"And much of Madness and more of Sin And Horror the Soul to the Plot." This line taken from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem ‘The Conquerer Worm’ perfectly describes the
essential elements featured in many of Poe’s poems and stories, on which I am about to write
in particular. Madness and horror, sins and the ‘Imp of the Perverse’ - The Evil, which lies
within all of us - are popular and frequently recurring motives in Poe’s literary works and
thereby create a mood and atmosphere quite dark and nightmarish. The reader is offered a
deep glance into the abyss of the human mind and psyche.
In this term paper I’m going to draw a comparison between two of Poe’s short stories, which
both deal with the above mentioned concepts and images and therefore, are counted to the
Gothic Genre - ‘The Black Cat’ and ‘The Tell-Tale Heart.’ The main focus of my work will
lie on the similarities of the storytelling structures and the speech Poe uses to convey this
certain feeling of suspense, horror and thrill. I will examine which further motives and images
Poe uses in this two stories and which function they fulfil.
I’m going to carry out my researches primarily with the help of the books: ‘Poe’ by Walter
Lenning, ‘Poe – A Biography’ by Frank T. Zumbach, ‘The Cambridge Companion to Gothic
Fiction’ by Jerrod Hogle and ‘The Fall of the House of Usher and Other Writings’ by Edgar
Allan Poe.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Definition of Gothic Fiction
III. The Black Cat
• Speech and story devices
- The Narrator
- Story Structure
• Images and motifs
- Black/The Black Cat
- The Eye
- The Imp of the Perverse
- Religious Motifs
IV. The Tell-Tale Heart
• Speech and story devices
- The Narrator
- Story Structure
• Images and motifs
- The Heart
- The Evil Eye
- Time
V. Comparison and Conclusion
VI. List of Literature
Objectives and Topics
This academic paper aims to conduct a comparative literary analysis of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" to examine how specific narrative structures, motifs, and speech patterns contribute to the Gothic atmosphere of suspense and psychological horror.
- Analysis of the unreliable narrator archetype in Gothic literature.
- Examination of recurrent symbols such as the "Evil Eye," the heart, and the color black.
- Exploration of the psychological concept of the "Imp of the Perverse" as a driving force for criminal behavior.
- Comparison of storytelling devices and structural parallels between the two short stories.
- Evaluation of the protagonists' descent into insanity and their subsequent self-betrayal.
Excerpt from the Book
Story Structure
The story itself depicts a cruel murder and the excess of violence. The protagonist of the story first tortures his most beloved cat and finally kills it although he deeply regrets his actions. After that a second cat - which looks almost exactly like the killed one - appears and once again he tortures her. Finally he kills his wife in affect and tries to hide her corpse from the police. But due to the ‘meow’ of the cat the body is discovered. The structure of the story repeats itself in several aspects and nonetheless there is an increase in it. This excess of violence drives the story further and further. There is a repetition in the structure but it is steadily taken one step further from taking an animal’s life to taking a human’s life. The reason for this excess is the so called ‘Imp of the Perverse’.
‘In ‘The Black Cat’ Poe describes this driving force, which he calls ‘The Imp of the Perverse’ […] The reason for it seems to be alcoholism because the narrator seems to be a notorious drinker.’
Poe uses this Imp of the Perverse as an inner driving force for the protagonist to sink deeper and deeper into his own damnation due to the excess of violence depicted in the story.
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: This chapter introduces the core themes of madness and horror in Poe's work and establishes the research focus on comparing "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart".
II. Definition of Gothic Fiction: This chapter defines the Gothic genre, highlighting its historical origins, typical architectural settings, and its preoccupation with psychological terror.
III. The Black Cat: This chapter analyzes the narrative structure, the role of the unreliable narrator, and specific motifs such as the "Imp of the Perverse" and religious symbolism in the story.
IV. The Tell-Tale Heart: This chapter explores the psychological profile of the narrator, the significance of the heartbeat and the "Evil Eye" as central images of guilt and obsession.
V. Comparison and Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the findings by contrasting the structural similarities and differences between the two stories and summarizing their contribution to Poe's psychological study of crime.
Keywords
Edgar Allan Poe, The Black Cat, The Tell-Tale Heart, Gothic Fiction, Imp of the Perverse, Unreliable Narrator, Psychological Horror, Literary Comparison, Narrative Structure, Motifs, Evil Eye, Insanity, Crime, Symbolism, Suspense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper focuses on a literary comparison between two of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart," examining how Poe uses similar narrative structures and motifs to create suspense and horror.
What are the central themes explored in the work?
The central themes include the psychological descent into madness, the nature of evil, the "Imp of the Perverse," and the impact of guilt on the human psyche.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to determine how the speech and storytelling techniques used by Poe function to convey a sense of psychological horror and to identify similarities in the roles of recurring images.
Which methodology is applied in the paper?
The paper employs a qualitative literary analysis, utilizing secondary literary research and primary textual analysis of the two selected short stories.
What does the main body of the work address?
It provides a detailed breakdown of speech and story devices, as well as an analysis of recurrent imagery like eyes, hearts, and the "Imp of the Perverse" within each story.
Which keywords characterize this study?
Key terms include Gothic fiction, unreliable narrator, psychological horror, and motifs such as the Evil Eye and the Imp of the Perverse.
How does the "Imp of the Perverse" function in these stories?
The author identifies it as an inner, irrational urge that drives the protagonists toward self-destruction and criminal acts, acting as a catalyst for their ultimate downfall.
What is the significance of the "Evil Eye" in the narratives?
It serves as an obsessive focal point for the narrators, representing a mirror of the soul or a repulsive external trigger that justifies their violent, insane actions.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Selina Schuster (Autor:in), 2011, A literary comparison of Edgar Allan Poe´s "The Black Cat" and "The Tell-Tale Heart", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/233119
