The Cask of Amontillado
by Edgar Allan Poe · first published 1846
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"The Cask of Amontillado" (sometimes spelled "The Casque of Amontillado" [a.mon.ti.ˈʝa.ðo]) is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in the November 1846 issue of Godey's Lady's Book. The story, set in an unnamed Italian city at carnival time in an unspecified year, is about a man taking fatal revenge on a friend who, he believes, has insulted him. Like several of Poe's stories, and in keeping with the 19th-century fascination with the subject, the narrative revolves around a person being buried alive – in this case, by immurement. As in "The Black Cat" and "The Tel
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The Cask of Amontillado is great for that. And the classic poem The Raven describes existential dread so well. I found with King the scarier aspects were the more mundane and psychological parts of his writing. I also found…
on “The Gold-Bug: Edgar Allan Poe's story that taught me about cryptography (2024)” ↗…works like The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and Ode to a Grecian Urn, and for literature they've got Joyce's amazing short story (and set at Christmastime) The Dead, The Cask of Amontillado, and with annotations by the founder Mahbod, War and Peace (he also says one of his favorite books is Nicholas Nickleby, which is not really an obvious choice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NAzQPll7Lo#t=1018).
on “Open Letter to Google About Rap Genius SEO” ↗…lot of people look at something like this and think "I could do this" because, very plainly, they know that they could. I don't think there are a lot of people who read A Confederacy of Dunces or The Cask of Amontillado or The Lottery or The Trial and feel like they could do it, because, very plainly, they realize that they cannot.
on “Writing: A misunderstood activity” ↗…published in 01818, Rip Van Winkle was published in 01819, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was published in 01820, The Last of the Mohicans was published in 01826, Self-Reliance was published in 01841, The Cask of Amontillado was published in 01846. Maybe Rowling doesn't rise to the level of Austen, but I'd definitely put her above Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper. The second is that the humans, unable to think…
on “Greg Newby, CEO of Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, has died” ↗…("The Murders in the Rue Morgue," "The Gold-Bug"), science fiction ("The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," "The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion"), psychological suspense ("The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Cask of Amontillado") and, of course, gothic horror ("The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Masque of the Red Death," the incomparable "Ligeia")." I love Poe, but whether he can be credited with inventing these genres is…
on “Is Poe the most influential American writer? A new book offers evidence” ↗I was introduced to Poe via "The Cask of Amontillado". After that, I binge-watched The Fall of the House of Usher when it released, which is a mash-up of a lot of Poe's stories (the show didn't have the subtlety of the original work, but was a lot of fun).…
on “Edgar Allan Poe's life was a mess. But his work was in his command” ↗