Edgar Allan Poe

Biographical information PAGE 218

Writers sometimes take on a persona A mask or a voice for the 1 st person narrator. You need to ask yourself, even though the story may be told in first person, can you trust what the narrator tells you. Sometimes a writer will have the narrator be unreliable to tell a story from their point of view

An unreliable narrator may not always know the whole truth An unreliable narrator may try to deceive us on purpose. Pay attention to the narrator’s actions, statements, voice, word choice, and attitude. These will provide you with clues to determine if the narrator is telling you the whole truth!

When you read, act like a detective! Gather information to be able to draw conclusions or make judgments. Look closely at what the characters say and do.

Montresor, the Italian nobleman narrating this tale, claims that Fortunato has injured and insulted him and vows revenge. Meeting Fortunato during the winter carnival, Montresor feigns friendship and lures him to his home to taste some amontillado, a rare wine that is kept in a cask in an underground vault.

Once they are underground, Montresor chains Fortunato to a wall and bricks him in, burying him alive! 50 years later, the crime remains undiscovered. He has committed what he considers “the perfect crime” (he mentioned this in the 1 st paragraph) because he does not get caught/there is no punishment.

Is Montresor to be believed, or is he an unreliable narrator? Is he lying or is he simply mad??