Mood and Madness
Edgar Allen Poe
What is Mood?

Mood is the atmosphere created by
the setting, and actions of people
and characters in it. It also relates
to how the reader emotionally
responds to these elements like
sadness for a tragedy.
What ways can an author
establish mood?
Why is it important to understand
the mood when analyzing
literature?
What’s the Mood…?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4s9
V8aQu4c
 Tell Tale Heart

What’s the Mood…?

http://www.yourenglishclass.com/thesimpsons-raven/
Madness in Literature

The prevalence of depictions of
madness in nineteenth-century
literature paralleled the growth
of the scientific and medical
study of insanity. Increasingly in
the nineteenth century, madness
was seen more as a social and
medical problem, compared to
the eighteenth century, when
madness was feared as the
absence of reason, and
therefore, evil.

Some authors attempted to portray
mental "aberrations" in a realistic
manner, while others sensationalized
the symptoms of and reaction to a
character's insanity. Such sensation
fiction often portrayed characters who
were wrongfully accused of insanity.
The multitude of ways insanity was
treated in literature reflects nineteenthcentury society's fascinationﾑbordering
on obsessionﾑwith madness.

In fiction, there were two basic
trends in the way madness was
represented: authors strove either
for psychological realism, or they
sensationalized madness, using it
as a tool to bring about a certain
effect on characterization or plot.

Edgar Allan Poe's depictions of
madness are well known. "The Fall
of the House of Usher" (1840),
focuses in particular on the way in
which Poe uses the language and
imagery of enclosure to follow the
narrator on his journey from
reason to insanity.
Journal
How does Poe establish Mood?
 How does the theme of Madness come into
play with Poe’s stories?
 Why are people fascinated by madness?

The Raven
The Raven
Read Aloud the Poem.
 Pay attention to mood and the diction Poe
uses to reinforce this: Dreary; Bleak;
Ghost; Lost; Sorrow; Terrors; Darkness;
Melancholy; Stern; Dirges; Grave;
Stillness.

The Raven

Pick out some of the other word(s) in
the poem that reinforce the feelings of
bleakness and hopelessness.
The Raven
1.
2.
3.
What does Poe want the reader to believe
has happened to the narrator before events
in the poem?
Why does Poe use a raven instead of
another bird as the major symbol of this
work?
The universal appeal of the poem comes
from its expression of the feeling of
loneliness we are all subject to at some
time in our lives due to separation from
loved ones. The narrator is feeling that his
situation is inescapable and hopeless. IS
there any feeling of hope at the conclusion
of this narrative?
The Raven
4. What devices does Poe utilize in order to
create suspense? Think of the repetition and
rhyme. Is this effective? Explain.
BONUS: Recreate your own version of The
Raven.
 You must use the same rhyme scheme,
meter, and mood as Poe.
The Pit and the Pendulum
The Pit and the Pendulum
Summary:
 The narrator is sentenced to death by a tribunal during the
Spanish Inquisition. He faints. He awakes in a cell and is
unable to see. As he awaits his fate, the prisoner undergoes
physical and mental torment.
 The Spanish Inquisition: The Inquisition sought to rid the
church of heretical [sacrilegious or deviating] views. They
got a little carried away.
 The narrator decides to explore his surroundings by walking
along the wall, leaving a coarse piece of cloth as a landmark.
Before he is able to circumnavigate the cell, he trips on his
robe and falls asleep. He wakes up, devours food left for
him, and walks across the cell. He trips and realizes he
narrowly missed falling into a pit. He falls asleep. He
awakes. He eats. He falls asleep. He awakes and finds the
cell dimly lit and that he's been tied to a wooden plank.
The Pit and the Pendulum
Summary Cont.:


A pendulum shaped like a scythe swings back and
forth above him, slowly making its way toward
the prisoner. Meanwhile, rats have come up from
the pit and eaten the prisoner's food. The prisoner
rubs food on his ropes and seconds before the
pendulum/scythe cuts him in half, the rats chew
through the ropes and the narrator escapes.
The next torment involves the walls of the cell
heating up and moving inward, forcing the
narrator toward the pit. Moments before
plummeting into the abyss, the walls retract.
General LaSalle's army has emancipated the
prison.
The Pit and the Pendulum
Characters:
 Unnamed narrator - A victim of the
Inquisition. The narrator maintains
sanity that many of Poe’s other narrators
lack. He functions with Dupin-like
practicality despite the invisible enemy
threatening him with torture.
 General Lasalle - A leader of the
French army. General Lasalle is a real
and positive presence of authority in
contrast to the shadowy and invisible
leaders of the Inquisition.
The Pit and the Pendulum Symbolism




