Where do you think the story takes place? When?
Who are the characters?
What do we know about them and their relationship?
Themes dealt with?
Can you mention death references?
Analyse the following quotations:
1. “I must not only punish but punish with impunity. 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” (p. 3)
2. “Here I knocked off the neck of a bottle which I drew from a long row of its fellows that lay upon the mould” (p. 5)
3. “Nemo me impune lacessit” (p. 6)
4. “ (…) in the fashion of the great catacombs of Paris” (p. 7)
5. “He was too much astounded to resist” (p.7)
6. “(…) the intoxication of Fortunato had in a great measure worn off” (p. 8)
7. “For the love of God!” (p. 9)
8. “There came forth in reply only a jingling of the bells” (p. 9)
9. “For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!” (p. 9)
Can you summarize the plot in no more than three lines?
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Hi everyone!, I was on vacations so I didn’t pay much attention to the previous story, but I think after Lu great analysis there’s nothing left to say.
ResponderEliminarWell, personally I like short tales, the good ones proves that you don’t need a whole book to develop a story , and pushes the reader to imagine, giving just the basis for expand and create the world around those paragraphs.
About the story, considering the references (carnivals, clothes like “roquelaire”, the use of flambeaux, vaults and catacombs) it sounds very 18th century. Allan Poe doesn’t tell where does the story takes place, but there are some reference about Italy (He says that Fortunato is Italian by saying “He prided himself on his connoisseurship in wine. Few Italians have the true virtuoso spirit.(…). In painting and gemmary, Fortunato, like his countrymen, was a quack, but in the matter of old wines he was sincere”, then uses names and words like “Luchesi” and “palazzo”, but I’m just making deductions out of nowhere.
The conflict is caused by the injuries and insults that Fortunato uttered against Montresor in the past. The motive or contempt of these offences is not revealed, but Fortunato shows himself comfortable and calm in company of the protagonist.
It’s great the way the narrator plays with his offender. First, we can see in several occasions he offers Fortunato to come back, in order to take care of his health, but he refused to, so the victim fulfilled his death sentence knowing he maybe had the chance of change his luck, but he didn’t take it. Second, when Fortunato says “For the love of God”, asking for mercy and trying to dissuade the killer, this last one uses ironically the same argument to justify his revenge.
Nemo me impune lacessit: according to Wikipedia, is the Latin motto of the Order of the Thistle and of three Scottish regiments of the British Army. It is often translated as No one attacks me with impunity.
Interesting links:
> For wine lovers:
Amontillado: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amontillado
Medoc: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9doc_AOC
Different casks of English wine: http://www.sizes.com/units/barrel_wine.htm
> Data:
The story of the Catacombs of Paris: http://www.catacombes-de-paris.fr/english.html
My final conclusion, after a deep analysis and considering the facts, is that Montresor has killed Barnes’s Oliver!.
Sol,
ResponderEliminarI totally agree with your conclusion!