“The Cask of Amontillado”
By Edgar Allan Poe
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Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
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 Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre
 The actual cause of Poe’s death remains a mystery.
More about Edgar Allan Poe
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American poet, critic, short story writer, and author of such macabre
works as “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1840)
born as Edgar Poe in Boston, Massachusetts; orphaned young when his
mother died shortly after his father abandoned the family. Poe was
taken in by John and Frances Allan, of Richmond, Virginia
considered the father of the modern detective story and highly lauded
as a poet
A struggling writer
Addicted to alcohol
His influences
"In our endeavors to recall to memory something long forgotten, we often
find ourselves upon the very verge of remembrance, without being able, in
the end, to remember."
- from "Ligeia"
Poe’s works
 Full of macabre, death-ridden themes and fantastic, mythic tales
 Usually set in dark, horrible atmosphere
 his darkly passionate sensibilities—a tormented and sometimes neurotic
obsession with death and violence and overall appreciation for the beautiful
yet tragic mysteries of life.
What is “Amontillado”?
 Amontillado is a variety of Sherry, characterized by being darker than Fino
but lighter than Oloroso. It is named for the Montilla region of Spain, where
the style originated in the 18th century.
 The word Amontillado, which is Spanish, is an adjective meaning
"Montilla-like".
“The Cask of Amontillado”
 Setting: the catacomb
 Narrative: First-person narrator – Montresor’s murderous point of view
What is horrible in the story?
 Instead of making the burial a quick and short-lived scene, Poe makes this
scene exceedingly long and draws out the elements of fear. He
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procrastinates the burial of Fortunato by first describing how he is shackled
to the wall.
It allows the reader to envision the gruesome death of being buried alive. It
fulfills the human desire to know about the unknown. It fulfills human
curiosity; at least the curiosity to know what it would be like to be buried
alive.