Symbolism allows people to communicate beyond the limits of
language. Humans use symbolism all the time. Words themselves are
mere symbols for something else.
A symbol is a person, place, or object that stands for something beyond
itself. National, religious, and cultural symbols have standard
interpretations as well as a personal significance for each individual. For
example, the American flag symbolizes the United States of America.
The personal significance, however, varies. An army veteran cherishes
its meaning. A terrorist, on the other hand, finds it despicable. A golden
coloured coin with a loon on it symbolizes one dollar. A billionaire
considers it chump change. A beggar considers it an elusive treasure.
A literary symbol gains its meaning from the context of a literary work
and often changes as the work develops.
Write what the following symbol means universally and personally:
The Pit and the Pendulum Questions
Symbolism: Although the events in the story create
suspense and interest, its the story's deeper meaning
that makes it so good. What do the following symbols
represent:
the pit
the pendulum
the judges
2. Sensory Details: The description of rats on the
narrator's lips is Poe at his finest. Poe's description of
the cell, the pit, and the judges provide examples of
sensory details. Explain how.
3. Suspense: Dangerous action, foreshadowing and
pacing combine to keep readers on the edge of their
seat. Provide an example of each.
4. Setting and Mood: Describe the setting and mood.
1.
The Pit and the Pendulum Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
Symbolism: Although the events in the story create
suspense and interest, its the story's deeper meaning
that makes it so good. An analysis of the pit (death or
hell), the scythe/pendulum (time and death), and the
angelic forms of the Inquisitorial tribune (angels of
death) are three of many symbols in the novel. The
Sensory Details: The description of rats on the
narrator's lips is Poe at his finest. Poe's description of
the cell, the pit, and the judges provide examples of
sensory details.
Suspense: Dangerous action, foreshadowing and
pacing combine to keep readers on the edge of their
seat.
Setting and Mood: The cell and the pit take on a life
of their own. The story's backdrop of the Inquisition
adds to the ominous mood.
The Pit and the Pendulum Questions
5. Discuss why this narrator is considered
unreliable.
6. Prove the following statement as true using
textual references:
“’The Pit and the Pendulum’ is a traditional Poe
story that breaks from Poe’s conventions:
violent yet ultimately hopeful, graphic yet
politically allusive.”
7. Poe claims that: “the ideal short story must be
short enough to be read at a single sitting.
Moreover, he argues that all elements of a
work of fiction should be crafted toward a
single, intense effect.” Discuss how he does
this in “The Pit and the Pendulum”.
The Pit and the Pendulum Answers
5. Discuss why this narrator is considered
unreliable. Narrator claims to lose the
capacity of sensation during the swoon
that opens the story. He thus highlights
his own unreliability in ways that other
narrators resist or deny.
6 – 7: Proof for statements.
The Pit and the Pendulum
Film
Watch the 1961 Vincent Price
version of the film.
 Hand in: A T chart comparing Story
and Film. Then…
 Discuss: How the genre of HORROR
has changed over time. Use examples
from Poe and the notes you have
received on madness, and the
incidents of sensationalism in the
1961 film version.

The Pit and the Pendulum
Film
Watch the video clip of the 1961
Vincent Price version of the film.
Time: 1:08 – 1:18
 Discuss: why the film is so different
than the text. Think of aspects the
film added such as the fight scene,
the known enemy versus the
unknown judges, a romantic element,
and the ending.

The Pit and the Pendulum
Bonus Assignment:
Make a movie poster that includes a scene
from the story and a list of actors who
would be ideal for the role of narrator
and Inquisitors. If you're really feeling
creative, make a soundtrack to go along
with your poster.
This must be presented in order to receive
the bonus point on a chosen assignment.
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher
1. What mood does Poe create at the beginning of the story, and
how is that mood established?
2. Is there anything noteworthy about the description of Usher’s
house?
3. How would you characterize Roderick Usher and his life?
What does he consider to be the cause of his problems?
4. What is the narrator’s initial reaction to the sight of his friend
Usher, and how does he feel about the prospect of cheering
him up?
5. What is the nature of Usher’s art? Consider the significance
of the painting described, as well as of the ballad “The
Haunted Palace” in relation to the story as a whole.
6. Is there anything ironic about the narrator’s role in the story?
Although he is Roderick’s most intimate boyhood
friend, the narrator apparently does not know much
about him—like the basic fact that Roderick has a twin
sister.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Use the Master Class 3 page handout on
Creating Atmosphere.
 Complete the steps on page one titled
“How to Write From Models”.
 Now, complete the 7 steps on page 3 of
“Write your own scene with vivid
atmosphere”.
 http://www.archive.org/details/FallOfThe
HouseOfUsher1928short
