ENGL 1080 Lecture 3: _The Black Cat_ By Edgar Allan Poe

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: English
• Course: ENGL 1080
• Professor: Paul Salmon

Document Summary

Prose in this story is written in poetic language (patterns, motifs, Examines the depth of darkness in a human; the human soul can be. Willing suspension of disbelief : prepare to have this before reading a references, images, etc. ) that dark? that"s scary fictional work. you will get drawn into the fictional world, don"t read skeptically. Narrator is in jail for the murder of his wife, will die tomorrow. Narrator is alcoholic, poe died young of alcoholism. Story is told from jail but set in his home/cellar. He refers to his alcoholism as a disease. Story is exploring the notion of making a strange tale possible, 1st person narrator, so we can question the events. Pattern: doubles/dopplegangers exploring the issue of plausibility. Most wild yet most homely narrative : these 2 words are antithesis/opposites. This commences the doubles pattern, but we need further evidence to make an argument. Story explores the relationship between rational/irrational, plausible/bizarre.