How Did Edgar Allan Poe Build Suspense

Edgar Allan Poe is an American Gothic author from the 19th century. It is well known that Edgar Allan Poe was a master of suspense. The word ‘suspense’ is defined by the Oxford Dictionary to be ‘A state or feeling of excited or anxious uncertainty about what may happen.’ Two of Poe’s works are ‘Ligeia’ and ‘The Fall of the House Usher’. ‘Ligeia’ is the story of an unnamed narrator in love with his wife Lady Ligeia and how he copes with her death. ‘The fall of the House of Usher’ is the story of an unnamed narrator visiting his friend Roderick Usher at his house. Both of them are full of suspense and this is the main topic this essay will be focusing on. This essay will attempt to illustrate how Poe builds suspense in his short stories

In ‘The Cask of Amontillado,’Tell-Tale Heart,‘ and ‘Annabel Lee,’ Edgar Allan Poe utilizes vivid imagery and dramatic syntax to captivate the reader into the suspenseful mood of his piece. Poe consistently writes in a thrilling genre. After creating many astounding works based on his past experiences, including being an orphan, his mother and wife dying tragically before him, and his time as an alcoholic, the world of literature considered him as one of the writers that started it all. He was born on January 19, 1809 and died on October 7, 1849. Poe’s first collection of poems was published in 1827, when he was 18. He used his influence to portray a writing style that no one had ever done before. Entranced by this alternative style, his audience

Edgar Allan Poe is known for some of the most horrifying stories ever written through out time. He worked with the natural world, animals, and weather to create chilling literature. Two most notable thrillers are “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Poe was infatuated with death, disfigurement, and dark characteristics of the world. He could mix characters, setting, theme,and mood in a way that readers are automatically drawn into reading. Both of these short stories have the same major aspects in common.

On January 19th, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, one of the most influential writers of all time was born. This person was Edgar Allen Poe and his works of literature would change the world of writing forever. Edgar Allen Poe was a master of creating a mood of suspense and exhibited this through two of his stories, “The Raven” and “Cask of Amontillado”, where there was much suspense built through many different methods. Poe creates suspense by using word choice, plot structure, and literary elements.

Have you ever read “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe? It is a short story about a man whose mental state deteriorates over time. The narrator loves the old man, however he has a deep hatred toward the old man’s vulture-like eye. This essay will be explaining the ways Poe keeps his readers in suspense. Edgar Allan Poe uses time, repetition, and descriptive language to set the pace, tone, and mood.

People reads books and they get their captured by the suspense the authors use to write their stories. Suspense is a key point for most readers it keeps them reading the book to see what happens next. Both Edgar Allan Poe and Richard Connell are very good authors that use a lot of suspense throughout their short stories. Poe’s “Cask of Amontillado” and Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game” are two stories full of suspense. It’s unpredictable, surprising that we can’t figure out what happens next. .Through conflict, setting, and diction Poe and Connell are able to build suspense.

You are on the edge of your seat, trying in vain to get the pages separated to see what happens next. This is what readers do when reading a suspenseful story. Because it is a suspenseful story, this is also what readers do when reading “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe creates suspense in his story by talking about the main character’s actions and the setting details.

In the short story “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan Poe tell of a man going to great extents to get revenge. Montresor holds a grudge against Fortunato because he has insulted him several times causing pain inside him to form and builds up day by day. Fortunato has a talent of tasting wine but needs to find a way not to express his feelings that much. Throughout the story, Edgar Allan Poe creates events in which he builds suspense. The author keeps his readers on their feel by having a surprise at every corner. Edgar Allan Poe demonstrates in “The Cask of Amontillado” how he uses the conflict to show the build of suspense, change of mood of the reader, develop the theme, reflect a change in the character/characters.

Edgar Allan Poe is acknowledged today as one of the most brilliant writers and masters of horrors in American literature. This can be seen in his two short stories “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale-Heart”. Both of these stories are written in first person and ends with their victim 's death. These stories contain many similarities and differences in term of the characters, theme, mood, irony, setting, confession, and the reason for committing murder.

Edgar Allan Poe is a poet who makes his poetry very strong, dark and suspenseful; to do this Poe uses imagery, mood and tone. These three techniques help create a feeling of horror. “The Cask of the Amontillado”, “ The Raven”, and “The Tale Tell Heart” are the three stories that show these techniques clearly.

As in the famous words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” The fear of losing yourself can definitely make the tension between that person and their own mind become heated. There are people in this world that can control people by playing with their emotions, and they do not even have to say a word; they write them out. Edgar Allan Poe and Charlotte Perkins Gilman are very good with showing the elements of suspense, horror, and of course, tension.

Ever wonder what inspires some authors to write these amazing stories filled with all sorts of emotion and have you wanting more? Well, an author’s personal life is the reason for all this inspiration. Edgar Allan Poe is one of those authors. He uses the death of his loved ones and the fact that he was never formally adopted to create these depressing, sad, and creepy stories. Such as, “The Tell- Tall Heart” and “The Cask of Amontiato”.

The reader is probably wondering what they are getting themselves into right now. And the answer is, walking straight towards you, further into the essay. This is an example of suspense. Suspense is the state of being excited or frightened about what may happen next. In stories, authors use suspense to catch the reader’s attention and interest the reader into learning and going into the story.

Edgar Allan Poe, born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809, lived a life filled with tragedy. Poe was an American writer, considered part of the Romantic Movement; he became an accomplished poet, short story writer, editor, and literary critic, and gained worldwide fame for his dark and gruesome tales of horror (Quinn). Although his writings were well received, Poe struggled financially. He was one of the earliest American writers to focus on the short story and has been credited with inventing the detective fiction genre (Quinn). He is known for great short stories like “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Raven.” He died in 1849 from unknown causes; some guess that he was an alcoholic, while others suggest that he may have committed suicide (Quinn).

Edgar Allan Poe, 40, passed away at five o'clock the morning of October 7, 1849. Poe was found unconscious in the streets of Baltimore, Maryland and was taken to a hospital and died a few days later. He will go down in literature history as the father of suspense. He didn’t have very many friends. He was a man who lived a very unfortunate life.