Welcome! (diving In)

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the great writers of the ages; he is also one of my favorite writers because of his use of the gothic genre in his story writing. Edgar quickly adopted the short story format for most of his works and was credited with popularizing it. He is perhaps most well-known for his tales dealing with mystery, horror, evil and crime. This is my blog post where I plan to share Poe’s works with the world. Because of the type of dark and Gothic genre of literature that is presented in the stories in this blog I have chosen an abstract, mysterious and creepy background to fit the mood and add to the overall feel of the page. I have chosen pictures that fit the quote being explained, these concept pictures of what is happening in the quote really help strengthen them and helps the reader picture it them their minds. The script of this post is easy to understand and I have even included Wikipedia links on words that might not be as common and hard to understand. The explanations are easy to read and the font is the standard world font. I have chosen to do this so that anyone can read and enjoy my blog without confusion. The title of a piece on work is one of its most important elements; it says a lot of what the piece is about and can be the deciding factor whether or not someone is going to read it. My title accurately depicts what my blog post is going to be about and it is meant to catch someone’s attention. Finally, to wrap the whole piece up and make it more unique, spooky, enjoyable and entertaining I chose to add a song that will automatically play in the background of my blog and a YouTube video.   

Enjoy!   

The Fall of the House of Usher (gloomy skies)

“I scanned more narrowly the real aspect of the building. Its principal feature seemed to be that of an excessive antiquity. The discoloration of ages had been great. Minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hanging in a fine tangled web-work from the eaves.../ rotted for long years in some neglected vault, with no disturbance from the breath of the external air. Beyond this indication of extensive decay, however, the fabric gave little token of instability. Perhaps the eye of a scrutinising observer might have discovered a barely perceptible fissure, which, extending from the roof of the building in front, made its way down the wall in a zigzag direction, until it became lost in the sullen waters of the tarn”-the fall of the house of usher

(note: the entire quote is not shown here. If you want to whole quote  you can find it here) Click Me

This quote is a description of what the narrator saw on his way to the house of Usher. In this quote he is describing how the house looked like as he was approaching it, how the atmosphere of the place felt and the setting that the house is located in. This quote most evidently is meant to help develop the gothic genre. The narrator talks about this old rotting stone castle like possibly haunted mansion. It is Isolated in the middle of the woods in the midst of rotting trees, rugged and zigzag terrain. He describes the air as being musky and wreaked with the stench of rotting wood and the house as dark, mysterious and remote. This quote also helps establish the mood/atmosphere early on in the story, which is really made the story feel more realistic. The quote describes the atmosphere as dark, mysterious, and isolated with an eerie feel to the whole place that puts ones senses on edge.    

The Cask of Amontillado (Freedom)

"It was about dusk, one evening during the supreme madness of the carnival season, that I encountered my friend" -The Cask of Amontillado

As simple as this quote is, it actually has a deeper significance that one may not primarily expect. This quote illustrates important symbolism because in the time this story was written the carnival season represented freedom. It happened just before Lent so everybody would gather and have a good time during the carnival to prepare for the seriousness and sacrifice of Lent. For Fortunato, the carnival season soon becomes the opposite of what it’s supposed to be. This quote also develops the plot because this is the moment were Montresor is beginning to enact his plan of revenge on Fortunato, that we soon find out as the story progresses.  

The Black Cat (day by day...)

"I grew, day by day, more moody, more irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others"
-The black Cat page 16

This quote is very important to the overall story because it undoubtedly reveals character. In this brief moment where the narrator is communicating with us, he reveals how the presence of the new cat is beginning to make him feel. He says that he grows more moody and regardless of the feelings of others. This reveals to us a lot about his personality and character traits, which we would not have been able to have known earlier. Unexpectedly this quote also develops the genre of gothic literature in the story because this quote shows us how the narrator is slowly beginning to lose his mind even more now than ever and is becoming more unreliable. 

The Pit and the Pendulum (Right then left...)

"Down-still unceasingly-still inevitably down! I gasped and struggled at each vibration. I shrank convulsively at its every sweep. My eyes followed its outward or upward whirls with the eagerness of the most unmeaning despair; they closed themselves spasmodically at the descent, although death would have been a relief, oh! how unspeakable!"                                -The pit and the pendulum page. 275

This quote describes what I believe to be the most suspenseful and scary moments of the pit and the pendulum. Most likely this quote was put in the story for the sole purpose of creating feelings of unease, doubt, and most indisputably to create suspense. Just the thought of a big iron pendulum slowly inching its way down on our hero’s chest sends shivers down my spine and questions flowing through my head about weather of not our narrator can escape this ordeal. This quote also illustrates important symbolism of a ticking clock. The pendulum which is intended to bring about the narrators death is slowly, but surly getting closer and closer to killing him which adds this ticking clock element to the scene.

The black cat (Dangerous fury)

"The fury of a demon instantly possessed me. I know myself no longer. my original soul seemed, at once to take its flight from my body; and a more than fiendish malevolence, gin-nurtured, thrilled every fibre of my frame”- the black cat. page 13

This is truly one of Edgar Allan Poe’s darkest quotes and one of my favourites in the story. This quote most evidently reveals character; it reveals how the narrator when provoked becomes a totally different entity on his own, not in control of his actions. The narrator explains that after his cat Pluto bit him on the hand, the furry of a demon possessed him and he was no longer in control of his body, like he was a completely different person all together. This quote also develops the plot by making us know how the narrator might react when he is enraged, gives insight on the his personality and hints on what is to come. Finally this quote develops the gothic genre because it shows that the narrator is unreliable and ,at times unable to control himself. Also because it shows some of the narrators deep dark and secret attributes that are unknown, even by those most near to him, like his wife for example.