美国文学theblackcat.pptx

Edgar Allan Poe1809-1849His Family and Tragic LifeBorn in BostonThe son of traveling actorsTragic and unhappy lifeTragic and Unhappy LifeYfather deserted him at the age of two and his mother died later soon.Yadopted by Mr.and Mrs.John AllanYconstant disagreements with his step-father.continuedStudied briefly at the University of Virginiadoing well in his studies,but Drinking and gambling difficulties(debts)kept him from continuing at UVA.continued&Received an appointment to West Point,but provoked his own dismissal（got himself expelled by missing classes）&Caused a final separation between himself and step-father.continuedvIn 1836 married his 13-year-old cousin,Virginia.continuedLived in poverty-stricken conditionsIn 1846 his wife died after a long illness.continuedDied in Baltimore after having been found drunkDied a poor manthemeinto the inner workings of the dark side of the mind.Poe was famous forPsychological fiction-He wanted to produce the greatest possible horrific effects on the reader.The Black CatQuestions to study:1.Have you found any Gothic elements in this short story?2.Why does Poe use the first person point of view?3.What caused the drastic transformation of his temperament?4.Both of the two cats miss one eye,why didnt Poe mention if it is the same eye missing?5.Why did he himself disclose the crime he has committed?在这个世界上，没有一个人，我再重复一遍，从没有任何一个人能像他那样把人生的诸多特点用如此神奇的方法表达出来。幻像首先让人产生怀疑，紧接着如同一本书那样逻辑和让人信服；疯狂在智慧中生根并且最终用一种让人难以置信的逻辑统治它；空想夺取了行动的位置，矛盾在神经和心灵中发芽，人用笑声来表示自己的痛苦。他研究世界上所有不可能的幻想，他创造时空的断层并用他特有的细节性和科学性描述一个激动的人如何利用幻想去做恶。-查尔斯.波德莱尔 The capacity for violence and horror lies within each of us,no matter how docile and humane our dispositions might appear.-By Martha Womack The Black Cat is one of Edgar Allan Poes most memorable stories.The tale centers around a black cat and the subsequent deterioration of a man.The story is often linked with The Tell-Tale Heart because of the profound psychological elements these two works share.The Black Cat first appeared in The Saturday Evening Post on August 19,1843.This first-person narrative falls into the realm of Horror/Gothic Literature,and has been examined in association with themes of insanity and alcoholism.The story is presented as a first-person narrative.He is a condemned man at the outset of the story.The narrator tells us that from an early age he has loved animals.He and his wife have many pets,including a large black cat named Pluto.This cat is especially fond of the narrator and vice versa.Their mutual friendship lasts for several years,until the narrator becomes an alcoholic.One night,after coming home intoxicated,he believes the cat is avoiding him.When he tries to seize it,the panicked cat bites the narrator,and in a fit of rage,he seizes the animal,pulls a pen-knife from his pocket,and deliberately gouges out the cats eye.A penknife,or pen knife,is a small folding pocket knife.The most famous example of a multi-function knife is the Swiss Army knife.From that moment onward,the cat flees in terror at his masters approach.At first,the narrator is remorseful and regrets his cruelty.But this feeling soon gave place to irritation.And then came,as if to my final and irrevocable overthrow,the spirit of PERVERSENESS.He takes the cat out in the garden one morning and hangs it from a tree,where it dies.That very night,his house mysteriously catches fire,forcing the narrator,his wife and their servant to flee.The next day,the narrator returns to the ruins of his home to find,imprinted on the single wall that survived the fire,the figure of a gigantic cat,hanging by its neck from a rope.At first,this image terrifies the narrator,but gradually he determines a logical explanation for it,that someone outside had thrown the dead cat into the bedroom to wake him up during the fire,and begins to miss Pluto.Some time later,he finds a similar cat in a tavern.It is the same size and color as the original and is even missing an eye.The only difference is a large white patch on the animals chest.The narrator takes it home,but soon begins to loathe,even fear the creature.After a time,the white patch of fur begins to take shape and,to the narrator,forms the shape of the gallows.A gallows is a frame,typically wooden,used for execution by hanging Then,one day when the narrator and his wife are visiting the cellar in their new home,the cat gets under its masters feet and nearly trips him down the stairs.In a fury,the man grabs an axe and tries to kill the cat but is stopped by his wife.Enraged,he kills her with the axe instead.To conceal her body he removes bricks from a protrusion in the wall,places her body there,and repairs the hole.When the police came to investigate,they find nothing and the narrator goes free.The cat,which he intended to kill as well,has gone missing.On the last day of the investigation,the narrator accompanies the police into the cellar.They still find nothing.Then,completely confident in his own safety,the narrator comments on the sturdiness of the building and raps upon the wall he had built around his wifes body.A wailing sound fills the room.The alarmed police tear down the wall and find the wifes corpse,and on her head,to the horror of the narrator,is the screeching black cat.As he words it:I had walled the monster up within the tomb!Pluto,who in Greek and Roman mythology,was the god of the dead and the ruler of the underworldsettingAs the story begins,the narrator is in jail awaiting his execution,which will occur on the following day,for the brutal murder of his wife.The rest of the story is told The major characterAlthough several characters are mentioned in this story,the true focus lies upon the nameless narrator,who is known for his