 Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most

important and influential American

writers of the 19th century. He was
the first author to try to make a
professional living as a writer.
 Literary Pioneer

 Poet

 His poetry alone would ensure his spot in the literary

canon. Poe's notable verses range from the early
masterpiece “To Helen” to the dark, mysterious
“Ulalume.” From “The Raven,” which made him
world-famous upon its publication in 1845, to
“Annabel Lee,” the posthumously published eulogy
for a maiden “in a kingdom by the sea.”
 Master of Macabre

 Most famously, Poe completely transformed the

genre of the horror story with his masterful tales of
psychological depth and insight not envisioned in
the genre before his time and scarcely seen in it
since. Stories like “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask
of Amontillado,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The
Masque of the Red Death,” and “The Fall of the
House of Usher” reveal Poe’s talent at its height.
 Pioneer of Science Fiction
 Pioneer of Science Fiction

 He was an early pioneer in the

genre of science fiction. Poe was
fascinated by the science of his
time, and he often wrote stories
about new inventions.
 Father of the Detective Story

 Poe is credited with inventing the modern

detective story with “The Murders in the Rue
Morgue.” His concept of deductive reasoning,
which he called "ratiocination" inspired
countless authors, most famous among them
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock
Holmes.
 Characters:
  Montresor is the immoral narrator who
tells the story of his revenge against
Fortunato. Montresor lures Fortunato into his
catacombs, chains him to a wall, and buries
him alive.

 Luchesi is another wine connoisseur and an

acquaintance of Montresor and Fortunato.

Fortunato - is a friend of
Montresor’s who is unaware that
Montresor is plotting to kill him.
He is a connoisseur of wine who
is enticed by Montresor to
sample some rare Amontillado
and lured into his trap.
 SETTING
 Under the catacomb, somewhere in
Italy, during carnival season
 SUMMARY OF THE STORY
The narrator begins by telling us that Fortunato
has hurt him. Even worse, Fortunato has
insulted him. The narrator must get revenge.
He meets Fortunato, who is all dressed up in
jester clothes for a carnival celebration − and
is already very drunk. The narrator mentions
he’s found a barrel of a rare brandy called
Amontillado. Fortunato expresses eager
interest in verifying the wine’s authenticity. 
So he and the narrator go to the underground
graveyard, or “catacomb,” of the Montresor
family. Apparently, that’s where the narrator
keeps his wine. The narrator leads Fortunato
deeper and deeper into the catacomb, getting
him drunker and drunker along the way.
Fortunato keeps coughing, and the narrator
constantly suggests that Fortunato is too sick
to be down among the damp crypts, and
should go back. Fortunato just keeps talking
about the Amontillado.
Eventually, Fortunato walks into a man-sized
hole that’s part of the wall of a really nasty
crypt. The narrator chains Fortunato to the
wall, then begins to close Fortunato in the
hole by filling in the opening with bricks.
When he has one brick left, he
psychologically tortures Fortunato until he
begs for mercy – and we finally learn the
narrator’s name: Fortunato calls him
“Montresor.”
After Fortunato cries out Montresor’s
name, he doesn’t have any more
lines. But just before Montresor puts
in the last brick, Fortunato jingles his
bells. Then Montresor finishes the
job and leaves him there to die. At
the very end, Montresor tells us that
the whole affair happened fifty years
ago, and nobody has found out.
 Themes:

 Betrayal
 Revenge
 MORAL LESSON
 Seeking revenge is wrong.
 To much trust to someone may leads
you to death.
 Drinking alcohol is too dangerous .
 Think before you speak.
THANK YOU!