Edgar Allan Poe

1. MARCO D. MEDURANDA
January 20, 2018
Manuel L. Quezon University
Literary Autopsy of
Edgar Allan Poe’s

2. OUTLINE
• Author’s Biography
• Historical Context
• Plot Summary
• Characters
• Themes
• Style
• Criticism
• Psychology of a Mad Man
• Murder, Motivation &
Method
• Use of Irony

3. Watch the video of Edgar Allan
Poe’s Biography.

4. • In 1846, after losing a
series of editorship, Poe
retreated with his wife to a
cottage in Fordham,
outside New York City,
where they nearly staved.
• There Poe wrote “The
Cask of Amontillado,” its
gloomy and cynical ton
echoing Poe’s own
feelings.

5. Historical Context
• It was early 1800’s was when short story became a specific art
form with its own rules and structure.
• Poe delineated the differences among poem, novel and short
story
• “Rhymed poetry was the highest of the genres.., but the tale
proper.. can be afforded by the wide domains of mere
prose… the novel was inferior because it could not be read in
one sitting… the ideal short story should be created with ’one
single effect’.”

6. • For this reason, Poe’s prose is kept firmly to the goal of ‘one
single effect’
• He limited each story to a small number of characters, simple
plots, small geographical areas and short time frames as
demonstrated in the ”The Cask of Amontillado”

7. • 1st half of the 19th century
– call for Americans to
develop a national
literature.
• Poe believed in using
elements from Europe to
establish universality but
called upon American
writers to use their
imagination to produce
original and vital works.
• In ”The Cask of
Amontillado, “ he used a
European setting but
within the structure of the
American short story
form.

11. Watch the short film adaptation of
The Cask of Amontillado.

12. Narration
• 1st Person

14. Conflict
• Internal: Montresor vs.
Fortunato
• External: Man Vs. Man

15. Characters
• Montresor: The narrator never revealed how
Fortunato "insulted" him
• Fortunato: Italian nobleman with a liking for fine
wine

16. Plot
• Exposition: Montresor vows revenge
• Narrative Hook: Montesor tells Fortunato about
the Amontillado
• Rising Action: Fortunato insists on going to
Montresors vault. (Led to the furthest chamber)
• Climax: Montresor chains Fortunato to wall and
bricks up the wall
• Falling Action: Montresor hears the jingling of
Fortunato's bells
• Resolution: Montresor reveals that no one has
discovered the crime for 50 years

17. PLOT SUMMARY

18. Psychology of a Madman
In “The Cask of Amontillado” the protagonist Montressor is
portrayed as a monomaniacal fanatic who is consumed by his
need for vengeance and his desire to be revenged devoid of
punishment. This monomania with revenge and how
Montressor goes about achieving it, illustrates a dominant
theme in the story concerning the sometimes -warped
psychological forces that drive all people.

19. Psychology of a
Mad Man
• Montressor’s physical description
gives the reader the first insight
into his character. For example,
Montressor states that, “putting
on a mask of black silk, and
drawing a roquelaire closely
about my person, I suffered him
to hurry me to my palazzo” (540).
• In this case, the black mask acts
as a symbol for his dark and
morbid character and mind.
• Shadow archetypes (Jungian)

20. Psychology of a Mad Man
• Another crucial element in fully
understanding Montressor’s character is
the interplay between his character and
his eventual victim Fortunato.
• The meaning behind both of their names
provides a key insight into this interplay.
When translated into English
Montressor’s name denotes ‘my fortune’
while Fortunato’s name denotes ‘the
fortunate one’.
• The meaning of Montressor’s name acts
as symbol for the fact that murdering
Fortunato will be his eventual fortune
because once Fortunato is dead he will
be revenged. In turn it proves very ironic
that Fortunato’s name means the
fortunate one because in the end of the
story his kismet proves far from fortunate.

21. Psychology of a Mad Man
• Another significance of their interplay
can simply be seen in how cordially
they interact considering there is
such a grievance and injury between
them. For example, although it is
clear that Montressor has “vowed
revenge” (539) against Fortunato
none of his vehemence is ever
shown to Fortunato until the correct
time and place.
• Montressor’s calmness in such a
circumstance clearly illustrates the
fact that his mind is solely on
revenge and it is the need for
revenge itself that is keeping him
calm and controlling his very mind.

22. Psychology of a Mad Man
• The structure of the plot also
gives understanding into
Montressor’s mind and the
forces that drive his actions.
• The plot starts out in medias
res with Montressor stating,
“the thousand injuries of
Fortunato I had borne as best
as I could; but when he
ventured upon insult, I vowed
revenge” (539).
• The author’s use of in medias
res that sets the reader in the
middle of the story is key
because the reader never fully
knows why Montressor needs
to be revenged.

