Summary The Tell-Tale Heart (Annotated), ISBN: 9781794476264 English (Eng201)
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Course
English (ENG201)
Institution
University Of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)
Book
The Tell-Tale Heart (Annotated)
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe is a dark short story with contrasting tones. This is a short summary with examples and guidelines to keep in mind when reading the novella.
Tatum Thomas Short Story Summary _ The Tell Tale Heart _ 2021
“the tell tale heart” by edgar allan poe
1843
What can we say about this story?
Short story characteristics: Conflict: Form vs Content
Economy: “True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been
it is only 3,5 pages long and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease
had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them
Few characters (5) … How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how
1- old man /2- narrator/ healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.”
3-5- three policemen
- From the opening paragraph, he starts off by
sounding unhinged. His manner gives us the sense
that he is out of control. His words say he is not mad
but the way he says it, contrasts that.
- He says, quite proudly, that he can tell us the whole
story sanely. He shows himself to be more guilty as
the story is told through him.
- Although there is a logical sequence to his thinking,
it does not make him innocent; he is still a guilty of
murder.
- Protagonist is confessing the situation. His intention
is to be exonerated of his madness. However, a sane
person would be distraught.
- Structural Irony: Deluded hero as his view of the
world differs from the reader’s/ author’s view of the
circumstances
Place: no indication of his present Time: story takes place in one night
location There is no indication of how much time is passing.
No description of the house, no The narrator can spend a long time explaining something
exterior of the house; only the inside that might have happened quickly vice versa.
at night. Atmosphere is Intentions: to add suspense
claustrophobic,
setting is quite gothic He explains for a long time how he got his head through the
door but a very short time explaining the actual event of
the murder.
First person narrator: TONE:
He is having an internal conflict, love/hate relationship
There is no change of focalisation. with himself. Same scenario with the old man who he
Internally focussed. He is so close to supposedly loves but can hate so much that he kills him due
the old man that he is in discomfort. to the annoying glass eye.
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