The-Cask-of-Amontillado

TheCaskofAmontillado(1846)byEdgarAllanPoeEdgarAllanPoe(1809-1849)OneofthegreatestAmericanpoets,Amasterofthehorrortale,Thepatronsaintofthedetectivestory.TheFallandRiseofPoe’sReputationAldousHuxleywrotethatPoe'swritingfallsintovulgaritybybeingtoopoetical–theequivalentofwearingadiamondringoneveryfinger.Whitman:“itsnarrowrangeandunhealthy,luridquality…”AfterPoe’sdeathin1849,hisliteraryexecutorRufusW.GriswoldwroteanobituaryintheNewYorkTribune,inwhichheslanderouslyexaggeratedPoe’sweaknesses.HedescribedPoeasa“shrewdandnaturallyunamiablecharacter”who“walkedthestreets,inmadnessormelancholy,withlipsmovinginindistinctcurses.”G.B.Shaw’sevaluationofPoe'sachievement:“Thegreatestjournalisticcriticofhistime”hispoetryis“exquisitelyrefined”histalesare“completeworksofart”Poeanticipatedmodernpsychologywithitsid,egoandsuperegobyshowingthroughhisstoriesthatthemonstersoutsidearenothingcomparedtothemonsterswecarrywithinus.Poe’stheoryforpoetryshortbutachievemaximumeffectproduceafeelingofbeautyinthereaderpure“,nottomoralizerhythmshoulebestressedinsistsonanevenmetricalflowPoe’sachievement:1.Hisaesthetics,hiscallfortherhythmicalcreationofbeautyhaveinfluencedFrenchsymbolistsandthedevoteesofartforart'ssake.2.Heisthefatherofpsychoanalyticcriticism.3.Heisthefatherofthedetectivestory.Poe'sparents,bothdiedbeforehewas3yearsold,weretouringactor(FatherDavidPoeJr.andmotherElizabethArnoldHopkins).HewasadoptedbyJohnAllan,aprosperousmerchantandbaptizedEdgarAllanPoe.In1826heenteredtheUniversityofVirginiabutstayedforonlyayear.Althoughagoodstudent,heranuplargegamblingdebtsthatAllanrefusedtopay.Lackinganymeansofsupport,Poeenlistedinthearmy.JohnAllanmotherElizabethHopkinsTemporarilyreconciled,AllansecuredPoe'sreleasefromthearmyandhisappointmenttoWestPointbutrefusedtoprovidefinancialsupport.After6monthsPoeapparentlycontrivedtobedismissedfromWestPointfordisobedienceoforders.Poenexttookupresidencewithhiswidowedaunt,MariaClemm,andherdaughter,Virginia,andturnedtofictionasawaytosupporthimself.HebecameeditoroftheSouthernLiteraryMessengerandmarriedVirginia,whowasnotyet14yearsold.VirginiaMariaClemmTheParadoxicalPatternforPoe'sCareer:SuccessasanartistandeditorbutfailuretosatisfyhisemployersandtosecurealivelihoodTheJanuary1837issueoftheMessengerannouncedPoe'swithdrawalaseditorbutalsoincludedthefirstinstallmentofoneofhislongprosetales,fiveofhisreviews,andtwoofhispoems.Itwasn'tuntilthe1845publicationofPoe'sfamouspoemTheRaventhatheachievedthetruerisetofamethathadbeendeniedhimuntilthen.Thepublic'sreactiontothepoembroughtPoetoanewlevelofrecognitionandcouldbecomparedtothatofsomeuproariouslysuccessfulhitsongtoday.“TheRaven”isanarrativepoem,firstpublishedinJanuary1845.Itisnotedforitsmusicality,stylizedlanguage,andsupernaturalatmosphere.Ittellsofatalkingraven’smysteriousvisittoadistraughtlover,tracingthelatter’sslowdescentintomadness.AnnabelLee(1849)Itwasmanyandmanyayearago,Inakingdombythesea,ThatamaidentherelivedwhomyoumayknowBythenameofANNABELLEE;AndthismaidenshelivedwithnootherthoughtThantoloveandbelovedbyme.InFebruary1847,Poe'syoungwifediedofconsumption.Poewasdevastatedbyherdeath.Poediedattheageof40inOctober1849inBaltimore.Itseemsclearthathisdeathcanbeattributedtotheeffectsofalcoholism.AcontemporaryofPoe'satthetimeremarked,Thisdeathwasalmostasuicide,asuicidepreparedforalongtime.TheFatheroftheModernShortStoryThefirstwritertodefinetheshortstoryasadistinctliteraryform.InareviewofNathanielHawthorne'santhology,Twice-ToldTalesinGraham'sMagazine,May1842,hedescribedhistheoryonhowtoconstructatale:1.Astoryshouldtrytoachieveasingleeffect.2.Allincidentsandeventsofashortstoryshouldhelptheauthortoestablishthiseffect.3.Theveryfirstsentenceofthestoryshouldbringoutthiseffect.4.Thewholecompositionshouldfollowtheauthor'spre-establisheddesign.5.Areadershouldfeelasenseoffullsatisfactionfromhavingreadthestory.Pre-ActivityQuestions:PrideSelf-esteemSelf-respectSelf-loveSelf-confidenceDignityHonorRespectabilityNobilityFaceHasanyoneeverdoneanythingtoyouthatmadeyouwanttogetrevengeonthem?Haveyouevergottenrevengeonsomeoneforsomethingtheydidtoyou?Whatdidyoudototheminreturn?Explainhowtherevengemadeyoufeel?Didyougetcaught?Ifyouhadgottencaught,wouldthathavechangedthefeelingtherevengegaveyou?EdgarAllanPoepublished“TheCaskofAmontillado”in1846.It’sataleofrevenge,murder,torture,andaddictionsetinavastundergroundItaliancatacomb.It’salsoajourneyintothedarkandmysteriousrecessesofthehumanpsyche.AFrameStoryEmploysanarrativetechniquewherebyanintroductroymainstoryleadsreaderstothestorywithinthestory.“TheBookofOneThousandandOneNights”“WutheringHeights”Claustrophobia[klɔ:strə'fəubiə]Thefearofbeingclosedin,nothavinganescaperoute,beingtrappedRuleof3sApersoncanlivethreeminuteswithoutair,threedayswithoutwater,andthreeweekswithoutfood.ReversePsychologyisapersuasiontechiniqueinvolvingtheadvocacyofabelive/behaviourthatisoppositetotheonedesired,withtheexpectationthatthisapproachwillencouragethesubjecttodowhatisdeisred:theoppositeofwhatissuggested.Thehorrorstoryisanargument,usuallyadarkandmysteriousone,abouthumannature.Byr