Poe's Revenge Stories

Sadie Richards

Professor Leivers

LIT 1000

22 March 2018 Revenge Stories Revenge-themed stories are popular among some artist in literature. These artists are able to provide their readers with an exciting suspenseful storyline that will most likely keep them engaged. Edgar Allen Poe and Guy de Maupassant are two of the most influential writers of the 19th century who seem to have perfected the art of writing revenge stories. Poe was an American writer, poet, and literary critic known for his short stories and poetry. While he is widely regarded as an exceptional writer, he was best known for gothic fiction which was strongly influenced by his personal experiences and the events around him. Readers can see his style depicted in his story “A

This tone keeps readers engaged as it is unusual to see humor in a revenge story. One example of Poe’s incorporated humor was Montresor’s description of the catacomb as he and Fortunato walks through it. He said “We passed through a range of low arches, descended, passed on, and descending again, arrived at a deep crypt, in which the foulness of the air caused our flambeaux rather to glow than flame” (Poe 224). His description of the heaps of bones and the fetor of human remains is so sophisticated and beautiful that it almost sounds like poetry, and somewhat adds to the scary nature of the story. On the other hand, Maupassant maintains a more serious tone. “The Vendetta” is written solely in a descriptive and narrative

The fact that irony can be found all throughout “A Cast of Amontillado” is ironic within itself. However, the use of irony is not just important to the interesting and chilling nature of the story, but it contributes greatly to the overall theme. This idea is also expressed by literary critic James W. Gargono in his “‘The Cask of Amontillado’: A Masquerade of Motive and Identity.” He says that “the setting and pervasive irony of the tale do not merely enhance the grotesque effect Poe obviously intends; more importantly, they contribute their share to the theme of the story.” There are also several other ironies that can be found throughout the story such as, Fortunato (which means the fortunate one), ends up not being as fortunate as he dies in the end, and him being a wine connoisseur but gets drunk really easily. Maupassant uses some irony in his story as well, even though it is not a huge factor there in. It is ironic that the widow seeks to avenge her son’s killer, even though she is catholic. She even prays to God for wisdom on how to do so. This is ironic because Catholics are taught that one should turn the other cheek, yet the widow seeks