The Black Cat

"The Black Cat" is one of Edgar Allan Poe's most memorable stories. The tale centers around a black cat and the subsequent deterioration of a man. The story is often linked with "The Tell-Tale Heart" because of the profound psychological elements these two works share.Edgar Allan Poes short story The Black Cat, first published in the August 19, 1843, issue of the Saturday Evening Post, is a chilling story written through the eyes of a man awaiting death for the murder of his wife. For over 170 years the narrator of this story has captivated critics and readers with his allusions to ethos, pathos, and logosas he says that he places before the world, plainly, succinctly, and without comment an unsettling account of the events surrounding the murder of his wife and his abuse of the family pets.The narrator declares that he will state his case candidly, all the while creating nothing more than a pretense of frankness and objectivity. He titillates readers with details about the horrendous murder of his wife and his first catif, in fact, any cats were actually killed in the making of this story. He also may leave readers wondering about his purpose for writing. The story cannot save him from the noose. He has no progeny and mentions no living relatives who might care about his guilt or innocence, so the story serves little purpose for the writer, leaving readers to wonder who might be the intended audience and what might be the storys point.Readers return to this story, perhaps, because of the narrators ability to lure audiences into believing large parts of the tale. when the narrator confesses his guilt in the opening and offers incriminating information, readers may at first think the narrator offers a confidential and unique version of his predicament. However, when the narrator later blames the cat for everything that has gone wrong or when he begins to contradict himself, readers will question narrator reliability. It is true that readers often encounter unreliable narrators in literature, but the dissembling in this story actually points to an important aspect of Poes work as the numerous inconsistencies and deceptions direct readers away from the story and toward an assessment of the narrator and his behavior.



Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely regarded as one of the central figures of Romanticism and Gothic fiction in the United States, and of early American literature.[1] Poe was one of the country's first successful practitioners of the short story, and is generally considered to be the inventor of the detective fiction genre. In addition, he is credited with contributing significantly to the emergence of science fiction. He is the first well-known American writer to earn a living by writing alone, which resulted in a financially difficult life and career.