What do you think?
Rate this book
The Tell-Tale Heart
A man confronts himself and an unknown listener with his desire to murder an old man.
In this classic psychological thriller, the reader will find many more questions than answers. Even though this is one of Poe's shortest stories, nevertheless it has become one of his most highest regarded works. It is a profound and, at times, ambiguous investigation of the paranoia that may lie within the depths of one man's mind...
In this classic psychological thriller, the reader will find many more questions than answers. Even though this is one of Poe's shortest stories, nevertheless it has become one of his most highest regarded works. It is a profound and, at times, ambiguous investigation of the paranoia that may lie within the depths of one man's mind...
31 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1843
About the author
Edgar Allan Poe
8,436 books24.1k followersThe name Poe brings to mind images of murderers and madmen, premature burials, and mysterious women who return from the dead. His works have been in print since 1827 and include such literary classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Fall of the House of Usher. This versatile writer’s oeuvre includes short stories, poetry, a novel, a textbook, a book of scientific theory, and hundreds of essays and book reviews. He is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre, but he made his living as America’s first great literary critic and theoretician. Poe’s reputation today rests primarily on his tales of terror as well as on his haunting lyric poetry.
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
Just as the bizarre characters in Poe’s stories have captured the public imagination so too has Poe himself. He is seen as a morbid, mysterious figure lurking in the shadows of moonlit cemeteries or crumbling castles. This is the Poe of legend. But much of what we know about Poe is wrong, the product of a biography written by one of his enemies in an attempt to defame the author’s name.
The real Poe was born to traveling actors in Boston on January 19, 1809. Edgar was the second of three children. His other brother William Henry Leonard Poe would also become a poet before his early death, and Poe’s sister Rosalie Poe would grow up to teach penmanship at a Richmond girls’ school. Within three years of Poe’s birth both of his parents had died, and he was taken in by the wealthy tobacco merchant John Allan and his wife Frances Valentine Allan in Richmond, Virginia while Poe’s siblings went to live with other families. Mr. Allan would rear Poe to be a businessman and a Virginia gentleman, but Poe had dreams of being a writer in emulation of his childhood hero the British poet Lord Byron. Early poetic verses found written in a young Poe’s handwriting on the backs of Allan’s ledger sheets reveal how little interest Poe had in the tobacco business.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_al...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,942 reviews
April 1, 2023
When someone gives you the stink eye.
An ailing man suffers extreme acute hearing because of his grave disease, but that's nothing, his worst fear is the poor old man living with him. He has shown him nothing but kindness, never hurt or insulted him, yet there’s something about him. Something about his eyes…
Good but kind of a letdown. This felt way too short, even for a short story. And it held no surprise at all, but for that I blame The Simpsons and that parody episode where that evil Lisa cheated to win her diorama school contest. Surprise means everything to me and that’s why I also usually can never go back from movie to book.
Still a fabulous classic regarded as one of Poe’s finest, along with The Fall of the House of Usher, The Black Cat and others. Please don’t let my discouraging review keep you from trying, it’s worth the twenty minutes I think, if only for curiosity’s sake.
It’s public domain, you can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1843] [31p] [Horror] [Conditional Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Cuando alguien te mira mal.
Un hombre enfermo sufre de audición aguda por culpa de su grave enfermedad, pero eso no es nada, su peor temor es el pobre viejo que vive con él. No le ha mostrado nada más que amabilidad, nunca lo lastimó o insultó, pero hay algo sobre él. Algo en sus ojos…
Bueno pero medio decepción. Esto se sintió extremadamente corto, incluso para un cuento corto. Y no tuvo sorpresa en absoluto, pero por eso culpo a Los Simpsons y ese episodio parodia donde esa malvada Lisa hace trampa para ganar su concurso de dioramas en la escuela. La sorpresa significa todo para mí y es por eso que tampoco casi nunca puedo volver de la película al libro.
Aun así un fabuloso clásico considerado como uno de los mejores de Poe, junto con La Caída de la Casa de Usher, El Gato Negro y otros. Por favor no dejes que mi desalentadora reseña evite que trates, vale los veinte minutos creo, aunque sea sólo por simple curiosidad.
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1843] [31p] [Horror] [Recomendable Condicional]
-----------------------------------------------
An ailing man suffers extreme acute hearing because of his grave disease, but that's nothing, his worst fear is the poor old man living with him. He has shown him nothing but kindness, never hurt or insulted him, yet there’s something about him. Something about his eyes…
Good but kind of a letdown. This felt way too short, even for a short story. And it held no surprise at all, but for that I blame The Simpsons and that parody episode where that evil Lisa cheated to win her diorama school contest. Surprise means everything to me and that’s why I also usually can never go back from movie to book.
Still a fabulous classic regarded as one of Poe’s finest, along with The Fall of the House of Usher, The Black Cat and others. Please don’t let my discouraging review keep you from trying, it’s worth the twenty minutes I think, if only for curiosity’s sake.
It’s public domain, you can find it HERE.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[1843] [31p] [Horror] [Conditional Recommendable]
-----------------------------------------------
Cuando alguien te mira mal.
Un hombre enfermo sufre de audición aguda por culpa de su grave enfermedad, pero eso no es nada, su peor temor es el pobre viejo que vive con él. No le ha mostrado nada más que amabilidad, nunca lo lastimó o insultó, pero hay algo sobre él. Algo en sus ojos…
Bueno pero medio decepción. Esto se sintió extremadamente corto, incluso para un cuento corto. Y no tuvo sorpresa en absoluto, pero por eso culpo a Los Simpsons y ese episodio parodia donde esa malvada Lisa hace trampa para ganar su concurso de dioramas en la escuela. La sorpresa significa todo para mí y es por eso que tampoco casi nunca puedo volver de la película al libro.
Aun así un fabuloso clásico considerado como uno de los mejores de Poe, junto con La Caída de la Casa de Usher, El Gato Negro y otros. Por favor no dejes que mi desalentadora reseña evite que trates, vale los veinte minutos creo, aunque sea sólo por simple curiosidad.
Es dominio público, lo pueden encontrar ACA.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[1843] [31p] [Horror] [Recomendable Condicional]
-----------------------------------------------
February 5, 2021
The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
A perfect haunting short story that will allow you to examine madness and wickedness at the depths of the human soul. It's not a horror story. But a kind of psychological tale. Strange the story. Easy to read. Quick to finish. Really loved this first-person storytelling. It's beautiful writing, and a very intense story will make anyone ponder for a long time.
Good read.
A perfect haunting short story that will allow you to examine madness and wickedness at the depths of the human soul. It's not a horror story. But a kind of psychological tale. Strange the story. Easy to read. Quick to finish. Really loved this first-person storytelling. It's beautiful writing, and a very intense story will make anyone ponder for a long time.
And have I not told you that what you mistake for madness is but over-acuteness of the sense?
Good read.
January 22, 2020
Typical Poe.
He is so descriptive, yet we don't actually know much about the narrator.
I think he's Poe himself.
He is so descriptive, yet we don't actually know much about the narrator.
I think he's Poe himself.
October 16, 2022
A perfect hair-raising Halloween-time experience!
Head without a heart, is monstrous,
Head with a heart in place, works wonders!
Don’t we stumble upon folks, who appear standoffish and selfish, and others overtly emotional? It is infrequent to encounter the ones with a correct amalgamation of both head and heart. Life turns into a beautiful song, only when both the head and the heart work in tandem!
