
In the article, “The Question of Poe’s Narrators” James W. Gargano discusses the criticize in “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe and tries to help the readers understand why Poe writes the way he does and identifies some of the quotes in his work. According, to Gargano, other authors view’s Poe’s work as “cheap or embarrassing Gothic Style” (177). The author is saying that Poe’s work makes the reader look at themselves not only the work. The author explores three main points. Some author thinks that Poe’s life is reflected in a lot of his work, uses dramatic language to show his style in work, and explains how Poe’s work manipulates his readers to understand.
Edgar Allan Poe has a style that is dark and morbid. His tone is very gloomy and obscure. The tone of “The Cask of Amontillado” is almost tame compared to the tone of “The Black Cat”, his other work we covered. The tone of that work is almost maddening. “The Cask of Amontillado” tone is very sinister and methodic. Whereas “The Black Cat”, has a pulse to a cadence and rhythm though no clear pattern is established. Poe’s style of writing seems so personal, as a reader I had to remind myself this was fiction. His first-person style of writing is so detailed and intricate it is very easy to become invested in the world he creates. “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Black Cat” both have themes of revenge where the supposed victim is untimely
Edgar Allan Poe, the man known as the father of horror stories. His short stories and poems are known to be gloomy, dark, and morbid. Most people are not aware that many of his works are reflections of his own life. Throughout his whole life, Poe experienced numerous tragedies. Many of his hard experiences can be seen in his poems Annabel Lee, Alone, and Israfel. His short stories were also affected by his past. The Raven also has small depictions of Poe’s life. A tragic past, consisting of a lack of true parents and the death of his wife, made Edgar Allan Poe the famous writer he is today, but it also led to his demise and unpopularity.
Edgar Allan Poe is a popular all around the world. He is seen as a dark, mysterious writer. Looking into his life experiences, it explains why his stories are so dark. Readers who do not know his background stories may think he is a crazy, mentally unstable man. But to really understand the depth of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, it is important and useful to look into the reasoning of why the stories are so dark.
Grantz, David. Qrisse's Edgar Allan Poe Pages, The Poe Decoder. 20 April 2001. Web site. 17 November 2013.
Edgar Allan Poe, is one of the most brilliant literary writers in history. He wrote many poems and short stories throughout his rather short lifetime, most of which encompassed such themes as death, destruction, and madness. These intriguing, and often frightening tales, as well as his clever use of a multitude of literary tactics, is what set him apart from the rest, and what makes him so popular still today. Reading his work, one is sure to wonder where these ideas came from. However, a little research into past will certainly open the doors to a better understanding of his writing.