The Tormented Life of Edgar Allan Poe “ The Short Life ”

Background Born His mother died during his youth and his father abandoned them After the death of his grandmother married his 13- year-old cousin, Virginia in 1835 Virginia died in 1847 Died in 1849

Education of Poe Entered and dropped from both the University of Virginia and West Point Ran into debt and started borrowing money, gambling and getting deeper into debt

Writing Style of Poe Wrote in a Gothic Style Deep and intense Explorations of а world of dream and of nightmare In his stories the past is darker, mоrе ominous and oppresses his heroes and heroines

Poe’s Characters Many of his characters аrе filled with madness Obsessed with the irrational side of the mind

Famous Works –Short Stories –Poems The Pit and the Pendulum The Fall of the House of Usher Tell-Tale Heart The Cask of the Amontillado The Masque of the Red Death The Raven Lenore

General Information Year of Publication Setting The story opens with the narrator telling readers that he is not mad. His narrative is supposed to be a vehicle to show he is not insane. The story is set in a house occupied by the narrator and an old man during the mid 1800’s.

General Information GenreGenre Story and StyleStory and Style Horror story and psychological thriller The Tell Tale Heart is one of Poe’s shortest stories. It’s lack of detail only adds to its suspense by creating a mood of paranoia for the reader that mirrors the feelings of the narrator

Literary Focus Point of ViewThe story is told in first- person point of view by an unreliable narrator. The narrator is obviously deranged, even though he declares at the outset that he is sane. As in many of his other short stories, Poe does not name the narrator.

Literary Focus IronyIrony The irony of the story stems from the narrator’s claims of sanity being disproved by his own claims. Although he proclaims himself to be too calm to be a madman, he is defeated by a noise that may be interpreted as the beating of his own heart

Literary Focus Imagery and RepetitionImagery and Repetition Poe’s use of sound throughout the narrative, combined by using repetition adds to the story’s suspense. The effect is a building of noise in the readers’ ears and a building of tension

Themes and Focus Mankind’s wicked side– another self Mankind’s paranoia Mankind’s Fear Mental Pressure and Fatigue Appearance vs. Reality Dark Appearances vs. Dark Thoughts

Summary and Plot Overview The unnamed narrator disputes the allegation that he might be crazy. The narrator provides care for a wealthy elderly man. For some inexplicable reason, the narrator becomes obsessed with the diseased eye of the old man.

Summary and Plot Overview The narrator likens it to a vulture’s eye and is so haunted by the Evil Eye that he decides to murder the old man. The narrator’s attempts to prove his sanity only become more ludicrous as more details of his personality are revealed.

Character Analysis The Narrator Deranged unnamed person who tries to convince the reader that he is sane. He is intelligent and has the ability to commit a crime with skill and precision He nagged by what he calls heightened senses, something that is a condition found in several various Poe stories

Character Analysis The Old Man: Neighbor: Three Policemen: Seemingly harmless elder who has a hideous "evil eye" that unnerves the narrator. Person who hears a shriek coming from the house of the narrator and the old man, then reports it to the police. Officers who search the narrator's house after a neighbor reports hearing a shriek.