For me, “The Tell-Tale Heart”, is a macabre story, eliciting the above theme of the importance of the intertwinement and inexplicability of head and heart!
It is a commentary on rationality of a human with a head but no heart, juxtaposing the ramifications of presence and absence of heart! It is a story about psychological issues, in a person with a diseased mind!
The unnamed narrator, throughout the story keeps proclaiming that he isn’t mad, but in actuality his mind is diseased. This story, is a study on human psychology (not alone about a madman, but a self-note for all those, who operate only with head, keeping the heart aside in a locker!)
The nameless narrator starts-off by convincing the readers that he isn’t mad. He lives along with an old man (I assume a chaperone). Definitely they don’t share a kinship, the narrator likes the old man, but just his eye vexes him all the time! He refers to it as – a vulture eye (I presumed, that as the man is old, may be one of his eyes would have developed an abnormality). He plans to kill the old man, and get rid of the irritation! He sneaks into his room every day for a week, diligently! Watches over him sleeping, but can’t close the deed, as the problematic eye is closed. Finally, the heavens fall on the 8th night, when he makes a noise and sees the eye in the lantern light. The old man gets scared to death, the narrator hears the old man’s heartbeat, as he is petrified! The pounding heart beat serves as the final stroke, and he attacks him by smothering him, dismembers and conceals the body in the floorboards! Eye is an object of obsession for his diseased mind. He is merciless, and fixated on his goal alone!
He is a man of brains, street-smart, but without a heart!
He plans the murder with diligence, persistence and obsession. He sneaks into the bedroom of the old man for straight 7 continuous nights. His obsessive-compulsive disorder for the minutest details is proven, by the way he cites the details, impeccably!
Throughout the story, he is busy proving that he isn’t insane.
The more he tries to convince, the more he convinces the readers, that he is mentally unstable! As we say, guilty until proved innocent, he stays busy proving his innocence throughout!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The second-half of the story, is what thrilled me the most, when the policemen arrive at the crime scene!
############################
Not because of the gore and blood or spookiness, but because of the mere psychological factor/learning, a mindful 4.5-stars, ofcourse along with a beating heart! 😊
Dropped 0.5 stars, as I wanted to listen to the old-man commentary (maybe a sentence or so), to know his state-of-mind(apart from being scared)!
The absence of heart in a human with a diseased mind, became the reason for his own conviction! It was ironical, how he refers the policemen as villains in the closing line, when he himself is a criminal!
Attainment of goals with sheer head, led to total apocalypse and out-and-out chaos! Heart directs the mind for a more fruitful outcome. It clearly declares the ramifications of an absent heart in a ruthless man. The “heart-beat” reveals not only his crime, and convicts him, but it also reveals the need for a cogent mind.
For a rational mind, heart is an indispensable asset!
November 2, 2021
The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe is perhaps the ultimate author for fans of Gothic and macabre horror stories. Here is a carefully selected collection of his finest stories, this book includes, 'The Pit and the Pendulum', 'The Tell Tale Heart', 'The Cask of Amontillado' and many more.
It is relayed by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of his sanity while simultaneously describing a murder he committed.
The victim was an old man with a filmy "vulture-eye", as the narrator calls it. The narrator emphasizes the careful calculation of the murder, and he hides the body by dismembering it in the bathtub, and hiding it under the floorboards. Ultimately, the narrator's feelings of guilt, or a mental disturbance, result in him hearing a thumping sound, which he interprets as the dead man's beating heart.
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «قلب افشاگر»؛ «قلب خبرچین»؛ «قلب رازگو و داستانهای دیگر»؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش ماه دسامبر سال2007میلادی، بار دیگر ماه جولای سال2011میلادی
عنوان: قلب افشاگر؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ مترجم محمد حاج کریمی؛ تهران، کوله پشتی، سال1388، در84ص، شابک9786005337716؛ موضوع: داستان کودکان از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 19م
عنوان: قلب خبرچین؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ مترجم: مهناز دقیق نیا، ای.بوک
عنوان: قلب رازگو و داستانهای دیگر؛ مترجم: مسعود فرزام؛ تهران، جامی، سال1389 در288ص
راوی داستان فردی بینام و مجنون است، که پیرمردی را برای نفرت از چشم لاشخور مانند او، با آرامش به قتل میرساند، و جسد او را در زیر تخته های کف اتاق، پنهان، ولی احساس میکند، که ضربان قلب او را، که هر لحظه بلندتر میشود، میشنود؛ این صدا که او را به مرز دیوانگی کشانده، سبب میشود، تا خود را لو دهد؛
نقل از متن: (میدانستم که با اولین صدا از خواب پریده است، و وحشتش مدام بیشتر و بیشتر میشود، مرگ پا به اتاقش گذاشته، و سایه اش مردک را احاطه کرده بود، نه میتوانست مرا ببیند، نه بشنود، ولی میتوانست احساس کند، که سر من داخل اتاق است)؛ پایان نقل
ادگار آلن پو، از بنیانگذاران گونه های پلیسی، علمی تخیلی و وحشت شمرده میشوند؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 06/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 10/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Edgar Allan Poe is perhaps the ultimate author for fans of Gothic and macabre horror stories. Here is a carefully selected collection of his finest stories, this book includes, 'The Pit and the Pendulum', 'The Tell Tale Heart', 'The Cask of Amontillado' and many more.
It is relayed by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of his sanity while simultaneously describing a murder he committed.
The victim was an old man with a filmy "vulture-eye", as the narrator calls it. The narrator emphasizes the careful calculation of the murder, and he hides the body by dismembering it in the bathtub, and hiding it under the floorboards. Ultimately, the narrator's feelings of guilt, or a mental disturbance, result in him hearing a thumping sound, which he interprets as the dead man's beating heart.
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «قلب افشاگر»؛ «قلب خبرچین»؛ «قلب رازگو و داستانهای دیگر»؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش ماه دسامبر سال2007میلادی، بار دیگر ماه جولای سال2011میلادی
عنوان: قلب افشاگر؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ مترجم محمد حاج کریمی؛ تهران، کوله پشتی، سال1388، در84ص، شابک9786005337716؛ موضوع: داستان کودکان از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 19م
عنوان: قلب خبرچین؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ مترجم: مهناز دقیق نیا، ای.بوک
عنوان: قلب رازگو و داستانهای دیگر؛ مترجم: مسعود فرزام؛ تهران، جامی، سال1389 در288ص
راوی داستان فردی بینام و مجنون است، که پیرمردی را برای نفرت از چشم لاشخور مانند او، با آرامش به قتل میرساند، و جسد او را در زیر تخته های کف اتاق، پنهان، ولی احساس میکند، که ضربان قلب او را، که هر لحظه بلندتر میشود، میشنود؛ این صدا که او را به مرز دیوانگی کشانده، سبب میشود، تا خود را لو دهد؛
نقل از متن: (میدانستم که با اولین صدا از خواب پریده است، و وحشتش مدام بیشتر و بیشتر میشود، مرگ پا به اتاقش گذاشته، و سایه اش مردک را احاطه کرده بود، نه میتوانست مرا ببیند، نه بشنود، ولی میتوانست احساس کند، که سر من داخل اتاق است)؛ پایان نقل
ادگار آلن پو، از بنیانگذاران گونه های پلیسی، علمی تخیلی و وحشت شمرده میشوند؛
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 06/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 10/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
December 16, 2021
لو عرف المجنون انه مجنون..اذن فهو عاقل
ا{و عرفت انه أنين الرعب و الهلاك..لا ��م تكن هذه صرخة الم او حزن. .بل ذلك الانين الضعيف الذي ينبع من باطن الروح عندما تزيد رهبتها }ا
هذه القصة قوطية الطابع تتشابه كثيرا جدا مع القط الاسود ..
