tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post7453642728331179054..comments2024-03-27T16:48:21.039-05:00Comments on Wuthering <br>Expectations: There came forth in return only a jingling of the bells - "The Cask of Amontillado", Poe's finest storyAmateur Reader (Tom)http://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-79662280614763678722009-02-21T06:27:00.000-06:002009-02-21T06:27:00.000-06:00I fully agree with you! I first read this story w...I fully agree with you! I first read this story when I was eight years old, and even though I didn't really get into studying Poe and his work until a couple of years ago, I never forgot it. When I eventually re-read it, it just caused me to appreciate its terse, understated brilliance all the more.<BR/><BR/>Plus, "Amontillado" contains what is probably my number-one favorite opening line in all of literature.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-65102700162787612082009-02-20T18:50:00.000-06:002009-02-20T18:50:00.000-06:00I just read The Cask of Amontillado waiting for my...I just read The Cask of Amontillado waiting for my wife to come home from work. Such was appreciated. I did appreciate the cadence of the walling scene, though my mind did float to the pride of Ivan Denisovich with a similar labor.jon faithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04375593165985428533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-80457186845044376002009-02-20T16:31:00.000-06:002009-02-20T16:31:00.000-06:00Great example with "Pym"... I daresay, however, th...Great example with "Pym"... I daresay, however, that it doesn't count because Poe wrote it before he had developed his aesthetic theory (and, in fact, one could argue he created his artistic theory around the failure of "Pym" and "Al Aaraaf").<BR/><BR/>And, I agree: the world of Poe is huge!Rob Velellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14284492589098267999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-3977230474074111292009-02-20T11:44:00.000-06:002009-02-20T11:44:00.000-06:00I'll give a specific example:"At each intersection...I'll give a specific example:<BR/><BR/>"At each intersection of these paths the nest of an albatross is constructed, and a penguin's nest in the centre of each square - thus every penguin is surrounded by four albatrosses, and each albatross by a like number of penguins." <I>Pym</I>, Ch. 14.<BR/><BR/>This sentence has an artistic purpose, more than one - it's a clue into the bizarre mentality of the narrator, it parodies travel books, etc. But on it's own - what a dud. The sentence advances Poe's purpose, but is nevertheless not good.<BR/><BR/>Another way I think about it is that the writer, in any given story, has a list of problems to solve. Some of these solutions are better than others, even if one ends up in the same place. In "The Cask of Amontillado" or, definitely, "The Tell-Tale Heart," Poe invents solutions that I find very effective. In the Dupin stories, much less so.<BR/><BR/>I'm glad you brought up "Berenice." There's the whole strain of what the current <I>Portable</I> Poe calls "Bereavements" - "Morella," "Ligeia" - that I haven't even mentioned (besides "The Raven"). Very interesting stuff, quite different in effect than his other stories.<BR/><BR/>The world of Poe is a big one!Amateur Reader (Tom)https://www.blogger.com/profile/13675275555757408496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3383938214852108244.post-85420002031840468522009-02-20T10:09:00.000-06:002009-02-20T10:09:00.000-06:00I see what you're saying about Poe's focus on effe...I see what you're saying about Poe's focus on effect, but I don't believe that any sentence can be sacrificed outright without harming the story. It's Poe's subtleties that tie the story together throughout, and even he said that he would never waste words that did not advance his purpose.<BR/><BR/>Still, "The Cask of Amontillado" IS a great story, but I'm not sure I'd call it Poe's "best." My personal favorite is always "Berenice" but nothing beats the construction of "The Tell-Tale Heart" or "The Fall of the House of Usher." Great post, by the way! I'm loving the Poe focus!Rob Velellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14284492589098267999noreply@blogger.com