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
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
About alcoholism
About schizophrenia
Depression in the work of Edgar Allan Poe
Alcoholism/Prohibition
The temperance movement
Alcohol in the United States in the 1800s
Poe's relationship with
alcohol and temperance
Gender Dynamics
"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
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