Edgar Allen Poe

Paper Summary:

The paper examines two of Edgar Allen Poe's best and most moving pieces -"The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart." The paper describes how in "The Black Cat" the narrator is a delusional man who has a pet cat and how in "The Tell-Tale Heart" Poe depicts a narrator who is not only delusional but clearly insane. The paper highlights that in both of these stories there is a common thread of delusion and paranoia. The paper concludes that although Poe wrote his work in the mid-19th century the themes are still relevant today.

From the Paper:

"For decades, Poe has been regarded as a leader in gothic literature. His stories (along with his poetry) are often filled with violence and hatred and because they are dark and graphic, they usually depict the narrator as twisted and distraught.
The stories of Poe usually portray a narrator laden with self-hatred and said narrator often projects his own feelings onto the audience and other characters within the story. In "The Black Cat," the narrator is a man who places all blame for his alcohol indulgence--and later murders--on intemperance and perverseness rather than on his own insanity and lack of self-control."

More papers on Edgar Allen Poe:

• Analytical Essay # 62509 : "Edgar Allen Poe: Forever Locked in Memory"
• Analytical Essay # 40036 : "The Darkness Within: Imagining Edgar Allen Poe"
• Essay # 30470 : "Edgar Allen Poe"
• Analytical Essay # 8827 : "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe"

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