“THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO”

By Edgar Allan Poe

Narration and Point of View

POINT OF VIEW

T

ells the reader

- Who?

- How much do they know?

- How reliable he/she/they are

FIRST PERSON NARRATOR

“

I” participant/character in the story,

only tells one point of view

therefore, issues with reliability

e.g. “When I saw Golden Retriever, I

had flashback of our family dog,

Sam, who – completely unprovoked

– savagely attacked me.”

THIRD PERSON NARRATOR

T

hird-Person Omniscient: - all knowing – Godlike perspective – may reveal

motivations, thoughts, and feelings of the characters, gives reader information.

T

hird-Person Limited Omniscient: The narrator describes events from the

perspective and with the understanding of one, or sometimes, a select few

characters.

T

hird-Person Objective Narrator: no knowledge; action and the characters'

speech are presented without comment or emotion.; presence is merely

implied. The reader has to interpret them and uncover their meaning.

EDGAR ALLAN POE

B

ackground information on Edgar Allan Poe

B

orn January 19, 1809 in Boston. Died October 7, 1849

S

on of an actress and an actor. Mother died in 1811, sent to live with Richmond

merchant, John Allan and his wife, who had no children. He received a classical

education and attended University of Virginia for 11 months, until his gambling

debt at the university angered his guardian and Allan refused to let Poe continue.

He spent time in the army, at West Point, while continually studying and writing

poetry. In 1836, he married his young cousin, Virginia Clemm. She was 13, Poe

was 27.

EAP, CONTINUED

Often uncomfortable in social situations, Poe would sometimes indulge in a liquid stimulant. One glass of sherry could lead to another and, although Poe was rarely intoxicated, he was often seen in public when he was. This helped him earn the reputation as a drunk and/or a drug addict, however, according to medical records he had a brain lesion. Virginia died in January 1847. In September 1849, Poe was at a party where he made a toast to lady celebrating her birthday. He began drinking heavily and died soon after. The details of his death are unknown, although there are many different and conflicting stories. It is accepted that Poe had a weak heart and this may have had played a role in his death.

UNITY OF EFFECT

Poe’s theory/belief that he could create a specific emotion through his writing; the definitive characteristic of a short story. If he doesn’t grab you from the first sentence then he, as the author, has failed. Requires being very aware of mood, every word is chosen deliberately.

Poe’s description: “If wise, [the author] has not fashioned his thoughts to accommodate his incidents; but having conceived, with deliberate care, a certain unique or single effect to be wrought out, he then invents such incidents—he then combines such events as may best aid him in establishing this preconceived effect. If his very initial sentence tend not to the out-bringing of this effect, then he has failed in his first step. In the whole composition there should be no word written of which the tendency, direct or indirect, is not to the one pre-established design.”

DRAMATIC IRONY

w

hen the reader/audience knows more

than one or more of the characters; • look for examples of irony [cough, mason

v. Mason, etc.]

“THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO”

S

etting - begins in lighthearted spirit of carnival and continually

descends into darkness. Renaissance Italy.  

C

arnival – A festival celebrating the coming of Lent (similar to Mardi

Gras: masks, celebrations, craziness, etc.)

C

haracters: • Montressor – French for “my treasure,” old family, traditional • Fortunado: jolly, free thinker, fortune, fortunate one, fated. He is

costumed as the jester or fool.

DEFINITIONS FROM “CASK”

Carnival – “Farewell to flesh.”

CASK

IMMOLATION

•To kill or offer as a

sacrifice

CATACOMBS

ACCOSTED

•To approach someone

with the intent of

harming them in some

way

RECESS

VIRTUOSO

•A person highly skilled in something

SCONCES

MASON

A member of the “Freemasons,”

the oldest fraternity in the world

A person who builds with stones

TROWEL

NITRE

Potassium Nitrate

- can be deadly in

large quantities

IGNORAMUS

•An ignorant or

stupid person

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:

W

hy has the narrator waited fifty years to tell what he has

done?

U

nder what circumstances is he reporting his deed?

W

hy is Montresor angry with Fortunato? Does he have a

valid reason to seek revenge?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, CONT.

Why is the setting of the story appropriate?

What does Montresor’s treatment of his house servants tell us about his knowledge of human psychology, and how does it prepare us for this treatment of Fortunato?

How would you assess the mental stability of the narrator? Of Fortunato?

What are some examples of humor, irony, and pun in the story?

How does Poe increase the elements of suspense as Fortunate is gradually walled into the catacombs?