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Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Vs Gothic

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In the world of literature, there are several genres that pique the varied interests of readers of any age. One genre in particular that seems to gain wide acclaim is fiction. Under this genre there are several classifications, and one can find writers that are classified as mystery writers and/or gothic writers. One in particular that has not only been influential in this area, but has also brought other elements in from other genres, is Edgar Allan Poe. Although many critics may argue that the mystery genre and gothic genre should never coincide, Edgar Allan Poe defied the odds and brought these two genres together in some of his works. He also received acclaim for works that have elements of solely mystery and gothic characteristics in …show more content…

In Poe’s story ‘The Cask of Amontillado,” the subject and story line revolves around a murder. Unlike “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” the main character explains how he committed the murder. Without a detective in the story, the reader is challenged to solve the mystery at hand. Specifically these are called 'extensive mysteries', which are mysteries that “defy reason.” On the other hand,“The Murders in the Rue Morgue” would be classified as an “investigative mystery” which consists of an investigative case in order to discover and eliminate a mystery. Additionally, a story that does not have a clear solution, or reason why a criminal is doing what he or she did, makes a mystery that much more …show more content…

Let’s take for example, his tale “The Tell Tale Heart,” which is classified as a psychological mystery and gothic story. In this tale, the reader knows not only who the true killer is, but the reader also understands that the narrator is unsteady. Essentially, the reader understands that the narrator was disturbed by the old man’s eye and in order to get rid of this disturbance he had no other choice but to kill the old man. He finally committed the crime on the eight night which kept the reader waiting and built suspense. Even when the police come, it is suspenseful wondering if the police will figure out who committed the crime. Here it is important to note that without this knowledge on the what, why, or how in full detail the reader would be left to analyze this gothic tale and come up with their own conclusion and answers to these particular questions. Here the some of the necessary gothic themes of death, decay, madness, and chaos are not only present in this work, but in several of Edgar Allan Poe’s other tales. Analyst Louis Bernard said, “whenever we write a mystery, whenever we write horror, whenever we write science fiction—whenever we write about obsession—we’re following in his tracks.” He also added that “[Edgar Allan Poe] wasn’t just a mystery/suspense writer,” but “he was the first.” Poe’s work in gothic fiction is

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