هي نموذج ممتاز للفصام الذهاني المتقدم..ممتزجا بالبارانويا في أسوأ صورها
ادجار الان بو/لافكرافت / ستيفن كينج / تولكين
هؤلاء الاربعة يتشاركون في شعرة من الجنون تظهر جلية في بعض أعمالهم..و تتوراي في بعضهما..لكن اذا راق لك يوما ان تفهم ماهي : الهلاوس و الضلالات..المخاوف الهيستيرية العصابية .فلتقرا لهؤلاء الاربعة
و لكن لنتذكر دايما ان الجنون يحتاج لضمير ميت
و هذا ��لراوي /المجرم كان للعجب يمتلك ضميرا/ إحساسابالذنب ..لذا رجح بعض النقاد ان👀 عين النسر /دقات القلب اللحوحة ترمز للسلطة الأبوية
ا{و عرفت انه أنين الرعب و الهلاك..لا ��م تكن هذه صرخة الم او حزن. .بل ذلك الانين الضعيف الذي ينبع من باطن الروح عندما تزيد رهبتها }ا
هذه القصة قوطية الطابع تتشابه كثيرا جدا مع القط الاسود ..
هي نموذج ممتاز للفصام الذهاني المتقدم..ممتزجا بالبارانويا في أسوأ صورها
ادجار الان بو/لافكرافت / ستيفن كينج / تولكين
هؤلاء الاربعة يتشاركون في شعرة من الجنون تظهر جلية في بعض أعمالهم..و تتوراي في بعضهما..لكن اذا راق لك يوما ان تفهم ماهي : الهلاوس و الضلالات..المخاوف الهيستيرية العصابية .فلتقرا لهؤلاء الاربعة
و لكن لنتذكر دايما ان الجنون يحتاج لضمير ميت
و هذا ��لراوي /المجرم كان للعجب يمتلك ضميرا/ إحساسابالذنب ..لذا رجح بعض النقاد ان👀 عين النسر /دقات القلب اللحوحة ترمز للسلطة الأبوية
October 25, 2021
The Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe
The Tell-Tale Heart by writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843.
It is relayed by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of his sanity while simultaneously describing a murder he committed.
The victim was an old man with a filmy "vulture-eye", as the narrator calls it. The narrator emphasizes the careful calculation of the murder, and he hides the body by dismembering it in the bathtub, and hiding it under the floorboards. Ultimately, the narrator's feelings of guilt, or a mental disturbance, result in him hearing a thumping sound, which he interprets as the dead man's beating heart.
The volume contains three horror stories:
The Tell-Tale Heart,
The Fall of the House of Usher,
and The Cask of Amontillado.
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «قلب افشاگر»؛ «قلب خبرچین»؛ «قلب رازگو و داستانهای دیگر»؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه دسامبر سال2007میلادی، بار دیگر ماه جولای سال2011میلادی
عنوان: قلب افشاگر؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ مترجم: محمد حاج کریمی؛ نشر تهران، کوله پشتی، 1388، در 84ص، شابک 9786005337716؛ موضوع داستان کودکان از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 19م
عنوان: قلب خبرچین؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ مترجم: مهناز دقیق نیا، ای.بوک
عنوان: قلب رازگو و داستانهای دیگر؛ مترجم: مسعود فرزام؛ تهران، جامی، سال1389، در288ص
ادگار آلن پو، از بنیانگذاران گونه های پلیسی، علمی تخیلی و وحشت شمرده میشوند؛ راوی داستان فرد بینام و مجنون است، که پیرمردی را بخاطر نفرت، از چشم لاشخور مانند او، با آرامش به قتل میرساند، و جسد او را در زیر تخته های کف اتاق، پنهان، ولی احساس میکند، که ضربان قلب او را، که هر لحظه بلندتر میشود، میشنود؛ این صدا که او را به مرز دیوانگی کشانده، سبب میشود، تا خود را لو دهد؛
از متن: (میدانستم که با اولین صدا از خواب پریده است، و وحشتش مدام بیشتر و بیشتر میشود؛ مرگ پا به اتاقش گذاشته و سایه اش مردک را احاطه کرده بود؛ نه میتوانست مرا ببیند، نه بشنود. ولی میتوانست احساس کند که سر من داخل اتاق است)؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 05/08/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 02/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
The Tell-Tale Heart by writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1843.
It is relayed by an unnamed narrator who endeavors to convince the reader of his sanity while simultaneously describing a murder he committed.
The victim was an old man with a filmy "vulture-eye", as the narrator calls it. The narrator emphasizes the careful calculation of the murder, and he hides the body by dismembering it in the bathtub, and hiding it under the floorboards. Ultimately, the narrator's feelings of guilt, or a mental disturbance, result in him hearing a thumping sound, which he interprets as the dead man's beating heart.
The volume contains three horror stories:
The Tell-Tale Heart,
The Fall of the House of Usher,
and The Cask of Amontillado.
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «قلب افشاگر»؛ «قلب خبرچین»؛ «قلب رازگو و داستانهای دیگر»؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ماه دسامبر سال2007میلادی، بار دیگر ماه جولای سال2011میلادی
عنوان: قلب افشاگر؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ مترجم: محمد حاج کریمی؛ نشر تهران، کوله پشتی، 1388، در 84ص، شابک 9786005337716؛ موضوع داستان کودکان از نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 19م
عنوان: قلب خبرچین؛ نویسنده: ادگار آلن پو؛ مترجم: مهناز دقیق نیا، ای.بوک
عنوان: قلب رازگو و داستانهای دیگر؛ مترجم: مسعود فرزام؛ تهران، جامی، سال1389، در288ص
ادگار آلن پو، از بنیانگذاران گونه های پلیسی، علمی تخیلی و وحشت شمرده میشوند؛ راوی داستان فرد بینام و مجنون است، که پیرمردی را بخاطر نفرت، از چشم لاشخور مانند او، با آرامش به قتل میرساند، و جسد او را در زیر تخته های کف اتاق، پنهان، ولی احساس میکند، که ضربان قلب او را، که هر لحظه بلندتر میشود، میشنود؛ این صدا که او را به مرز دیوانگی کشانده، سبب میشود، تا خود را لو دهد؛
از متن: (میدانستم که با اولین صدا از خواب پریده است، و وحشتش مدام بیشتر و بیشتر میشود؛ مرگ پا به اتاقش گذاشته و سایه اش مردک را احاطه کرده بود؛ نه میتوانست مرا ببیند، نه بشنود. ولی میتوانست احساس کند که سر من داخل اتاق است)؛ پایان نقل
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 05/08/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 02/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
June 2, 2022
Edgar Allan Poe’s very short story from 1843 still packs a punch. Stories about the heart make love spring first to mind, even if those hearts are broken. With Poe, it's bloodier, both literally and metaphorically.
What makes a cold-blooded killer? Madness, badness, or both?
