Edgar Allan Poe Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1908)

Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849) American romantic poet and prosaist Best known for his mystery One of the earlies practicioner of short story and inventor of detective-fiction genre Rational composition of tales Horror is result of human wrath

Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849) He was born as Edgar Poe in Boston His mother early died and his father abandoned family He was adopted by John and Frances Allan He studied university for one semester – he left for lack of money He married his cousin Virginia (13) He died because of alcohol and drugs

Tales of Mystery and Imagination The first complete collection of Poe‘s tales Includes 10 short stories

The Pit and the Pendulum Narrator is sentenced to death by Spanished Inquisition and finds himself in a black compartment. He discover that in the middle of room is deep pit and he faints He is bound to a wooden board by rope and the pendulum is hanging up above him from a ceiling and swinging slowly back and forth

The Pit and the Pendulum The Pit and the Pendulum

The pendulum is going to kill him But there is a lot of ratts and he spread ropes with a lack of his food and ratts start chewing ropes and rescue him He must be killed and that‘s why walls have become red-hot and begun moving inwards, driving him into the center of the room and towards the brink of the pit

The Pit and the Pendulum When he is going to fall into the pit he hears human voices – The French Army has taken Toledo and the Inquisition is in the hands of its enemies.

The Read Death The Red Death: killed thousands people ◦ Heavy bleeding through the skin, death came in half an hour Prince Prospero and one thousand other nobles have taken refuge in his walled abbey to escape There is 7 room painted in different colour and one is painted black with blood-red window and clock

The Read Death Prince holds a carnival in black room There appeared a figure which looks like death and have symptoms of Red Death Prospero would like to kill him but when the figure turns to face him, the Prince falls dead.

10. The Read Death

The Read Death Nobles wanted to remove mask from the mysterious guest and they find that there is no human body in clothes They realize that the figure is the Red Death and all nobles have this disease The clock stop forever „And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.“

Language Level 5 Wrath [ro: θ ] – hněv, zloba To be sentenced – být odsouzený Forth [fo: θ ] – dále, pryč, dopředu Inwards – dovnitř Refuge – útočiště, záchrana Decay – úpadek, rozpad

My opinion Even thoug the book was written in early 20 th century, the tales are still popular. And a lot of people like them. I would like to recommend this book because the short stories are timeless, and thrilling with horror elements. When I read the book I always put myself into sb.‘s place and I regret that the short story was ending.