Philology

During our class session, we discussed Poe’s review of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work and his ideas about writing short stories. We discussed these ideas in relation to two stories: “The Masque of the Red Death” (1842) and “The Black Cat” (1843).

For this journal entry, explain the ways that you think “The Cask of Amontillado” (1846) illustrates Poe’s definition. Since this is the latest of his stories that we have studied, what connections can you draw to his earlier work in regard to tone, characterization, and / or plot? What larger significance do you attach to the connection(s) you highlighted from Poe’s stories?

Your response should be a minimum of 400 words. Be sure to use at least one quote from “The Cask …” to develop your entry. This entry will follow the 10 point scale found in the syllabus.

Reminder: Do not consult sources like SparkNotes, Cliffnotes, Wikipedia, etc. While these sources may seem like a quick way to understand a short story, they cannot substitute for the value gained by reading the work.

Since I’m not sure, this slide of the PowerPoint was visible during our session, here are the key takeaways from Poe’s definition:

1) Conceive a “certain single effect” and then he “invents such incidents, combines such events, and discusses them in such tone as may best serve him in establishing this preconceived effect” (566).

2) “If his very first sentence tend not to the outbringing of this effect, then in his very first step has he committed a blunder” (566).

3) Brevity: must be “completed at one sitting” (“During the hour of perusal, the soul of the reader is at the writer’s control.”) (566).

4) Truth— “often, and in very great degree, the aim of the tale” (567).

5) Tale offers “a vast variety of modes or inflections of thought and expression” (567). (i.e. “terror, or passion, or horror …”)

Your post should be a minimum of 400 words and it should include at least one full quote from this story.