Aspects and Analysis of Edgar Allen Poe's " The Cask of Amontillado" and the "Black Cat"
What makes literary works considered great, and furthermore what makes the greatness of the work withstand the test of time? The answer to both of these questions is the same. Greatness of literary work that withstands the test of time is due to the fact that their meaning is still seen and identified with by people today, and still evokes interest in the reader, even though these works were written decades, sometimes centuries earlier. When works of literature have with stood the test of time, and are still considered great, these works are analyzed as to why they are so. One author's work that has come under much critical analysis to what aspects of his work make them so great is Edgar Allen Poe. Two works in particular that have come under analysis are "The Cask of Amontillado", and the "Black Cat". Under analysis, it has been determined that there are three aspects of Poe's writing that make his stories literary classics. These three aspects of his writing are style, theme and use of irony. What are these three aspects, and how are they used in Poe's work?
Edgar Allen Poe's literary style has been anal
. . .
In order for a reader to fully appreciate Poe's art, the reader must willingly fully participate in the story (Saliba 70). However with Poe's first person narrative, as readers look from the inside of the main characters head to the real world as Poe's character sees it. As readers, besides the occasional description, we never get to really determine the true feeling of the central character. The last, subtlest, and the greatest of the ironies in the story, is the confession. In the end as described in the story, he tries killing the cat with an ax, and is stopped by his wife. This is the set up for the second, and most climatic irony of the story. But it is precisely the plot or the pattern that gives it away"(May 78). With this style of character portrayal, we as readers know at all times what the central character is thinking and feeling, and how it influences their actions. The narrator has no sense of guilt for his actions, yet he is happy, filled with glee, that his wife's body rots behind the wall that he built (May 75). Yet this perfect revenge brings about two ironies, both closely related. The difference between the two uses of irony in both stories is that in "The Cask of Amontillado" irony seems to be subtler, which sets up and strengthens the ending, whereas in "The Black Cat", the only use of irony is the ending. The cat with which he is so obsessed with and hates, has brought him into killing his wife, and because of his obsession and hatred for the black cat, the narrator feels no remorse or guilt for his crime.
Use of Irony
The last and most easily seen aspects of Poe's writing is the heavy use of irony. Unlike "The Cask of Amontillado", where
Shrout 10
irony is seen from beginning to end in two forms, there is only one use of irony that exists in "The Black Cat".
Approximate Word count =
3577
Approximate Pages =
14 (250 words per page double spaced)
Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.
| CREDIT CARD |
ONLINE CHECK |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
JOIN BY PHONE
|
|
|
