Poes Theory and Practice Reflected in The Cask of...

Poes Theory and Practice Reflected in The Cask of Amontilladonbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Edgar Allan Poe, author of brilliant reviews, poems, and stories, was born in 1809, and sadly died, a young man, in 1849 (665). To truly understand Poe, one must note the time period in which he wrote. It was an age of Literary Realism and Dark Romanticism, which was Poes arena. The concept of New Literary Criticism was not yet mainstream. However, Poe was a critic as well as an acclaimed author. By observing the talents that Poe admired in the writings of others, one may better understand the inner workings of Poes infamous short stories. In 1854, Poe wrote a review of the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne entitled The Importance of the Single Effect†¦show more content†¦Another common truth Poe plays upon is the price of ones pride. Fortunato has obviously acted in a manner than insulted Montresors pride. Although Poe never reveals the exact injustice, one may assume that it is not a crime normally punishable by death. Likewise, Fortunato prided himself on his connoisseurship i n wine (666). This proves to be the bait with which Montresor lures him to his death. Each time Montresor mentions Luchesi, another wine connoisseur, Fortunato becomes more determined to taste the Amontillado. The bitter irony of it all is that there is no Amontillado. Coupled with the fact that Montresor is not good and Fortunato is not good, they are mixed characters. The untruth, so to speak, of hero and villain is cast aside by the concept of Realism. Through his review of Hawthorne, Poe also proclaims the virtue of unity in a literary work. He states that undue length is . . . to be avoided (855). With use of fewer words, each description, each statement, must be given a greater value than it would in a novel. From this one may infer that every detail counts. Poe begins by informing the reader of the insulting nature of Fortunato, an interesting name choice for Montresors nemesis. With just one word, Poe has conjured up the image of a wealthy, materialistic aristocrat. At the time of his writing, American, as well as many other countries, was largely divided