The Tell-Tale Heart (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Edgar Allan Poe
- First Published: 1843
- Type of Plot: Horror
- Time of Work: The 1840's
- Setting: An American town or village
- Principal Characters: The narrator, The old Man
- Genres: Short fiction, Mystery and detective literature, Gothic fiction, Horror literature
- Subjects: Murder or homicide, Mental illness, Cruelty, Horror, Demoniac possession
- Locales: United States
The Story
This is a chilling tale of madness and murder. “True!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am,” admits the narrator, “but why will you say that I am mad?” In a vain effort to prove his sanity by detailing how carefully he planned the gruesome deed, the narrator makes it abundantly clear from the first that he is dangerously deranged. Little is revealed about him, or about the old man that he kills. He did not hate the old man; indeed, he says he loved him. However, he had to kill him because he was tormented beyond distraction by the old...
[The entire page is 1630 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
Related Topics