23. Psychology of a Mad Man
• The setting of the story
also serves as a mold for
Montressor’s character and
insanity.
• This juxtaposition between
the carnival going on
outside and the murder
going on inside a dark
catacomb offers
understanding into
Montressor’s thought
pattern.

24. Psychology of a Mad Man
• Another clear symbol in the story is Montressor’s family
arms. His arms are “a huge foot d’or, in a field azure; the
foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are
imbedded in the heal” and the motto is “no one wounds
me with impunity” (541).

25. Psychology of a Mad Man
• Finally, the foreshadowing
used in the story is just
another technique the author
uses to convey Montressor’s
psychological state to the
reader.
• For example, after
Montressor has tried yet
another time to get Fortunato
to go back up to the carnival
Fortunato says, “enough,”
“the cough is a mere nothing;
it will not kill me. I shall not
die of a cough” (540).

26. Psychology of a Mad Man
• Also, in the story Fortunato drank
some wine and toasted to “the
buried that repose around us” in
turn Montressor states “and I to
your long life”(541).
• This statement is clearly ironic
because of the fact that
Montressor drank to a long life of
the man he knows he is going to
kill.
• In general, the foreshadowing not
only adds suspense to the story
but also aids in the
characterization of Montressor as
a truly psychologically deranged
man.

27. Murder, Motive and Method
• Montressor’s resolve
to kill and then the
way to trap Fortunato
to go with him to
catacomb shows this
story of murder having
a strong motivation
and a very deceptive
method of killing.

28. • As far as motive is
concerned, Montresor bore
insults of Fortunato several
times but could not do
anything.
• However, the last insult of
mocking their family name
which was very honorable
family increased his anger.
• He became very revengeful
and determined to exact
revenge from him for
dishonoring his family.
Murder, Motive and Method

29. Murder, Motive and Method
• The method that
Montresor adopted has
been very tricky and
deceptive. He did not
kill him with a stone, or
a weapon or
strangulation.
• He adopted a different
method. He knew that
Fortunato loved
Amontillado and a cask
would enough for him
to lure him to some
building.

30. • The murder also happens to
be horrifying and gruesome.
He takes great care that the
voice of Fortunato does not
come out. He chained him
there and locked him with a
pillar of the wall. Although
Fortunato understood at
that time that something
sinister was going to
happen, but he was fully
drunk.
Murder, Motive and Method

31. In this way, the story becomes a
Gothic fiction of murder and mystery.
• The protagonist, Montresor,
could not bear the insult to his
honorable family and resolved to
exact revenge by killing
Fortunato. He resolved to kill him
to exact revenge and still should
not suffer himself. That is why
after having a great motivation,
he makes a great plan and finally
brings him to the catacomb in his
villa and builds a wall in front of
him after chaining him to the
pillar. This is how the story "The
Cask of Amontillado" becomes a
great story of murder.

32. Poe’s Use of Irony
• At the start of the story,
the readers are introduced
to Montresor’s true
feelings towards
Fortunato. The irony lies
in the fact that he isn’t
happy to see Fortunato
because he is a friend but
because he can now carry
on his plans to murder
Fortunato tonight. Verbal
irony in this case is used
to highlight the duplicity of
Montresor’s character.

33. • The infamous cask of
amontillado as casket of
Fortunato
• Though Fortunato had
some doubts that
Montresor would be able to
procure amontillado in the
middle of the carnival, he is
eager to dismiss them. This
is an excellent use of
subtle situational irony by
Poe as Fortunato has no
clue that his very love for
wine and refusal to lose to
his rival is leading him to
his grave. .
Poe’s Use of Irony

34. Poe’s Use of Irony
• Dramatic Irony
• One such incidence occurs when
Fortunato experiences a coughing fit.
He believes that his friend is concerned
for his health and jokingly remarks,
“…the cough's a mere nothing; it will
not kill me. I shall not die of a cough.”
(36) Hearing this, Montresor replies,
“True –true” (37)
• While Fortunato takes this to mean that
his friends agrees with his consensus,
the readers know that what Montresor
really meant was that Fortunato will not
die of cough but rather at the hands of
his friend.

35. Poe’s Use of Irony
• The “Cask of Amontillado” is a
perfect example, where Poe uses
this literary device to bring together a
combination of mystery and terror to
form a truly horrifying climax, while at
the same time educating his readers
about the horror that resides in the
reality of the situation. Poe also
ingeniously uses irony to bait his
readers into believing that they know
more about the situation than they
actually do and form conclusions that
are just as ironic in nature as
Montresor referring to Fortunato as
his friend.

36. To end…

37. • Inversion as form of protest
• subcultures
• polarity
• class struggle
• one page paper presentation
• Extremism
• Freedom, Authenticity and Existential Crisis