A narrator of unknown age, gender, and relationship to an old man, earnestly, urgently defends their own sanity, as they explain exactly how they planned and committed his murder:
“So you think that I am mad? A madman cannot plan….
So I am mad, you say? You should have seen how careful I was.”
Or could the narrator be death himself?!
In contrast to the detail of the deed, everything else is vague.
It’s addressed to “you”, which is very direct, almost making the reader complicit. But we don’t know if they’re talking to themself, a psychiatrist (not that the profession existed back then), priest, God, judge, jailer, or unimagined readers, more than 150 years later. Nor why they are confessing. But it’s not to the three (significant, surely) police officers.
The victim is a man the narrator says has never harmed them, and whose death would not profit them. No reason is suggested beyond the sort of fears many of us have in childhood. In fact, motive is explicitly denied:
“There was no reason for what I did.”
Image: An eye peeking through a door. (Source.)
“I could not see the old man’s face. Only that eye, that hard blue eye, and the blood in my body became like ice.”
Take blood
The perfect crime.
Murder is so easy!
But then guilt kicks in, ticks in.
A metaphor made flesh, in flesh.
Bloody brilliant.
Give blood
I reread this in 2018 as I waited to donate my 71st pint of blood, and again in 2022, shortly after my 78th. A mystical and mundane substance, essential for life. It’s an easy way to save lives, for those who are able. Eligibility criteria change, so if you'd like to be a donor, but thought you couldn't be, it's worth checking. For those in the UK click HERE.
Image: “Save a life. Give blood.”. (Source.)
Mind you, occasionally, NHS Blood Donation does odd things, like this tie-in with “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Madness”, here. As the Tweeter says, “Is the NHS paying for Cumberbatch and Olsen to plug blood donation (with a Doctor Strange plug part of the deal)? Or is Disney paying the NHS to promote the film to their blood donation page?”
See also
I read this in parallel with HP Lovecraft’s Pickman’s Model (see my review HERE), which also opens with an anonymous narrator declaring their sanity.
Short story club
I reread this as one of the stories in The Art of the Short Story, by Dana Gioia, from which I'm aiming to read one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 2 May 2022.
You can read this story here.
You can join the group here.
What makes a cold-blooded killer? Madness, badness, or both?
A narrator of unknown age, gender, and relationship to an old man, earnestly, urgently defends their own sanity, as they explain exactly how they planned and committed his murder:
“So you think that I am mad? A madman cannot plan….
So I am mad, you say? You should have seen how careful I was.”
Or could the narrator be death himself?!
In contrast to the detail of the deed, everything else is vague.
It’s addressed to “you”, which is very direct, almost making the reader complicit. But we don’t know if they’re talking to themself, a psychiatrist (not that the profession existed back then), priest, God, judge, jailer, or unimagined readers, more than 150 years later. Nor why they are confessing. But it’s not to the three (significant, surely) police officers.
The victim is a man the narrator says has never harmed them, and whose death would not profit them. No reason is suggested beyond the sort of fears many of us have in childhood. In fact, motive is explicitly denied:
“There was no reason for what I did.”
Image: An eye peeking through a door. (Source.)
“I could not see the old man’s face. Only that eye, that hard blue eye, and the blood in my body became like ice.”
Take blood
The perfect crime.
Murder is so easy!
But then guilt kicks in, ticks in.
A metaphor made flesh, in flesh.
Bloody brilliant.
Give blood
I reread this in 2018 as I waited to donate my 71st pint of blood, and again in 2022, shortly after my 78th. A mystical and mundane substance, essential for life. It’s an easy way to save lives, for those who are able. Eligibility criteria change, so if you'd like to be a donor, but thought you couldn't be, it's worth checking. For those in the UK click HERE.
Image: “Save a life. Give blood.”. (Source.)
Mind you, occasionally, NHS Blood Donation does odd things, like this tie-in with “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Madness”, here. As the Tweeter says, “Is the NHS paying for Cumberbatch and Olsen to plug blood donation (with a Doctor Strange plug part of the deal)? Or is Disney paying the NHS to promote the film to their blood donation page?”
See also
I read this in parallel with HP Lovecraft’s Pickman’s Model (see my review HERE), which also opens with an anonymous narrator declaring their sanity.
Short story club
I reread this as one of the stories in The Art of the Short Story, by Dana Gioia, from which I'm aiming to read one story a week with The Short Story Club, starting 2 May 2022.
You can read this story here.
You can join the group here.
June 16, 2020
a delightfully morbid, fantastical story. i love that the literary discussion opportunities abound. WAS he mad? was it guilt? was he being haunted? we can only guess.
September 24, 2021
This slim volume contains three of the most iconic horror stories published by Edgar Allan Poe: The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher and The Cask of Amontillado. All three are first-person narratives with elaborate descriptions written in crafty, dense, luxuriant prose. The narrators in all three tales are likely unreliable – even highly ambiguous. The fundamental terror of live entombment is the central recurrent motif in every case.
The first and last tales are confessions of a murderer, revealing the meticulous details of their stealthy and almost perfect crimes. Their motivations, their thought process, the particular method of the homicide seems to indicate that we are immersing ourselves in each case into the mind of a deeply deranged monomaniac.
The Fall of the House of Usher – the longer of the three stories – has the eerie and mesmerising feel of a nightmare. A crumbling mansion covered with decaying vegetation and fungi; a sickly couple living seclusively inside; conversations where rationality and confusion coalesce – everything feels ominous and, indeed, leads to a terrifying dénouement.
Poe churned out many other seminal gothic tales that are now classics: The Black Cat, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death, etc. It is fair to say that modern writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, Franz Kafka, H.P. Lovecraft or Jorge Luis Borges would not have been the same if these tales didn’t exist.
> A few more notes on Poe’s work.
The first and last tales are confessions of a murderer, revealing the meticulous details of their stealthy and almost perfect crimes. Their motivations, their thought process, the particular method of the homicide seems to indicate that we are immersing ourselves in each case into the mind of a deeply deranged monomaniac.
The Fall of the House of Usher – the longer of the three stories – has the eerie and mesmerising feel of a nightmare. A crumbling mansion covered with decaying vegetation and fungi; a sickly couple living seclusively inside; conversations where rationality and confusion coalesce – everything feels ominous and, indeed, leads to a terrifying dénouement.
Poe churned out many other seminal gothic tales that are now classics: The Black Cat, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death, etc. It is fair to say that modern writers such as Robert Louis Stevenson, Arthur Conan Doyle, Franz Kafka, H.P. Lovecraft or Jorge Luis Borges would not have been the same if these tales didn’t exist.
> A few more notes on Poe’s work.
June 2, 2019
An unnamed narrator who is telling this story plots to kill an elderly man because he hates his horrible and scary "vulture eye"...
Enjoyable, atmospheric, fast and creepy read. Poe was a great storyteller!
Enjoyable, atmospheric, fast and creepy read. Poe was a great storyteller!
October 20, 2019
Creepy and fascinating...wonderfully evil and beautifully written... Edgar Allen Poe, the master of dark stories. First published in 1843, that's a long long time ago....
Three stories in this Penguin classics booklet, the famous Tell-Tale Heart (brilliantly weird and insane), The Fall of the House of Usher (what's going on exactly.... very poeticly written, intriguing, dark and mysterious atmosphere) and The Cask of Amontillado (wonderfully evil story). Loved it, beautiful language and Poe really is a great mind for evil stories.
During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher...
