604-103-MQ
  • Home Page
  • Short Stories
    • The Black Cat
    • The New Dress
    • Wide and Deep
    • Désirée's Baby
    • The Magic Shop
  • Midterm Rap Project
    • Introduction to rap
    • Songs for Midterm Presentation
  • Bad Book Podcast Project
    • Template
    • Doom: Repercussions of Evil
  • Template

The Black Cat

Edgar Allan Poe, "The Black Cat" (1843)

Online version of the text
Audiobook
Short movie version
Sparknotes

About the author

Biography

Context

Timeline of the 19th century
The 1840s in America

Literary Movement

  • The Gothic
  • Dark Romanticism

Genre

Horror
Stephen King's 3 levels of horror
What is horror in literature?

Themes/Social Issues

Mental Health
Picture
  • About alcoholism
  • About schizophrenia
  • Depression in the work of Edgar Allan Poe
Alcoholism/Prohibition
Picture
  • The temperance movement
  • Alcohol in the United States in the 1800s
  • Poe's relationship with alcohol and temperance
Gender Dynamics
Picture
  • "The Angel in the House"
  • The Cult of True Womanhood

Literary Devices

Narration
First-person narration
Unreliable Narrator
Symbolism

Characterization
Dynamic and static characters
Round and flat characters

Possible Essay Topics

  • How does the evolution of the setting (location) reflect the narrator's mental state?
  • Is the narrator mentally ill? If so, what would be your diagnosis? How do the symptoms manifest in the story?
  • Explore the symbolism of the black cat(s) in the story.
  • How does Poe let the reader know that the narrator might be unreliable/not to be trusted? How does it affect the theme/message of the story?
  • Consider Edgar Allan Poe's involvement in the temperance movement. How does "The Black Cat" act as a cautionary tale against the ills of alcoholism?

Additional Reading

Unity of Effect
For Poe, in the perfect text, every word contributes to the effect the author wants to have on the reader. Therefore, each word is chosen to fit with a specific tone. Also, it should be possible to read any poem or short story in one sitting.

More from the same author

The Tell-Tale Heart
The Cask of Amontillado
The Fall of the House of Usher
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home Page
  • Short Stories
    • The Black Cat
    • The New Dress
    • Wide and Deep
    • Désirée's Baby
    • The Magic Shop
  • Midterm Rap Project
    • Introduction to rap
    • Songs for Midterm Presentation
  • Bad Book Podcast Project
    • Template
    • Doom: Repercussions of Evil
  • Template