Essay on The Perverse in the Short Stories of Edgar Allan...

Edgar Allan Poe is perhaps the best-known American Romantic who worked in the Gothic mode. His stories explore the darker side of the Romantic imagination, dealing with the grotesque, the supernatural, and the horrifying. He defined the form of the American short story. As one might expect, Poe himself eschewed conventional morality, which he believed stems from mans attempts to dictate the purposes of God. Poe saw God more as process than purpose. He believed that moralists derive their beliefs, and thus, the resultant behavioral patterns, from a priori knowledge. In Eureka, we find that Poe shunned such artifices of mind, systems which, he professed, have no basis in reality. Yet Poe employed in his writing the diction of the moral†¦show more content†¦By this time, Toby utters scarcely a sentence without oaths, his favorite of which is to bet the devil his head that he can accomplish whatever challenge lies before him. One day as the narrator accompanies Toby Dammit on a route which requires the crossing of a covered bridge, Toby bets the devil his head that he can leap over a bridge stile, pigeon winging as he performs the feat. Unexpectedly a little lame old gentleman of venerable aspect (Poe 491) interrupts with an emphatic ahem to take Toby up on his bet. The elderly gentleman wears a a full suit of black, but his shirt was perfectly clean and the collar turned very neatly down over a white cravat. Oddly, his eyes are carefully rolled up into the top of his head, and he wears a black silk apron. (491) After he takes charge of Toby, allowing him a running start, the elderly interloper takes his position just behind the stile. The narrator awaits the gentlemans One--two--three--and--away, when Toby initiates his running leap. To all appearances, the young reprobate is destined to clear the stile easily, pigeon-winging as he flies, when abruptly his progress is arrested, and the luckless Toby falls flat on his back on hisShow MoreRelatedPoe and Perversely1719 Words   |  7 Pagesperson is perverse? So what is perversely, as defined in the Webster Dictionary Perversely means â€Å"1.) Turned away from what is right or good. 2.) Obstinate in opposing what is right, reasonable o accepted.† So perversely just basically means that someone does something that they know is wrong but they do it anyways. Everyone that is human is perverse at some point in their life. Which leads me to the second question a person might be asking, â€Å"How can a person be perverse?† Being perv erse is basicallyRead MoreEdgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart1581 Words   |  7 PagesEdgar Allan Poe wrote many gothic stories with twisted themes and ideas. An example in his works is the conception of overthinking something that is not there. Many of these tales end with someone being killed due to the fascination of an unrealistic problem trying to be solved. Imagination is a main factor that drives the narrators to become worried. The obsessing narrators in Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†, â€Å"The Black Cat†, and â€Å"The Imp of the Perverse† demonstrate the idea that guiltRead MoreComparison of Edgar Allan Poes The Imp of the Perverse and The Tell-Tale Heart770 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most recognizable literary figures in 19th century American literature. Poe is most well known for his short stories that focus on a psychologically unhinged character who murders an innocent person without motive a nd eventually cracks under pressure before the police, ultimately turning himself in for the crimes he committed. Two such stories that follow this theme are The Imp of the Perverse and The Tell-Tale Heart. The Imp of the Perverse begins unlike manyRead MoreEssay on The Black Cat by Edgar Alan Poe1083 Words   |  5 PagesCat,† short story from Edgar Alan Poe, has a few characters and many points of view that probably provide the most important elements in this short story. Therefore, the examination of the conflicts of the protagonists in Edgar Allan Poe’s description plays an important part with the objective of understand this short story. This paper’s objective is to analyze the significance of the characteristics of the protagonist. According to the American romanticist writer Edgar Allen Poe, the story of â€Å"TheRead MoreAnalysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Imp Of The Perverse 1629 Words   |  7 Pages Mariana Falossi Professor O’Brien LTEN 176 November 8 2017 The Imp of the Perverse American writer and critique Edgar Allan Poe is very well known for his gothic tales of mystery, suspense, and horror. 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In his short stories, â€Å"The Black Cat†Read MoreAn Analysis Of Edgar Allan Poe s The Tell Tale Heart 1015 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Membrane† Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most acclaimed short story writers of all time and is considered the father of the psychological thriller. He has achieved ever-lasting fame for his work in various fields of literature, from prose to verse. However, it is his Gothic narrative, in the short story realm he is greatest known for and is regarded as one of the foremost masters of horror that the United States has ever fashioned. The crucial component to these horror stories is usually theRead MoreTragedies Influence Poes Works749 Words   |  3 PagesIntroduced by tragedies early in his life, Edgar Allan Poe became one of the most successful writers, poets, and storytellers to ever live. Edgar Allan Poe had the intelligence to do anything he wanted to do, however, the pain of losing his loved ones always seemed to drive him towards a pen and paper. His emotions never failed to show through his writings, which helped the story line touch the readers. Poe became very close to several differ ent women but each would die shortly after he came to loveRead MoreWords to Describe Edgar Allen Poe Essay1683 Words   |  7 PagesWords to Describe Edgar Allen Poe Hoaxter, liar, impostor, and plagiarizer (45) are words Kaplan used to describe Edgar Allan Poe. Poe as he claimed to be, was the best when it came to deception and perversion. In living his life and even in his manner of negotiating death, Poe was a captive of the imp of perversity. But with art as his shield, the realms of perversity became a haven for his troubled soul. . . Perversion is a complex strategy of mind, with its unique principles for regulatingRead MoreThe Black Cat By Edgar Allan Poe885 Words   |  4 Pageswould be Edgar Allan Poe, a writer and a poet, whom would be absolutely intrigued in these behaviors. His unique interpretation of the human mind could be seen in â€Å"The Black Cat.† In this short story Edgar Allan Poe embeds himself as the protagonist who are mere victims of the complexities of the mind known as revenge, anger, and perversity. â€Å"The Black Cat† shows the vital side effects of the mind recognized as revenge, anger, and perversity. This is witnessed at the very start of the short story