The Tell-Tale Heart 4 gr. A

 The Tell-Tale Heart : 2nd and final part

1. What literary devices does Poe use to maximize narrative tension in the first paragraph of the second part ?

he uses shorter sentences, that feel faster and harder than before ("I scarcely breathed"). He also repeats entire expressions ("louder and louder", "quicker and quicker") and highlights tension with exclamation marks (6 in the paragraph). Along with direct questions aimed at the reader, these elements create tension and confusion. The writing becomes the very fabric (le tissu même) of the character.

In this paragraph, the narrator kills the old man for good, who screams as he dies.

2. In the second paragraph, how does Poe show his character is mad ?

Poe shows his character is mad when he explicitely says he's not, and lingers on (s'attarde) gory details of the dismemberment of the old man. It influenced the gore movement in cinema through the fascination of the Grand Guignol theatre in Paris.

3. Why are the police officers visiting the narrator in the middle of the night ?

Because someone heard a shriek in the night.

4. Read between "I smiled..." and "...within my ears." How is the perversity of the narrator exemplified ?

First we welcomes the two police with a big smile. He proceeds by showing them the house. He has an alibi. Then he makes them sit in the very room where he concealed the body. The officers are satisfied. He convinced them he's innocent.

BUT something goes wrong, he feels bad, and ends up not being himself. Perversity is a thought, a fancy that is independent and imposes itself on a character ; it is destructive and tempting, like the demon on the shoulder of cartoon characters.

5. What literary devices does Poe use to maximize narrative tension in the last before least paragraph ?

The narrator repeats the word "louder" and "increased" 3 times at first, and uses exclamation marks throughout (à travers, tout le long) the paragraph. He concludes by repeating "louder" another 4 times, in a row (d'affilée). There are also numerous hyphens, stressing the confusion of the character as he changes ideas and feelings.

It feels like this story heralds (préfigure) modern horror : the ultimate terror might be not an outer terror (une terreur extérieure), but an inner terror (une terreur intérieure).

6. Is this story fantastic or realistic ?

Fantastic :  The sound of the heart

Realistic : the setting is familiar. Crazy killers exist for real. He behaves normally with the police officers.

So, the question is : can we trust the narrator ?

7. Try and spot references to watches and time.

Strangers, Koontz, 1986

1. It's the story of Dominick Corvaisis who is a somnambulist (dreamwalker). He wakes up in a closet. He thinks about his condition, and links it with folklore and anecdotes about lycanthropy and spirits.

2. It's third narrative story. We know his name, and it seems like a familiar setting. However, the character is primaly shown through his condition, and a possible trauma might explain it later during the plot. The character is there for the story to unfold.