1. Poe and the Motif of Madness
One of the key components to his horror stories is the motif of madness which pervades almost all of his tales. ... Furthermore, in his review of Hawthorne's Twice Told Tales, he defends short story as preferable to the novel and states that the ideal short story should be short enough to be read at one sitting in order to preserve this unity of effect or rather impression. ... "2 On that account in Poe's short stories every aspect of the tale contributes to its overall tone, including the motif of madness. ... In, "The Tell-Tale Heart," it is the madness of the man wh...
- Word Count: 1406
- Approx Pages: 6
- Has Bibliography
- Grade Level: Undergraduate