Three stories in this Penguin classics booklet, the famous Tell-Tale Heart (brilliantly weird and insane), The Fall of the House of Usher (what's going on exactly.... very poeticly written, intriguing, dark and mysterious atmosphere) and The Cask of Amontillado (wonderfully evil story). Loved it, beautiful language and Poe really is a great mind for evil stories.
During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher...
April 12, 2018
What a quick little stab of the macabre this tale is! It's a classic example of the unreliable narrator, who tries desperately to convince the reader of his sanity even as he stalks, kills, dismembers, and buries an old man for no other reason than that the man's eye "resembled that of a vulture." Of course the harder he tries to convince the reader of his sanity, the more insane you realize he is: "You should have seen how wisely I proceeded--with what caution--what what foresight--with what dissimulation I went to work!"
This tale is also interesting in its use of the Ancient Greek technique of beginning "in medias res"--or in the middle of things. There's no preamble, no setting of the scene. Here's how the story begins: "True!--nervous--very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?" You immediately get the sense that the narrator is reacting to something or someone, perhaps an unnamed interlocutor who's just told him he's mad. Or perhaps he's simply arguing or contending with himself? With a narrator like this, you never know, which is why I love unreliable narrators. There's no stability, no objectivity--everything is a shifting sand of the mind.
This tale is also interesting in its use of the Ancient Greek technique of beginning "in medias res"--or in the middle of things. There's no preamble, no setting of the scene. Here's how the story begins: "True!--nervous--very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?" You immediately get the sense that the narrator is reacting to something or someone, perhaps an unnamed interlocutor who's just told him he's mad. Or perhaps he's simply arguing or contending with himself? With a narrator like this, you never know, which is why I love unreliable narrators. There's no stability, no objectivity--everything is a shifting sand of the mind.
June 21, 2021
“It was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye."
An unnamed narrator, plots to kill an elderly man, because he’s terrified of his ‘vulture’ eye! He tries to convince the reader that he is a sane and caring person because of the way he plans and carries out the murder. Macabre read from Edgar Allen Poe, circa 1843.
http://m.free-short-stories.org.uk/ed...
An unnamed narrator, plots to kill an elderly man, because he’s terrified of his ‘vulture’ eye! He tries to convince the reader that he is a sane and caring person because of the way he plans and carries out the murder. Macabre read from Edgar Allen Poe, circa 1843.
http://m.free-short-stories.org.uk/ed...
December 31, 2015
This is quite possibly my favourite short story of all time as it makes me laugh so much. The narrator tries so hard to convince you of his sanity, but in doing so reveals more about his insanity than his dark deed does itself. It's kind of ironic really. I mean he mistakes the pounding of his own heart with that of the old man’s and uses it as a prompt to murder him because, after-all, the neighbours might hear the beating of his heart though the walls. And lo and behold his evil eye that is so much like a vulture’s, that he must be killed.
It just sounds like an excuse to me. By separating the eye from the old man, who he claims to love, he has a justifiable motif, in his mind, for killing the innocent old man. It makes the murdering easier and frees him from the burden of guilt. Well, at least he thought it would, but of course the beating of his heart gives him away and shows us the depths of his madness in Poe’s remarkable style.
This edition is an excellent introduction to the author. It starts with his most famous short story, which is followed by The Fall of the House of Usher and The Cask of Amontillado. All three stories are great examples of his writing, so if you’ve never read any of Poe’s work this is edition is a good place to start.
Penguin Little Black Classic- 31
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
It just sounds like an excuse to me. By separating the eye from the old man, who he claims to love, he has a justifiable motif, in his mind, for killing the innocent old man. It makes the murdering easier and frees him from the burden of guilt. Well, at least he thought it would, but of course the beating of his heart gives him away and shows us the depths of his madness in Poe’s remarkable style.
This edition is an excellent introduction to the author. It starts with his most famous short story, which is followed by The Fall of the House of Usher and The Cask of Amontillado. All three stories are great examples of his writing, so if you’ve never read any of Poe’s work this is edition is a good place to start.
Penguin Little Black Classic- 31
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
September 2, 2018
"... it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye."
The nervous narrator decides murder is the only way to rid himself of this horrible eye -- but he didn't plan for the old man's heart.
This is one of Edgar Allen Poe's most famous short stories, from 1843. The unreliable narrator tells about how he was undone by an old man's clouded, "vulture-like" eye and beating heart ... or was he?
The unnamed narrator is talking to another person, presumably a psychiatrist or policeman, trying his best to convince the listener ... not that he didn't commit the crime, but that he is not insane. And the more he explains how his sanity is proved by how very carefully he acted, how deliberately and coolly, the creepier it gets. This is a great, brief portrait of obsession and paranoia.
Available free online many places, including here.
The nervous narrator decides murder is the only way to rid himself of this horrible eye -- but he didn't plan for the old man's heart.
This is one of Edgar Allen Poe's most famous short stories, from 1843. The unreliable narrator tells about how he was undone by an old man's clouded, "vulture-like" eye and beating heart ... or was he?
The unnamed narrator is talking to another person, presumably a psychiatrist or policeman, trying his best to convince the listener ... not that he didn't commit the crime, but that he is not insane. And the more he explains how his sanity is proved by how very carefully he acted, how deliberately and coolly, the creepier it gets. This is a great, brief portrait of obsession and paranoia.
Available free online many places, including here.
October 30, 2019
A very dark story about a man's descent into madness. I really enjoyed Poe's unique, somewhat poetic, writing style. Perfect for my Halloween reading.
April 1, 2023
The Tell-tale Heart, written in 1842, is one of Poe's best known short stories, despite its brevity. It is a study of the psychology of guilt, madness and paranoia, which are themes present in many of Poe's other works. The author uses a favourite claustrophobic device of his -
The reader assumes that this is an hallucination, although the narrator insists that he is not insane, but suffering from an "over-acuteness of the senses." The very first word of the story, "True!", is an admission of his guilt, as well as an assurance of reliability. Nevertheless this is another of Poe's tales where he employs a firsthand account by an unreliable narrator, and where the suspense is increased by uncertainty; the reader becomes more and more doubtful that they should believe in the accuracy of the account.
It is a powerful and deeply unpleasant tale.
We are not told any details, to increase the starkness and impact of the tale. Poe thus manipulates the reader to concentrate on the horrific actions, without employing much of his usual skill with imaginative use of language. In this it is atypical of his writing, although the short, sharp simple sentences are used to great effect. There have been several virtuoso performances by actors such as Joss Ackland and Vincent Price. It must be a gift to a talented actor who can bring their full range of nuances of expression to what is essentially a soliloquy by a madman.
This tale is quite simply a masterpiece of horror. Judge by the final words,
The reader assumes that this is an hallucination, although the narrator insists that he is not insane, but suffering from an "over-acuteness of the senses." The very first word of the story, "True!", is an admission of his guilt, as well as an assurance of reliability. Nevertheless this is another of Poe's tales where he employs a firsthand account by an unreliable narrator, and where the suspense is increased by uncertainty; the reader becomes more and more doubtful that they should believe in the accuracy of the account.
It is a powerful and deeply unpleasant tale.
We are not told any details, to increase the starkness and impact of the tale. Poe thus manipulates the reader to concentrate on the horrific actions, without employing much of his usual skill with imaginative use of language. In this it is atypical of his writing, although the short, sharp simple sentences are used to great effect. There have been several virtuoso performances by actors such as Joss Ackland and Vincent Price. It must be a gift to a talented actor who can bring their full range of nuances of expression to what is essentially a soliloquy by a madman.
