The Tell-Tale Heart, The Pit And The Pendulum
Edgar Allan Poe was a brilliant author who wrote with a dark interest. His poems and short stories have been intriguing readers for many years, and still continue to open new perspectives to writing. “The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, and “The Pit and the Pendulum” are only three of his numerous works. Within these three stories there are deeper meanings that can be brought about through historical criticism and eco-criticism. “The Tell-Tale Heart” holds a story that is based off of one term, the “evil eye”, that has a deeper meaning than some may realize, making it a perfect study for historical criticism. “The Fall of the House of Usher” tells a sad and haunting story with symbolic details to the story setting, it’s
…show more content…
His difficult background of depression and struggle provide a window of interpretation to the landscapes that he writes. While some descriptions seem to go along with the surface of the story that he is telling, others take it deeper and further when examined. When using eco-criticism the houses and atmosphere take on their own character amidst the other living creatures of the story. While the characters can verbalize their emotions, the atmosphere can only speak among the details that Poe writes about. One purpose of landscape that can be examined on a deeper level would be the crack in “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The narrator describes it as, “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.” (Poe 299) The water below the house leaves an upside down reflection, as is natural. But the symbolism in the tiniest detail that disappears into the water gives away the whole story when examined. The crack in the family wall tells that there is already a separation between the two siblings, one that will never again be whole. As this separation disappears into the waters it is cast upon a reflection of what’s to come. By the end the separation is complete, through death, and therefore the two are cast apart and
His difficult background of depression and struggle provide a window of interpretation to the landscapes that he writes. While some descriptions seem to go along with the surface of the story that he is telling, others take it deeper and further when examined. When using eco-criticism the houses and atmosphere take on their own character amidst the other living creatures of the story. While the characters can verbalize their emotions, the atmosphere can only speak among the details that Poe writes about. One purpose of landscape that can be examined on a deeper level would be the crack in “The Fall of the House of Usher.” The narrator describes it as, “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.” (Poe 299) The water below the house leaves an upside down reflection, as is natural. But the symbolism in the tiniest detail that disappears into the water gives away the whole story when examined. The crack in the family wall tells that there is already a separation between the two siblings, one that will never again be whole. As this separation disappears into the waters it is cast upon a reflection of what’s to come. By the end the separation is complete, through death, and therefore the two are cast apart and