This Seminararbeit shall deal with the short story 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by one of the most famous American writers, Edgar Allan Poe. In the following pages, one will firstly be introduced to the author and his historical background, the American Romantic Movement with the subgenres Dark Romanticism and Gothic fiction.
Afterwards, the short story will be analyzed regarding its content, literary devices and linguistic means, especially in the end. Furthermore, I wanted to think out of the box and therefore included a personal diagnosis regarding the narrator's psychological disorders.
Rounding up this paper, I rewrote the short story by looking at it from a different perspective – my piece is told by the old man who is assassinated and can thereby answer some questions that have so far remained insoluble.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Historical background
1. Edgar Allan Poe – biographical information
2. Romantic Movement in the United States
3. Dark Romanticism and Gothic fiction
4. Publication of 'The Tell-Tale Heart'
III. Analysis of the short story 'The Tell-Tale Heart'
1. Content
2. Literary devices
2.1 Symbols
2.2 The setting
2.3 Point of view: 1st person limited narrator
3. Analysis regarding linguistic means and content
IV. Further aspects
1. Short story – history and characteristics
2. The narrator and his psychological disorders
V. Conclusion
1. Summary
2. Personal opinion on the piece and its impact
VI. Bibliography
Objectives & Core Topics
This paper aims to conduct a comprehensive literary analysis of Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Tell-Tale Heart." It explores the psychological complexity of the narrator, the author's stylistic choices, and the historical context of American Romanticism and Gothic fiction, while offering an innovative perspective by reimagining the story from the victim's viewpoint.
- Historical context of the American Romantic Movement and Gothic literature.
- In-depth literary analysis of symbols, setting, and narrative perspective.
- Linguistic analysis of the narrator's psychological state and reliability.
- Psychological diagnosis based on the narrator's behavior and testimony.
Excerpt from the Book
The narrator and his personality
Particularly obvious and mentioned directly is the narrator's enduring nervousness. This is expressed in numerous repetitions and climaxes throughout the story. Already in the very beginning, he admits to be “nervous – very, very dreadfully nervous“ (l.1). Also, the exclamations during his recapitulation imply his tension, e.g. “Ha! - would a madman have been so wise as this?“ (l.20) “How then am I mad? Hearken!“ (l.4). Evident from this, he is not completely under control. His edginess can also be detected in the hyperbole “so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror“ (l.72) which he can hear shortly before he murders the old man. In addition, the paratactic syntax shifts to the foreground in the moments in which his nervousness is especially present. The sentences are generally shorter and the digressions almost disappear. This point will be mentioned again in the analysis of the peripeteia. Likewise, a certain frigidity lies within the narrator's actions. So he describes the process of dismembering the old man's corpse unemotionally with short paratactic sentences: “First of all I dismembered the corpse. I cut off the head and the arms and the legs.“ (l.83f.) Of course, his lack of empathy is revealed throughout the story, because he does not regret his deed and also does not at all question himself.
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: This chapter introduces the topic, drawing parallels between real-world psychological phenomena and the narrator's mindset in Poe's short story.
II. Historical background: This section provides biographical context on Edgar Allan Poe and explores the cultural influences of the Romantic Movement, Dark Romanticism, and Gothic fiction.
III. Analysis of the short story 'The Tell-Tale Heart': The central analysis investigates the narrative content, core symbols (eye, watch, lantern, heart), the setting, and the influence of the first-person limited perspective on the reader.
IV. Further aspects: This chapter covers the history of the short story genre and provides a clinical-style diagnosis of the narrator's psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia and phobias.
V. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes the findings and presents a personal reflection on the timeless impact and moral message of the story.
VI. Bibliography: This section lists all primary and secondary literature as well as web sources used for the analysis.
Keywords
Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart, American Romanticism, Gothic fiction, Short story analysis, Psychological disorder, Narrator reliability, Symbolism, Literary devices, Dark Romanticism, Paranoid schizophrenia, Tinnitus, Literary criticism, Narrative perspective, Morality.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary objective of this seminar paper?
The paper aims to analyze Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Tell-Tale Heart' by examining its literary devices, historical context, and the psychological state of its narrator.
Which literary movements are discussed in relation to Poe?
The analysis focuses on the American Romantic Movement, specifically the subgenres of Dark Romanticism and Gothic fiction.
What methodology is used for the analysis?
The author employs a close reading methodology, combining literary analysis of symbols and syntax with a psychological evaluation based on clinical definitions.
How does the author analyze the narrator's personality?
The author examines the narrator's nervousness, repetitive speech patterns, paratactic syntax, and lack of empathy to highlight his unreliability and mental instability.
What specific symbols are explored in the text?
The core symbols analyzed are the old man's eye, the watch, the lantern, and the heartbeat.
What is the thematic focus of the third chapter?
The third chapter is dedicated to the technical analysis of the short story, covering content, literary devices like symbolism and point of view, and linguistic elements.
Why does the author classify the narrator as having a "dissocial personality disorder"?
The author cites the narrator's callous lack of interest in the feelings of others and his brutal, emotionless approach to the murder as evidence for this classification.
What unique approach does the author take in the Appendix?
The author provides a creative reinterpretation of the story, told from the perspective of the victim (Arthur Crox), to add a new dimension to the narrative.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Tobias Nitschke (Autor:in), 2012, Edgar Allan Poe's short story 'The Tell-Tale Heart' - an analysis, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/197781