This tale is quite simply a masterpiece of horror. Judge by the final words,
October 17, 2020
First published in the year 1843!
Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart is a well-written short story. It is about a murder and where in, the muderer, who also happens to be the narrator in the book, tries to convince self and the reader that the act is justified. The gender of the narrator is not clear.
The reason behind the act is the vulture eye of the victim:
"It was open - wide, wide open - and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness -all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones."
Edgar Allan Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart is a well-written short story. It is about a murder and where in, the muderer, who also happens to be the narrator in the book, tries to convince self and the reader that the act is justified. The gender of the narrator is not clear.
The reason behind the act is the vulture eye of the victim:
"It was open - wide, wide open - and I grew furious as I gazed upon it. I saw it with perfect distinctness -all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones."
June 29, 2022
" من المستحيل لأحد أن يعرف كيف دخلت الفكرة رأسي ولكن.. ما إن تبلورت
الفكرة في رأسي حتى استحوذت على تفكيري وأصبحت تؤرقني ليل نهار.. لم...
يكن لدي سبب أو هدف للقيام بما فعلته.. ولكن .. ".
قصة " القلب الواشي" قصة أخري مثيرة عن الرعب النفسي و المرض العصبي و ما قد تؤدي له الهلاوس و البارانويا.
تبدأ القصة مع رجلٍ يُعلن لنا مؤكداً أنه ليس مريضاً أو مجنوناً ، بل هو فقط عصبي قليلاً مما أكسبه سمعاً خارقاً و إحساسا يسمع به حتي ما يدور في السماء أو ما يدور في الجحيم .
تؤدي به أحاسيسه الي وجوب أن يريح نفسه مما يغضبه و يعذبه , ما أجمل الأحاسيس التي تدفعك للتخلص من عذابك و همِّك اليس كذلك ؟
و لكن ماذا تقول إن كان عذابه و همّه هو عينيّ رجل عجوز يسكن معه ؟
صديقنا ليس سيئاً بل لديه ضمير و هو لا يكره العجوز و لكن فقط يريد أن يرتاح فقد جعلته احاسيسه يدرك ذلك .
لتكون أحاسيسه ايضا ما ستؤدي به الي النهاية ، فما في قلبك كاشفك لا محالة ...
نتسائل هل من الممكن أن تدفعك أحاسيسُك و بعضُ الوسوسة لفعل شيئٍ لم تكن تتخيلُ قط أن تفعله ؟
سأترك لينك القصة بالأسفل 😁✨.
الفكرة في رأسي حتى استحوذت على تفكيري وأصبحت تؤرقني ليل نهار.. لم...
يكن لدي سبب أو هدف للقيام بما فعلته.. ولكن .. ".
قصة " القلب الواشي" قصة أخري مثيرة عن الرعب النفسي و المرض العصبي و ما قد تؤدي له الهلاوس و البارانويا.
تبدأ القصة مع رجلٍ يُعلن لنا مؤكداً أنه ليس مريضاً أو مجنوناً ، بل هو فقط عصبي قليلاً مما أكسبه سمعاً خارقاً و إحساسا يسمع به حتي ما يدور في السماء أو ما يدور في الجحيم .
تؤدي به أحاسيسه الي وجوب أن يريح نفسه مما يغضبه و يعذبه , ما أجمل الأحاسيس التي تدفعك للتخلص من عذابك و همِّك اليس كذلك ؟
و لكن ماذا تقول إن كان عذابه و همّه هو عينيّ رجل عجوز يسكن معه ؟
صديقنا ليس سيئاً بل لديه ضمير و هو لا يكره العجوز و لكن فقط يريد أن يرتاح فقد جعلته احاسيسه يدرك ذلك .
لتكون أحاسيسه ايضا ما ستؤدي به الي النهاية ، فما في قلبك كاشفك لا محالة ...
نتسائل هل من الممكن أن تدفعك أحاسيسُك و بعضُ الوسوسة لفعل شيئٍ لم تكن تتخيلُ قط أن تفعله ؟
سأترك لينك القصة بالأسفل 😁✨.
April 29, 2023
Who wouldn't find this insanity pure bliss? OK, possible exaggeration, but honestly... the rhythm and the beat of the words just make their own music in your mind and your breath as you read through them. A master... I wish I could have met him. Guessing what the noise is and what's going on around you... makes you want to watch the whole scene looking in from the window.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.
January 19, 2018
قد يفقد الأنسان أعصابه..عقله
لكن ما لا يفقد هو الضمير
هكذا قال القلب
وهذا القلب الواشي سيحكي لنا نوع أخر من مخاوف السيد بو في قصة أخري محفوفة برموزه الكئيبة المعتادة المقبضة
يبدأ الأمر بالراوي الذي ستكتشف أن به خللا ما بالعقل..فهو يضطربه مجرد "عين" رجل عجوز
من هو هذا الرجل العجوز؟ وما علاقة الراوي به؟
هل هو أبنه؟ أتعبته عينه "شبيهة عين الصقر" المراقبة له دوما؟ شريكه في السكن؟
-بل أن البعض يدعي أنه راوية وليست راوي.. فأسلوب المتكلم هنا في الأصل الأنجليزي لايسمح بمعرفة الجنس-
ليبدأ الراوي في اعمال سيكوباتية شيطانية، يقوم بترويع هذا الرجل...بتركيز الضوء علي عينه العجيبة أثناء نوم الرجل
تخيل تحطيم أعصاب الرجل المسكين؟
الراوي حتما فاقدا العقل والقلب
لكن الضمير؟
قد يخمد الضمير لفترة... قد تسكنه..تنومه...تدفنه..ولكنه كالدفن الحي
يعترف الراوي أنه لن يستفيد شيئا من جريمته ، يعترف انه لا يطمع من شئ من ذلك الرجل... لا يهدف سوي الخلاص من هذه العين القبيحة
لذا يقوم بجريمته -ظنا منه أنه- مرتاح الضمير
لكن
بووووم بوووووم بوووووم
هل تذكر هذا المرض الذي "أبتكره" وقتها إدجار ألان بو في قصة
سقوط منزل آشر
هنا الراوي مثل "رودريك آشر" ، يدعي أنه يعاني من نفس المرض، الحساسية المرهفة السمعية ، يحطم أعصابه أبسط الأصوات التي قد لا تسمعها حتي الاذن العادية
العجيب أن اعراض هذا المرض تم تشخصيها لاحقا بعد قرنا من الزمان من قصص بو المليئة بالخيال المرهف
أنه يسمع صوتا ما ... يحطم أعصابه
بوووم بوووم بوووم
ولكن دعونا نتفق أن رفاهة السمع العجيبة التي أنتابت الراوي ليست من ذاك المرض...ليست من القلب الواشي
أستحالة أن يكون صوت القلب الذي دفن ... هل يمكن أن يكون القلب دفن حيا؟
لا أنه صوت ضميره الذي أستيقظ
صوت ضميره الذي دفن حيا
مع قلب الرجل العجوز
الواشي
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
القلب الواشي وقصص بو الأخري
لدينا الأن قصة بو عن تلك الجريمة الشنيعة التي أرتكبها متعمدا الراوي ظنا منه أنها بضمير مرتاح
