The Tell-Tale Heart

“The Tell-Tale Heart”

• Genre: Fiction; Gothic horror
• Originally Published: 1843
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1220L; grades 9 and up
• Structure/Length: Short story; approximately 10 pages; approximately 18 minutes on audiobook
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The short story is narrated by an unnamed protagonist who insists on the health of their mental state while describing their obsession and eventual murder of an old man with a “vulture eye.” The central conflict revolves around the protagonist's descent into “madness” as they are tormented by the old man's eye and driven to commit a heinous act due to irrational fear.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Violence; themes of obsession and psychological distress, which the author terms “madness”; descriptions of murder

Edgar Allan Poe, Author

• Bio: Born 1809; American writer, poet, and literary critic; central figure in the American Romantic movement; known for his macabre and mysterious works; often explores themes of death, “madness,” and the unknown; wrote both poetry and short stories; “The Tell-Tale Heart” left a lasting legacy in literature and is regarded as a master example of the short story and psychological horror
• Other Works: “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839); “The Masque of the Red Death” (1842); “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1842); “The Black Cat” (1843); The Raven and Other Poems (1845); “The Cask of Amontillado” (1846); “Annabel Lee” (1849)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Line Between Madness and Rationality
• The Balance Between Fear and Power

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the literary context regarding Poe’s use of ambiguous narration in Gothic literature, which impacts the characterization of his narrator.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Line Between Madness and Rationality and The Balance Between Fear and Power.
• Draft and present a creative writing piece that demonstrates an understanding of Poe’s characterization and setting in the context of Gothic literature, based on text details.