Anton Chekhov, a Russian writer, once said, ÃÂDonÃÂt tell me the moon is shinning; show me the glint of light on the broken glassÃÂ. Edgar Allan Poe not only states the facts, but he embellishes each concrete piece of information with details, strong diction, and vivid imagery. He does not merely tell the reader simple facts like the moon is shining; he enables the reader to actually depict each glint of light on the glass. Edgar Allan Poe applies bountiful details, potent diction, and graphic imagery in each of his literary works, including ÃÂThe Murders in the Rue MorgueÃÂ, ÃÂThe RavenÃÂ, and ÃÂThe Masque of the Red DeathÃÂ, to produce an intense mood of suspense and horror that each individual reader can physically feel.
A dreadful and dire crime scene launches Edgar Allan PoeÃÂs short story, ÃÂThe Murders in the Rue MorgueÃÂ. The enthralling and daunting mood of the mystery was maintain through out the entire narrative through PoeÃÂs use of gruesome diction, elaborate details, and strong imagery.
Illustration for Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of ...
Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley, 1894–1895
Edgar Allan Poe Museum (Richmond, Virginia)An unknown narrator lucidly accounts the recent murders of Madame L'Espanaye, and her daughter, Mademoiselle Camille L'Espanaye. Poe through the narrator embellishes the account with seemingly inconsequential details including how ÃÂthe door of which, being found locked, with the key inside, was forced openÃÂ (Poe 2) instead simply stating the door was opened. These details enable readers to vividly paint the scene in their mind and feel the suspenseful disposition. The author further sustains the melancholy mood with his strong and unique diction. Instead of merely stating that the knife was covered with blood, he emphasizes the horror of it by pronouncing it as ÃÂa razor besmeared with bloodÃÂ (Poe 2). Additionally, Poe incorprated imagery to further enhance the suspensful and horrendous mood. The reader can cleraly visualize the...
Edgar Allen Poe
While this essay has some good points, it is redundant. It also fails to appreciate the very material that it covers. In "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," the essay writer comments on the details that Poe provides: "the door of which, being found locked, with the key inside, was forced open." The writer suggests that Poe used these details "instead [of] simply stating the door was opened." But the writer's statement completely misses the point. If the door was locked and the key was inside the room, that shows that the door was locked from the inside. And if the two persons known to be in the room are now both dead, under circumstances ruling out suicide, how could the murderer get out of the room, without unlocking the door?
Of "Red Death," the writer does an adequate job of describing the setting of the story, but does nothing about the arrogance of Prospero in sealing himself within his castle, and it is the contest between Prospero's arrogance and the chilling justice of the Red Death that drives the story.
In short, this essay falls short.
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