وفضحه مرض ذكره بو في قصة سابقة ، أشتملت أيضا دفن شخص بشك أنه لم يمت فعلا
وبعد أن قدم هذه القصة في يناير 1843 ، قدم في أغسطس بنفس العام جريمة أخري ... الشعور بالذنب أيضا فضحها ودمر أعصاب صاحبها المدمرة أصلا بسبب الكحول
القط الأسود
بل وهناك قصص أخري قدمها سواء عن الجرائم أو الدفن ولكن لهذه مراجعات أخري -لقد أرهقني المراجعات الطويلة عن القصص القصيرة بحق ولكن بو فعلا رجلا سابقا لعصره-
ولكن تلاحظ هنا أن التيمة الأساسية هي الشعور بالذنب... رودريك شعر بالذنب ، الراوي هنا أيضا شعر بالذنب
لحظة أستيقاظ الضمير
قال لي صديقي "محمد علي" في تعقيبه علي مراجعة "القط الأسود" أن التيمة المرعبة هي "الضمير الأسود" ، وبرغم أعتراضي المبدئي عن الأسم عندما فهمت ما يقصده وجدت انها تنطبق هنا أكثر، فالضمير هنا أسود علي صاحبه الذي ظن أنه أرتكب جريمة كاملة
بعكس صاحب القط الأسود ، هذا المسكين هنا ، فاقد العقل ، قام بجريمته عمدا
لم يعلم أن ضميره لا يفقد عقله أبدا
إلي هنا تنتهي مراجعة تلك القصة ، القبيحة السوداوية التي لم تعجبني كثيرا ... فهي تقدم شخصية غير سوية تقدم علي جريمة حمقاء بلا لزوم سوي العين الملعونة تلك
ولكن العين ونفس التيمة عن جريمة أخري جعلتني أفكر كثيرا في سر القصة التالية لها
ولكن لهذا مراجعة أخري
محمد العربي
في 22 أبريل 2017
لكن ما لا يفقد هو الضمير
هكذا قال القلب
وهذا القلب الواشي سيحكي لنا نوع أخر من مخاوف السيد بو في قصة أخري محفوفة برموزه الكئيبة المعتادة المقبضة
يبدأ الأمر بالراوي الذي ستكتشف أن به خللا ما بالعقل..فهو يضطربه مجرد "عين" رجل عجوز
من هو هذا الرجل العجوز؟ وما علاقة الراوي به؟
هل هو أبنه؟ أتعبته عينه "شبيهة عين الصقر" المراقبة له دوما؟ شريكه في السكن؟
-بل أن البعض يدعي أنه راوية وليست راوي.. فأسلوب المتكلم هنا في الأصل الأنجليزي لايسمح بمعرفة الجنس-
ليبدأ الراوي في اعمال سيكوباتية شيطانية، يقوم بترويع هذا الرجل...بتركيز الضوء علي عينه العجيبة أثناء نوم الرجل
تخيل تحطيم أعصاب الرجل المسكين؟
الراوي حتما فاقدا العقل والقلب
لكن الضمير؟
قد يخمد الضمير لفترة... قد تسكنه..تنومه...تدفنه..ولكنه كالدفن الحي
يعترف الراوي أنه لن يستفيد شيئا من جريمته ، يعترف انه لا يطمع من شئ من ذلك الرجل... لا يهدف سوي الخلاص من هذه العين القبيحة
لذا يقوم بجريمته -ظنا منه أنه- مرتاح الضمير
لكن
بووووم بوووووم بوووووم
هل تذكر هذا المرض الذي "أبتكره" وقتها إدجار ألان بو في قصة
سقوط منزل آشر
هنا الراوي مثل "رودريك آشر" ، يدعي أنه يعاني من نفس المرض، الحساسية المرهفة السمعية ، يحطم أعصابه أبسط الأصوات التي قد لا تسمعها حتي الاذن العادية
العجيب أن اعراض هذا المرض تم تشخصيها لاحقا بعد قرنا من الزمان من قصص بو المليئة بالخيال المرهف
أنه يسمع صوتا ما ... يحطم أعصابه
بوووم بوووم بوووم
ولكن دعونا نتفق أن رفاهة السمع العجيبة التي أنتابت الراوي ليست من ذاك المرض...ليست من القلب الواشي
أستحالة أن يكون صوت القلب الذي دفن ... هل يمكن أن يكون القلب دفن حيا؟
لا أنه صوت ضميره الذي أستيقظ
صوت ضميره الذي دفن حيا
مع قلب الرجل العجوز
الواشي
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
القلب الواشي وقصص بو الأخري
لدينا الأن قصة بو عن تلك الجريمة الشنيعة التي أرتكبها متعمدا الراوي ظنا منه أنها بضمير مرتاح
وفضحه مرض ذكره بو في قصة سابقة ، أشتملت أيضا دفن شخص بشك أنه لم يمت فعلا
وبعد أن قدم هذه القصة في يناير 1843 ، قدم في أغسطس بنفس العام جريمة أخري ... الشعور بالذنب أيضا فضحها ودمر أعصاب صاحبها المدمرة أصلا بسبب الكحول
القط الأسود
بل وهناك قصص أخري قدمها سواء عن الجرائم أو الدفن ولكن لهذه مراجعات أخري -لقد أرهقني المراجعات الطويلة عن القصص القصيرة بحق ولكن بو فعلا رجلا سابقا لعصره-
ولكن تلاحظ هنا أن التيمة الأساسية هي الشعور بالذنب... رودريك شعر بالذنب ، الراوي هنا أيضا شعر بالذنب
لحظة أستيقاظ الضمير
قال لي صديقي "محمد علي" في تعقيبه علي مراجعة "القط الأسود" أن التيمة المرعبة هي "الضمير الأسود" ، وبرغم أعتراضي المبدئي عن الأسم عندما فهمت ما يقصده وجدت انها تنطبق هنا أكثر، فالضمير هنا أسود علي صاحبه الذي ظن أنه أرتكب جريمة كاملة
بعكس صاحب القط الأسود ، هذا المسكين هنا ، فاقد العقل ، قام بجريمته عمدا
لم يعلم أن ضميره لا يفقد عقله أبدا
إلي هنا تنتهي مراجعة تلك القصة ، القبيحة السوداوية التي لم تعجبني كثيرا ... فهي تقدم شخصية غير سوية تقدم علي جريمة حمقاء بلا لزوم سوي العين الملعونة تلك
ولكن العين ونفس التيمة عن جريمة أخري جعلتني أفكر كثيرا في سر القصة التالية لها
ولكن لهذا مراجعة أخري
محمد العربي
في 22 أبريل 2017
October 15, 2021
I first read this in middle school English class with a teacher who absolutely adored Poe’s works. This is my favorite from him, and this re-read during spooky season was perfection and brought back many memories from reading it the first time- where I was, how I felt. I love how reading can do that for us.
If you are looking for a quick read this fall in the form of a classic that stands the test of time, check this one out.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
If you are looking for a quick read this fall in the form of a classic that stands the test of time, check this one out.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
January 14, 2019
One of the best short stories ever written, scared the bejesus out of me when I was a teenager and as you know teenagers are scared of nothing, because they know everything. Ha!
September 15, 2019
The narrator, a mad man, calmly tells the readers how he killed his boss (the old man) because he was enraged by his boss’ eye since it looks like a “vulture’s eye” that he felt always watched him. Eventually the guilt of commiting a murder drives him insane and he reveals his crime.
