Obsession in Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”
Natália Pires da Silva | 2017
While reading Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories, it is possible to notice that many of his narratives are filled with obsessive characters, but only few studies are concerned with the question of obsession in Poe’s stories. Much of what was written until now has been in relation to the short story “Berenice” in which the protagonist is obsessed with his cousin’s teeth. In this sense, the purpose of this study is to analyze the theme of obsession in Poe’s short stories “The Black Cat” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” once it seems to have a key influence in the most relevant actions in the short stories. According to Nöel Carroll, narratives are supposed to elicit a certain effect (14). Based on this, the main objective of this study is to understand how obsession, in these short stories, contribute to create a Gothicterror effect. In this regard, it was possible to notice that obsession in “The Black Cat” and “The Tell-Tale Heart”, when interpreted as the main theme of these narratives, creates effects such as suspense, a feeling of being haunted and also an uncanny effect.