Asher Kramerberry

Gothic Literature
6/6/2022
8.04 Review Questions

1. There were many stressful events and circumstances in Poe’s life which probably played a role
in his melancholy outlook. He grew up in a family of divorce (which I imagine would be very
difficult because, at the time, divorce was a very taboo subject and single mothers were treated
poorly by the public) before becoming a foster child after his mother’s early death. In the foster
system, Poe was split up from his siblings and placed with a family with whom the father he had
a rather strained relationship. Once entering adulthood, Poe left university after one year with
gambling debts. Soon after, his foster mother, with whom he had a close relationship, died. Poe
then began suffering from alcoholism and struggled to find work. I guess he must’ve been really
struggling at this point, because on top of this he decided to marry his thirteen year old cousin in
secret. His wife/cousin died early from tuberculosis, sending Poe into a mental breakdown from
which he never fully recovered. Poe eventually died on October 7th, 1849 at the age of 40.
2. In Poe’s story “Berenice”, Egaeus shows symptoms of the psychological condition monomania
in his obsession with Berenice and her teeth. Monomania affects the actions he takes by causing
him to obsess, to remain unconcerned about Berenice and his own deteriorating health and
other needs, and to make decisions that are decidedly not mentally sound (y’know, like taking
someone’s teeth).
3. Some of the evidence that supernatural forces might be at work in “The Black Cat” is very first
and foremost in the cat itself. At the time, black cats were often thought to be familiars of witches
and omens of other bad luck. In the story, the wife even associates the cat as being a likely sign
of witchcraft. Another hinting towards the supernatural or mythical is in the name of the cat,
Pluto. In Roman/Latin mythology, Pluto was the god of the underworld and a symbol of oncoming
death. Although Poe alludes to the involvement of the supernatural, I think the fate of “The Black
Cat'''s narrator ultimately had to do more with his own behavioral and mental state than anything
else. Both alcoholism and violence are harmful and never lead anywhere positive. In my opinion
the narrator could’ve worked to avoid all the horror and pain by starting on himself with
improvement on his health and his effect on those around him.
4. I think the story “Berenice” fits into the literary Gothic genre because of the themes the story
embodies. Some of the themes fitting of the gothic genre illustrated include obsession, mental
illness, a gothic atmosphere (big house, isolating environment, etc), life and death, etc.
5. If I was one of Poe’s trusted friends, I would tell him that, while they were well written and
fascinating reads, I am mildly concerned about his state of mind. Why is he so fixated on the
gruesome? I’m just kidding, an artist’s mind is great. Just worried :)