Classic horror! Perfect blend of language and great storytelling. Short, compelling and a spooky read. Fascinating to hear the murderer's perspective and watch him slowly lose his sanity through his narration. Interested in exploring more of Poe's work.
Classic horror! Perfect blend of language and great storytelling. Short, compelling and a spooky read. Fascinating to hear the murderer's perspective and watch him slowly lose his sanity through his narration. Interested in exploring more of Poe's work.
April 10, 2021
Cada relato de Poe es una pequeña obra de arte. No son 5 estrellas siempre porqué el final se precipita muy rápido. Son como pequeñas muestras de genio y cada uno podría ser el preludio de una novela mucho más extensa.
En este caso, nos brinda una historia sobre la mala conciencia que albergamos todos dentro.
Each Poe story is a small work of art. It's not always 5 stars because the end is too fast. They are like little displays of genius and each could be the prelude to a much longer novel.
In this case, he gives us a story about the bad conscience we all harbor within.
En este caso, nos brinda una historia sobre la mala conciencia que albergamos todos dentro.
Each Poe story is a small work of art. It's not always 5 stars because the end is too fast. They are like little displays of genius and each could be the prelude to a much longer novel.
In this case, he gives us a story about the bad conscience we all harbor within.
September 30, 2022
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe is a classic among Gothic novels.
The first person narrator describes in a meticulous way his motivation and implementation of a killing act. His victim is an old man, whose is pale on one eye. The first person narrator is extremely disturbed by the old man’s eye that he proclaims as the "Evil Eye".
On one hand the narrator loves the old man dearly, on the other hand he despises him for his eye. This behavior is attributed to double-binding, where a schizophrenic person sends ambivalent signals to express his love/hate feelings towards someone.
Poe does not mention in what relationship both of these characters are linked with each other, but it is said that the relationship resembles the one of father and son. It is even claimed that Poe processed his feelings towards his own father with this Gothic novel, which makes me shudder.
The first person narrator points out multiple times to the reader that he may come across as a madman. Throughout the short story, however, he boasts of his sagacity as to how he terrorized the old man for a week before killing him. He finds pleasure in telling how he derides neighbors and policemen that nothing happened though everyone heard the shriek of the old man during the killing act.
In the end, the "tell-tale heart" gives him away as the heart beat becomes louder and louder in his head. When he is no longer able to endure the noise in his head, he testifies to the police: "I admit the deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—it is the beating of his hideous heart!”.
Could it be that he was plagued by his own consciousness and, therefore, his own heart beat, which is attributed to a high adrenaline rush?
Spine-Chilling!
The first person narrator describes in a meticulous way his motivation and implementation of a killing act. His victim is an old man, whose is pale on one eye. The first person narrator is extremely disturbed by the old man’s eye that he proclaims as the "Evil Eye".
On one hand the narrator loves the old man dearly, on the other hand he despises him for his eye. This behavior is attributed to double-binding, where a schizophrenic person sends ambivalent signals to express his love/hate feelings towards someone.
Poe does not mention in what relationship both of these characters are linked with each other, but it is said that the relationship resembles the one of father and son. It is even claimed that Poe processed his feelings towards his own father with this Gothic novel, which makes me shudder.
The first person narrator points out multiple times to the reader that he may come across as a madman. Throughout the short story, however, he boasts of his sagacity as to how he terrorized the old man for a week before killing him. He finds pleasure in telling how he derides neighbors and policemen that nothing happened though everyone heard the shriek of the old man during the killing act.
In the end, the "tell-tale heart" gives him away as the heart beat becomes louder and louder in his head. When he is no longer able to endure the noise in his head, he testifies to the police: "I admit the deed!—tear up the planks!—here, here!—it is the beating of his hideous heart!”.
Could it be that he was plagued by his own consciousness and, therefore, his own heart beat, which is attributed to a high adrenaline rush?
Spine-Chilling!
August 21, 2018
"A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong"
- Edgar Allan Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado"
Vol 31 of my Penguin Little Black Classics Box Set. This volume contains the following short-stories:
1. The Tell-Tale Heart - ★★★★★
2. The Fall of the House of Usher - ★★★★
3. The Cask of Amontillado - ★★★★★
The book is titled with the first story, but more than half this volume is actually 'The Fall of the Hosue of Usher'. All the stories are gothic, macabre, and full of madness. They ARE stories by Poe by God. I read 'the Tell-Tale Heart' decades ago when I was a kid and it still doesn't disappoint. I was new to the other two stories (knew them by reputation, but not experience) and adored them too.
The editors did a good job. These stories, while obviously different, still shared a certain thread: buried bodies, creepy homes, decay, death. I think my favorite might have been the Cask of Amontillado, but I'm still not sure. They were all over-the-top. Poe is a master-builder of creepy tales and creepy homes.
- Edgar Allan Poe, "The Cask of Amontillado"
Vol 31 of my Penguin Little Black Classics Box Set. This volume contains the following short-stories:
1. The Tell-Tale Heart - ★★★★★
2. The Fall of the House of Usher - ★★★★
3. The Cask of Amontillado - ★★★★★
The book is titled with the first story, but more than half this volume is actually 'The Fall of the Hosue of Usher'. All the stories are gothic, macabre, and full of madness. They ARE stories by Poe by God. I read 'the Tell-Tale Heart' decades ago when I was a kid and it still doesn't disappoint. I was new to the other two stories (knew them by reputation, but not experience) and adored them too.
The editors did a good job. These stories, while obviously different, still shared a certain thread: buried bodies, creepy homes, decay, death. I think my favorite might have been the Cask of Amontillado, but I'm still not sure. They were all over-the-top. Poe is a master-builder of creepy tales and creepy homes.
June 3, 2022
One of my favourite short stories! What a build-up and what a climax! Read this ages ago but still haven't forgotten the impact.
The story is in the public domain, so you can read it online for free. Here's one such link: https://americanenglish.state.gov/fil...
Enjoy!
The story is in the public domain, so you can read it online for free. Here's one such link: https://americanenglish.state.gov/fil...
Enjoy!
October 2, 2015
A short story classic!
Poe had excellent timing in the pace for The Tell-Tale Heart, setting it to the quickening beat of a increasingly nervous heart. (Don't you dare comment below about how "the heart" mentioned in the story is the victim's, not the narrator's!)
Countless future writers, especially tv writers needing to tie things up within a half hour, would use this story as a framework for how to wring a confession out of a perpetrator.
Unfortunately, this story might not capture the terrified hearts of readers as it once did, because today this sort of homicide is fairly common place. We've been there, done that and seen it a hundred times on the morning news. It's almost as if The Tell-Tale Heart has become a valuable suggested template on what to do if you're annoyed by your roommate.
Poe had excellent timing in the pace for The Tell-Tale Heart, setting it to the quickening beat of a increasingly nervous heart. (Don't you dare comment below about how "the heart" mentioned in the story is the victim's, not the narrator's!)
Countless future writers, especially tv writers needing to tie things up within a half hour, would use this story as a framework for how to wring a confession out of a perpetrator.
Unfortunately, this story might not capture the terrified hearts of readers as it once did, because today this sort of homicide is fairly common place. We've been there, done that and seen it a hundred times on the morning news. It's almost as if The Tell-Tale Heart has become a valuable suggested template on what to do if you're annoyed by your roommate.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,942 reviews